Purple Muscadine Sour — Cellar Aged Series

Artisan ales finished with BLKMAN starter cultures. Bottle conditioned for long-term keeping available for purchase exclusively at the brewery. Stay tuned for scheduled events, listening sessions, and style talks curated by BlackMan Brewing.

Host Brewery:

Oak Cliff Brewing

Tyler Station
Address: 1300 S Polk St #222
Dallas, TX 75224
https://oakcliffbrewing.com

Saison Sunday — Cellar Aged Series – Oak Cliff Brewing Co.

Blend #5 Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: June 4th, 2026

Purple Muscadine Sour

A composition of 49% Sacred Origin Sour Red with 51% Purple Sour finished with native grapes.

The parts unknow that ferment this beer have been with me for a long time The Firm Sour starter cultures are from Hostel Cereal, Barrel House Brett Pale, and Freak Flag. We used the combination of yeast and bacteria to ferment Lager wort. The base for Sacred Origin Sour Red whose acidity is firm with a low lingering malt sweetness. We bottled a small lot to develop slowly in the bottle the remaining presenting sharper acetic notes was then blended with purple muscadine sour.

The Purple Muscadine Sour portion is made of Lager wort also fermented with The Firm Sour cultures. Once bulk fermentation was complete, we add muscadine and blend with Sacred Origin Sour Red then mature on the lees.

The resulting purple muscadine sour tastes like an Oud Bruin with grapes. A farmhouse dark ale produced traditionally by Flemish brewers, or in Belgium by blending fruit with Lambic spontaneous ales.

Our version must not be defined as a Kriek the Lambic by tradition uses intensely tart Schaerbeek cherries. Our Purple Muscadine Sour originates from Sacred Origin Sour Red blended with a grape native to my homeland. The invasive (Vitis rotundifolia) muscadine grape vines populating the Southeastern United States are ripe with its fruit.

Notes: 2026.09.03
91 days // Warm earth vinous wine, dark berry, firm tannin, tobacco leaf, baked tart, wine meets fresh plums dry acidity

Notes: 2026.08.18
75 days // Very well defined both sour and wine. Fruit forward good tannin structure full palate organic tartness natural not American sharp



Inspired by a reflective season at my grandmother's family home. I was passing through the Southeast seeking peace of mind. The city with its economic pretense has a way of thining drifters who ferment for a living. In the country where family ties are community, I was reintroduced to the mundane. The dust. Its gravel. The hard knocks. The unstirring comfort of worn shoes.

I know all too well the struggle my family sustained to earn a honest living working the soils of Alabama hills. I was tired. I have returned a humble fight. The flowing streams we angled as adolescences are no longer backwoods. The trees have thinned. The roads are paved. A land once kudzu covered is being stripped for timber.

The harvest I'm after is a strange fruit. The muscadine grape commonly separated by color. The bronze colored “scuppernongs” are the green grapes. The darker purple muscadine grapes share labels. They are the same large plump globe shaped grapes. The fruit has unmistakable acidity. Wild vines form small individual groupings rather than tight clusters. They have thick skin which separates quickly revealing a fleshy sweet interior. Skin-spilt. The scuppernong grape is a disease resistant superfruit packing ellagic acid and charged with antioxidants. The skin is a bit musty. Once in the weeds you want to separate ripe fruit to balance the taste. Less pungency or a preferred impact of scuppernongs for polyphenol flavor development.

For those who ferment when pressed the muscadine grape juice yields 12 Brix in average sweetness. Fair enough for cider but a wine ferment would require chaptalization to reach elevated 17-20 Brix gravity standards. I feel added sugar disassociates rustic charm. My choice is found in the underbrush where fruit naturally ferments on its skin before being pressed for bulk fermentation. This is my process for native ferments. I have romanticized foraging and traditional farmhouse petrichor, however in production we used fruit from well managed vineyards.



Blend #6 Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: June 5th, 2026

Green "Scuppernong" Muscadine Saison

A composition of 48% OCB #1 Barrel Aged Saison blended with 52% St. James Brett Saison finished with native grapes.

Our Muscadine Saison is made from green "scuppernong" muscadines. The base portion starts fermentation as Lager wort with our St. James starter cultures. Once bulk fermentation is complete, we add muscadine blend with Barrel Aged Saison and mature on the lees.

The resulting rustic grape ale highlights the culture's native farmhouse complex with bright fruity white wine undercurrents.

Notes: 2026.09.01
88 days // Preferred clean pour. Grape leaf & twig, high melon fruitiness papaya low jackfruit funk. Dregs pour has mutted notes less bright saison more pink grapefruit.

Notes: 2026.08.18
74 days // Preferred clean pour. Distinct aroma pungent earth. Complex light briny note finish. Aroma unfamiliar native grape skin. Papaya fruit. Ripe pineapple. Then medium farmhouse clove. Bottle sediment holds more topical fruit but also more lefty grape tannin. Very interesting beer.

Notes: 2026.07.17
44 days // Clean pour is the best. Pour leaving the sediment behind. Tasting notes farmhouse wild character clean Brett beer fruit is rough to decipher.

Notes: 2026.06.22
17 days // Carb check. Wild bloom. Sweet banana. Hints of sparkling white wine. Active carbonation.



OCB #2 - Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: June 9th, 2026

Salted Barrel Blend

Barrel direct bottled saison finished with BLK charred beer salt bottle conditioned with Barrel House Brett Lees. This salted rustic ale is smooth on the palate with vinous notes of sea-side minerally wine grapes. The flavor is vibrant citrus with defined low acidity, lightly oaked barrel the finish is medium preserving a refreshing body.

Notes: 2026.06.23
Carbonation check. Beer resting 14 day since bottling. Good carbonation. Good cork push. Firm twist with pop at open. Low haze. Golden color orangish highlights. White forming head. Medium retention.



Blend #4 Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: May 7th, 2026

Smoked Origin

A blended ale finished on Smoking Lit Sour Lees.

Notes: 2026.05.14
Rustic ale with active soft carbonation.
Tasting Notes: Grilled Peaches baked ham and fresh summer fruit with a flavorful green apricot acidity finishing the palate.



Blend #3 Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: May 7th, 2026

Sacred Origin

A blended ale finished on Barrel House Sour Lees.

Notes: 2026.05.19
Sweet Tart Faro Sour Ale in the style of young Belgian lambic.
Tasting Notes: Apple cider vinegar dried orange slices and candi sugar.



OCB #1 - Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: February 21st, 2026

Barrel Blend

The barrel base blend of 75% Hazy IPA / 25% Lager bottled direct from the barrel.

Notes: 2026.05.03
69 days // cellared bottles have firmer acidity brighter crisp
Tasting Notes: Light acidity, citrus rind, straw grass, pine resin.


Notes: 2026.03.13
20 days // cellared bottles balanced carbonation with low to no acidity.
Tasting Notes: Clean very smooth straw hay pale with low toasted oak.



Base Blend Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: January 9th, 2026

Shared Origin

Base blended ale finished on Gesho Forest Lees.

Notes: 2026.02.21
Hops have settled has low cinnamon spice note hickory complex flavor


Notes: 2026.01.25
Orange fruity hoppy citrus aroma tropical sand & resin
Tasting Notes: An uniquely bitter quality herbaceous yet with dry floral depth




Wild OCB Hefe

Hefeweizen base blended with additional hops then bottle conditioned with Mixed Saison starter cultures.

Saison Sunday - Cellar Aged Series
Bottled: March 6th, 2025

Blending and hand bottling wild ales with industry friends is an intentional rebellion. I prefer beers with yeast contact for long term aging. I continue to promote wild expression as well as beer in glass bottles. Working with the team at OCB is about continuing for the sake of learning about myself while holding space for the next leaders. I enjoy wild crafting with nature. The yeasts are collections from my travels. They have morphed and shifted as much as I. Their natural expressions continue with maturity. So has the craft beer culture we once knew. I am in the brewery inspired by the next change generation. My work will be to stay the course with this project to creat impact and form community.

The batch of Hefeweizen into the blend was a bit dryer on the palate. It was chosen for the wheat content and overall clove esters. The blend of wild yeast at bottling included bottled wild cultures from MVP Saison & War Flower. We added a sampling of Crosby Hop Farm CGX estate grown Comet and Cascade hops then conditioned.

The bottles scheduled for this release are young. The fresh beer still holding its character from primary fermentation. The wild yeast is working maturing actively in varying degrees for the next two years. From a brewer’s perspective we are trying them too early. Brewers usually access the stages alone. These moments offer intimacy with the product and insight into its development. The beer is not any greater, just different. We pray the bottles age well and so remain within context.

I'm suggesting a five-year cellar timeline. Best before date of 2030.03.06 the bottles should peak at 2.5 - 3 years in the saison family with bright acidity. I’m expecting the notes will shift to an oxidative touch at 3.5 years. Year five will showcase cellar temperature noting how well bottles are stored. Cool storage allows for an elongated timeline. However, ambient temperature encourages the mystic.

Notes: 2025.06.12
The beer is developing nicely it's a young wild ale. The release event allowed people to sample and so decide how it may develop. The base OCB Hefe is present with the added benefit of funk on a canvas of tropical fruit.

Notes: 2025.05.22
The beer was sampled on day 77 to determine if it is good for early release. They are holding up well. Tropical fruit notes with building character. Lucky followers will have the chance to taste this journey with me.

Notes: 2025.03.19
On day 13 for carbonation check I felt the Cascade hop blend was refreshingly hoppy not overdone. The Comet hop blend should yield more pleasantly to the wild esters.



Curated Playlist:

Shared Origin — a robust selection speaking to maintaining a core rather than declining.

Top Genre: Indie Jazz / Sub-Genre: Afro Tech, Neomelodico
63 min / Tempo: 114 bpm
Overall Rating: 4.0

01. Kingongolo - Kin'Gongolo Kiniata
02. Mane e mane - Enzo Avitabile, Daby Toure
03. KD - The King Without a Crown - Tetragon Project, Martin Kalberer
04. Nye Sonni So (The Strength Within) - Boddhi Satva
05. Mami Wata - Brian Jackson
06. Papillon - Alexis Ffrench
07. Brown Baby - Oscar Brown, Jr., Julia Bullock, Christian Reif
08. AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME - Immanuel Wilkins
09. Driva'man - Terri Lyne Carrington, Christie Dashiell, Weedie Braimah, Milena Casado, Morgan Guerin, Simon Moullier, Matthew Stevens
10. Abasi Isang - Camilla George
11. Suite for Violin and Piano: I. African Dancer - William Grant Still, Randall Goosby, Zhu Wang
12. Three Fifths a Man - Makaya McCraven


Sample Beverage:

Gesho Forest — 2018

Maintaining carbonation clear orange amber pour. Today it's drinking like an eight-year-old bottle which has not progress since kindergarten. The beer is clear. What remains is aged. I plan to drink these myself in honor of a passing friend. An odd rustic ale that has been a fan favorite. The beer is settling into the earth. The malt and barks are breaking down. It has fermented tea leaf notes, soft wood rot, and airy crust of pine bark.





Saison Sundays are filled with conversation, music, and friends. I am a brewer working with yeast and wild fermentation. The tasting group has access to upcoming beer releases featuring rustic ales I've created or collected. The brewery hosted tasting events happen when beers are released.

The concept of gathering for critical music listening has evolved from Hi-Fi audio meetings. Our group of audiophile enthusiasts meet monthly to share new music, enjoy analog sound, and chat about all things vintage. Private gatherings are hosted by request.

Send a message to visit or request to join. - Barrett Tillman