Skin Contact

Skin Contact — Sour with Ull de Llebre Grape Skins — Cyclic Beer Farm

Skin Contact is one of the most fascinating beers from Cyclic Beer Farm, a brewery-farm in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) that also produces wonderful craft wines. In Italy, we might almost call it an IGA (Italian Grape Ale), but the Catalan producers prefer to simply define it as “Sour with grape skins”. Skin Contact is one of those beers that embody the two souls of the Farm — beer and wine — and does so with great elegance.

The technique: Sour + Saison + Ull de Llebre

It is born from a blend of two distinct components: a Sour beer that undergoes contact with the skins of Ull de Llebre grapes (the Catalan Tempranillo) and a mixed fermentation Saison aged in barrel. The Ull de Llebre — literally “hare’s eye” in Catalan — is the local name for Tempranillo, the most important grape variety in Catalonia: its skins impart tannins, color, and red fruit aromas to the Sour beer during maceration.

Technical sheet

• Style: Sour with grape skins / Grape Ale
• Grape: Ull de Llebre (Catalan Tempranillo) — skins
• Composition: Blend of Sour on grape skins + mixed fermentation Saison in barrel
• Fermentation: Mixed
• Serving temperature: 10–12°C
• Recommended glass: Wine glass or tulip
• Producer: Cyclic Beer Farm — Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Sensory profile

On the nose it is complex and layered: the Ull de Llebre skins bring notes of red fruit, fine tannins, and a wine-like complexity, while the barrel-aged Saison adds funky, earthy, and cellar notes. On the palate it is highly complex and equally drinkable: the acidity of the Sour blends with the tannic structure of the grape in a fascinating and unexpected balance.

Why choose Skin Contact

• Ull de Llebre (Catalan Tempranillo) — the most important grape variety in Catalonia in beer: a unique and authentic connection to Cyclic’s wine-growing territory
• The two souls of Cyclic — beer and wine together: only a brewery that also produces craft wines could create something so elegant
• Blend of two components — complexity born from the assembly: each component contributes its unique character
• One of the most interesting projects in Europe — Cyclic Beer Farm is a European reference for farmhouse beers and unconventional fermentations

Recommended pairings

Blue and aged cheeses, structured red meats, Catalan tapas, red fruit desserts. Perfect as a tasting beer or for an important after-dinner drink.

Buy Skin Contact online at Maltese.beer — fast shipping within 24-48h throughout Italy. Sour with Ull de Llebre, barrel-aged Saison, Barcelona: the beer that tastes like wine. Discover all Cyclic Beer Farm beers →