Matchbook Distilling My Bitter Earth Bier Amaro Liqueur
Matchbook Distilling My Bitter Earth Bier Amaro Liqueur is a limited-edition bier mash amaro from Matchbook Distilling Co. in Greenport, New York, made with Vermont brewer Wunderkammer Bier. A beer mash from Northeast Grain Shed grains is fortified with a Matchbook grain spirit macerated for a year with foraged botanicals — rose hips, beach rose petals, crabapples, sumac, chokecherries, yarrow, pears, plums and quassia — and finished with a touch of quassia and sugar. Bottled at 25% ABV in a 750mL bottle, it is one of the most unusual American liqueurs we carry.
- Style: Bier mash amaro / bitter liqueur — limited edition
- ABV: 25%
- Size: 750mL
- Producer: Matchbook Distilling Co., Greenport, New York, with Wunderkammer Bier, Vermont
- Region: New York & Vermont, USA
- Botanicals: Rose hips, beach rose petals, crabapple, sumac, chokecherry, yarrow, pear, plum, quassia, hops
A Two-Year Collaboration Between a Distillery and a Brewery
Matchbook traveled from the North Fork to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom to work with Vasilios Gletsos of Wunderkammer Bier: the beer mash and the fortifying distillate were built from virtually identical mash bills — organic malt, oats and red wheat — with varieties and growers local to each maker. The botanicals were foraged around the brewery and at Matchbook's sister property, The Lin Beach House, macerated in the distillate for a year, then used to fortify the bier mash. Released October 6, 2023 and affectionately nicknamed "Amara Terra Mia," it sits at the far experimental end of our amaro & bitters shelf, alongside the distillery's Matchbook Distilling Eldest Daughter Vermouth.
Tasting Notes
Contrary to its name, bitter is not the first descriptor: My Bitter Earth is herbaceous and grain-forward, a rich beer character where a medley of botanicals takes center stage. Malted barley, hops and sugar show a candied character in the middle, concluding with a subtly bitter aftertaste from a gentle infusion of hops and quassia.
How to Enjoy
Try Matchbook's suggested serve, The Johnny Weekly: 1.5 oz My Bitter Earth, 0.75 oz peated apple brandy, 0.5 oz lemon and 0.5 oz simple syrup, built in a collins glass over ice with a lemon wheel. It also rewards slow sipping on its own as a digestif. More cocktail components live across our spirits range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bier amaro?
An amaro whose base is a beer mash rather than wine or neutral spirit — here fortified with a botanical grain spirit, in the spirit of vermouth and pineau des Charentes traditions.
Where is it made?
Made in Vermont and New York — a collaboration between Wunderkammer Bier (VT) and Matchbook Distilling Co. in Greenport, NY.
How strong is it?
25% ABV, in a 750mL bottle.
Matchbook Distilling My Bitter Earth Bier Amaro Liqueur is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.