Passing Clouds

The defining method is blending: every component is treated and fermented differently, with variations of temperature, acidity, concentration and fermentation time, before the parts are combined. The blend is built on a fermented quince kefir base combined with foraged woodruff, gooseberry and jasmine tea. MURI developed the kvass element specifically in pursuit of the brioche flavour common in champagne, and DiePresse describes it as the champagne alternative in the portfolio. Quince, geranium and jasmine are intended to give the blend a profound floralness.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5]}

Murray Paterson describes Passing Clouds as MURI's gold standard blend and notes that it is incredibly hard to blend, because there is only a tiny sweet spot where all the components align.^[6],[7]

Name. The drink is named after Passing Clouds, a former nightclub in East London, in the Dalston area, which has since closed. DiePresse reports it was Murray Paterson's favourite music club in East London.^{[3],[4],[5],[8],[9]}

MURI also records two early markers for the drink: Chef Matt Orlando was the first chef given a bottle to taste, and Passing Clouds has been on the menu at one establishment more or less continuously since 2020.^[10]

The declared ingredient list is: water, white currant juice, gooseberry juice (11.5%), quince (9%), wheat malt (gluten), sugar, jasmine, woodruff (0.01%), salt, geranium, and yeast. A separate MURI listing gives the grain as barley malt. Overall the cuvée is composed of fermented gooseberries, quince kefir, jasmine tea, and woodruff & geranium kvass; DiePresse describes it as a blend of quince water kefir, jasmine tea, gooseberry wine and kvass, with wild woodruff and scented pelargonium leaves macerated in it. It is the only MURI product that contains caffeine, owing to the tea in the blend.^{[3],[4],[5],[11],[12],[13],[14],[15],[16],[17]}

Quince Water Kefir — Backbone. Fresh quince is ground, infused in water and fermented with water kefir grains, yielding an aromatic liquid with lactic creaminess and slight acidity that serves as the backbone of the drink. MURI grinds and presses the quince before fermenting it with its water kefir culture, and elsewhere describes crushing whole quince and macerating it in water kefir. The quince is grown organically by Eva Bøtker on her farm on the island of Møn, Denmark, and harvested by MURI in the autumn; MURI also names Kysø Øko farm as the source of the quince that forms the basis for the kefir. MURI says it chose this quince variety for floral, perfumed qualities that harmonize with the geranium and woodruff, and De Maison Selections notes the quince water kefir lends a fruit-forward palate.^{[1],[2],[3],[11],[16],[18],[19],[20]}

Fermented Gooseberry — Acidity. Gooseberries are fermented with Pichia kluyveri yeast and then enriched with organic gooseberry juice; De Maison Selections reports that the yeast provides aromatic floral notes while the gooseberry wine lends acidity. Other accounts of the blend name the component simply as gooseberry wine.^{[11],[12],[13],[17]}

White Currant Wine — Floral Aroma and Rounded Acidity. White currant juice from Thy on the west coast of Denmark, sourced from farmer Niels, is fermented with a special yeast into a non-alcoholic white currant wine with floral aroma and rounded acidity. MURI states the white currants are organic.^[2]

Jasmine Tea Infusion — Aromatics. The infusion uses sencha green tea aromatised with jasmine flowers from Grasse in the South of France. It is cold-infused to preserve floral aroma while extracting only a small amount of tannins and no bitterness. De Maison Selections describes the tea as organic and cold-brewed, accentuating the aromatics.^[1],[11]

Geranium Kvass — Structure and Depth. The geranium kvass contributes a floral yet sweet aroma and provides structure and depth to the final blend.^[1]

Woodruff Infusion — Honey and Marzipan. Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a foraged herb with a subtle sweet aroma and earthy notes, and MURI credits it with giving the drink an unmatchable honey hint with a touch of marzipan; it is also described as contributing warm honey and almond notes and as one of the botanical cornerstones of the blend. The MURI team forages it themselves, from a forest near Sorø, Denmark, from forests on the outskirts of Copenhagen, and Murray Paterson personally takes part in foraging it. MURI also works with a herbal expert named Paulinna, who forages and supplies bundles of plants and, according to MURI, forages woodruff weekly to keep Passing Clouds in stock through winter. Foraging runs from spring through summer to maintain a year-round supply. The foraged woodruff is dried in MURI's brewery before being infused in the sourdough kvass that is blended into Passing Clouds.^{[1],[2],[3],[14],[21],[22],[23],[24],[25]}

Caramel Malt Kvass — Autolytic, Toasty Brioche. De Maison Selections describes caramel malt inoculated with sourdough starter and then infused with geranium and foraged woodruff, lending autolytic, toasty-brioche notes reminiscent of Champagne. Other accounts of the blend name the component sourdough kvass. DiePresse reports that the kvass contributes bready notes of the kind Paterson appreciates in Champagne.^{[5],[11],[13]}

The various layers are blended together in stainless steel tanks and then carbonated to 2.5 bar. Passing Clouds is force-carbonated because, as of June 2022, MURI had not found a way to carbonate naturally without exceeding 0.5% ABV.^[11],[12]

Appearance. Feinschmeckeren describes a hazy, yellow sparkling drink with a light foamy mousse.^[26]

Nose. MURI describes a heady, bright nose of flowers, honey and ripe fruits. Earlier coverage notes hints of tropical and stone fruits on the nose, and Feinschmeckeren records notes of stone fruit, flowers, light bread and almond.^{[4],[11],[26],[27],[28]}

Palate. The drink is sparkling and refreshing, dry but with multiple dimensions of flavour and a vinous funkiness. MURI describes an opening of fresh green notes and delicate florals, followed by juicy acidity and a soft, rounded texture, finishing clean, gently herbaceous and lightly tannic. Ripe pear flavours and floral notes are also reported on the palate, alongside a modest sweetness. The style is described as sitting somewhere between a pet-nat, a light beer and a cider, with the funkiness reminiscent of skin-contact pét-nats or pear ciders.^{[3],[4],[11],[26],[27],[28]}

Structure. Across the available descriptions, the following structural points are stated:^[3]

• Sweetness: dry; modest sweetness noted by Feinschmeckeren
• Acidity: bright, juicy
• Body: soft, rounded texture; light foamy mousse
• Tannin: lightly tannic
• Complexity: complex, with multiple dimensions of flavour
• Length: clean, gently herbaceous finish

MURI recommends oysters, spicy Asian salads and ceviche, and more broadly shellfish, white rinded cheeses, and spicy Asian dishes such as laksa or som tam. It notes the drink's fruitiness works with spicy laksa and its acidity with BBQ.^[4],[29]

Ingredients Policy. Passing Clouds is vegan and pasteurized. It contains wheat and gluten, and MURI notes it may contain sulfites. De Maison Selections states there are no added sulfites, with total SO2 under 10 mg/L, and no artificial additives, flavours or preservatives.^[4],[11]

A 'Banana Split' cocktail by Simon, made with MURI Passing Clouds, won the MURI cocktail competition held at Balderdash in Copenhagen. The same cocktail was built with Homemade Banana Spirit, Cold Brew Coffee, MURI Koji Rice Series 1 and MURI Passing Clouds.^[30]