Before trying a few grape ales from Italy this wasn't realy a style that I was that familiar with, despite it even being part of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines. After some research though, I learned that it's actually quite an old type of beer, in fact going far back to when people would mix fermentables such as grains, grapes, and even honey into the same beverage just to ensure the presence of alcohol in their drink, similar to the braggot that I would also eventually brew. The opportunity to create my own grape ale pretty much fell on my lap when my friends at Higgins Ale Works offered me a reasonable amount of leftover red grapes that they themselves didn't use. These were locally grown right in the brewery's inner courtyard, so needless to say that I jumped at the chance. After sorting and rinsing the grapes, I then manually squeezed the juice out and used the skins and pulp directly in the mash together with the grains while the juice itself was added towards the end of the boil for pasteurizing. The red malt along with the grapes themselves produced a gorgeous deep ruby wort which I then fermented with a farmhouse yeast strain before finally pitching the champagne yeast to finish the fermentation. The seemingly finished beer was packaged but despite having reached final gravity, it still continued to ferment leading to over-carbonated bottles which I eventually had to chill and degas. During this process some oxidation innevitably occured, which led to some very interesting raisin and dried fruit notes, not unlike what one might taste in a Weizenbock.