American Wild Ales

Almanac Farm to Barrel Blueberry Released

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Blueberry is now available. The newest Farm to Barrel Series release features blueberries sour ale, aged in wine barrels.

We selected the very best hand-picked blueberries grown in the hills of Butte County, California, and added them to a sour golden Continue Reading →

Fonta Flora Vestige Wither Wild Ale, February 7th

Fonta Flora Brewery (Morganton, NC) will release Vestige Wither American Wild Ale alongside Vestige Bloom on February 7th.

Vestige Wither is aged in red wine barrels with fennel bulb, and 100% Brettanomyces fermented. Wither has been conditioning for seven months.

500ml bottles of Fonta Continue Reading →

Fonta Flora Vestige Bloom, February 7th

Fonta Flora Brewery (Morganton, NC) will release Vestige Bloom, a wine barrel aged wild ale.

Vestige Bloom: Appalachian Wild Ale: Kiwi Funk is this beer’s proper name, a wild ale with a mix of funky bacteria and yeasts. Aged in white Continue Reading →

Brooklyn Wild Horse Porter Joining Brewmaster’s Reserve Series

Brooklyn Brewery will add Wild Horse Porter the Brewmaster’s Reserve lineup in February, 2015. The Brewmaster’s Reserve is a small batch, experimental series, released every four months.

Brooklyn Wild Horse Porter is an English-style porter that was fermented almost primarily with Brettanomyces Continue Reading →

Upland Sour Public Lottery: January, 2015

On January 29th, Upland Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) will open up an online lottery for the purchase of five sour ales. Winners can purchase 2 bottles of each style. Details on the five styles are in the gallery below.

The five releases Continue Reading →

Modern Times Funky Lomaland Releases 1/15

Modern Times Funky Lomaland started in the fall of 2013 as Lomaland, the brewery’s year round saison. The brewery added Brettanomyces Claussenii & Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois, two funky yeasts for extra flavor character, and aged it in red wine barrels.

These two Continue Reading →

Jester King & Prairie Create Natural Union [PICS]

Jester king Brewery and Prairie Artisan Ales have teamed up on a new collaboration dubbed Natural Union.

Chase Healey of Prairie joined Jester King’s head brewer Garrett Crowell in Austin, Texas back in August for this brew day. Natural Union is Continue Reading →

Posted in Almanac Beer Co., New Releases

Almanac Farm to Barrel Blueberry Released

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Blueberry is now available. The newest Farm to Barrel Series release features blueberries sour ale, aged in wine barrels.

We selected the very best hand-picked blueberries grown in the hills of Butte County, California, and added them to a sour golden ale aged in wine barrels. The resulting beer is infused with a delicate blueberry essence, a reminder of far off summer days.

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Blueberry is available in 375ml bottles, and draft.

Style: American Wild/Sour Ale (Barrel Aged. Wine Aged.)
Availability: 375ml Bottles, Draft. Limited.
Release: Late January, 2015

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay January 30, 2015

Posted in Coming Soon, Fonta Flora Brewery

Fonta Flora Vestige Wither Wild Ale, February 7th

Fonta Flora Brewery (Morganton, NC) will release Vestige Wither American Wild Ale alongside Vestige Bloom on February 7th.

Vestige Wither is aged in red wine barrels with fennel bulb, and 100% Brettanomyces fermented. Wither has been conditioning for seven months.

500ml bottles of Fonta Flora Vestige Wither releases on February 7th, 2015.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Fennel Bulb. Barrel Aged. Wine Barrels.)
Availability: 500ml Bottles
Release: 2/7/15

5.8% ABV

Note: There is a subtle label misprint. The brewery confirms this is red-wine aged.

by Reid Ramsay January 27, 2015

Posted in Coming Soon, Fonta Flora Brewery

Fonta Flora Vestige Bloom, February 7th

Fonta Flora Brewery (Morganton, NC) will release Vestige Bloom, a wine barrel aged wild ale.

Vestige Bloom: Appalachian Wild Ale: Kiwi Funk is this beer’s proper name, a wild ale with a mix of funky bacteria and yeasts. Aged in white wine barrels with North Carolina grown kiwis from Fox Farms.

500ml bottles of Fonta Flora Vestige Bloom releases on February 7th, 2015.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Kiwis. Barrel Aged. White Wine Barrels.)
Availability: 500ml Bottles
Release: 2/7/15

5.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay January 27, 2015

Posted in Brooklyn Brewing, Coming Soon

Brooklyn Wild Horse Porter Joining Brewmaster’s Reserve Series

Brooklyn Brewery will add Wild Horse Porter the Brewmaster’s Reserve lineup in February, 2015. The Brewmaster’s Reserve is a small batch, experimental series, released every four months.

Brooklyn Wild Horse Porter is an English-style porter that was fermented almost primarily with Brettanomyces yeast, then finished with house ale yeast.

… The result is an intriguing, full-bodied beer with a hay-forward funk on the nose preceding flavors of chocolate, coffee, fruit and caramel. We’re riding on the wild side. Are you ready?

Brooklyn Wild Horse Porter hits taps starting February 9th at a special event in Williamsburg, New York. Limited draft in key accounts shortly after.

Style: American Wild Ale
Availability: Draft only. Limited.

?? ABV

by Reid Ramsay January 23, 2015

Posted in Upland Beer

Upland Sour Public Lottery: January, 2015

On January 29th, Upland Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) will open up an online lottery for the purchase of five sour ales. Winners can purchase 2 bottles of each style. Details on the five styles are in the gallery below.

The five releases include: Upland Blueberry Lambic, Dantalion Dark Wild Ale, Blackberry Lambic, Vinosynth White, Vinosynth Red.

The lottery opens up at 12 noon, EDT and ends February 5th, 2015. Bottles are $25 dollars each, and must be picked up at the specified location by March 4th.

Click images below for descriptions.

: Dantalion is our demonically named sour ale based on the Oud Bruin beer style. Medium brown in color, Dantalion has hints of chocolate, Munich malts, and rye. We also incorporate a spice blend containing ginger, coriander, star anise, grains of paradise, and black pepper to create a gentle halo of spice character. The beer is fermented on the same selection of yeasts and microbes as our base lambic, and aged for up to 8 months or more in white oak barrels.

: Lambics have been made in Belgium for over 500 years, and we are honoring this tradition by brewing our own Indiana version. Upland lambics are fermented by wild yeast and aged in oak casks for over a year, which creates a tart, complex beer. We then add whole blueberries from Huber Orchard in Starlight, Indiana, giving the beer enticing aromas and flavors. The beer is bottle conditioned, which adds a zesty and refreshing carbonation. Upland lambic is the perfect drink to share with friends over a plate of good cheese and fresh fruit.

: Our friends at Oliver Winery have had a hand in our Sour Ale program since the beginning. The first oak barrels acquired by Upland were purchased from Oliver. Now, many years later, we are excited to present this collaboration between friends that represents our Sour Program full circle. VinoSynth Red is a blend of 50% Sour Reserve and 50% Malefactor Flanders-style Red Ale aged on Catawba grapes. Catawba is a native North American variety, known for making jams and jellies, and distinctly juice, fruity, exotic wines. Malefactor was blended with Sour Reserve to develop more body, mild bourbon barrel character, and a layered acidity to complement the Catawba’s innate sweet, fruity notes.

: Our friends at Oliver Winery have had a hand in our Sour Ale program since the beginning. The first oak barrels acquired by Upland were purchased from Oliver. Now, many years later, we are excited to present this collaboration between friends that represents our Sour Program full circle. VinoSynth White is 100% Sour Reserve aged on locally grown Vidal Blanc grapes. Vidal Blanc is a French varietal with hints of tropical fruit flavor, commonly utilized to develop ice wines. Our Sour Reserve lends itself wonderfully to enveloping the acidity of the grape with notes of lactic acid, and allows the polite pineapple and grapefruit character of Vidal Blanc to shine on the palate.

: We like sour. Made with real blackberries

by Reid Ramsay January 16, 2015

Posted in Modern Times Beer, New Releases

Modern Times Funky Lomaland Releases 1/15

Modern Times Funky Lomaland started in the fall of 2013 as Lomaland, the brewery’s year round saison. The brewery added Brettanomyces Claussenii & Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois, two funky yeasts for extra flavor character, and aged it in red wine barrels.

These two slow-moving yeast strains added a marvelously funky complexity that starts with a barnyardy/fruity aroma and continues in the dry, deliciously complex flavor. The long rest in red wine barrels has given Funky Lomaland a gorgeously fruit-saturated finish & an oaky, rich backbone.

700 bottles of Modern Times Funky Lomaland go on sale on January 15th, release 1/22. Bottles are $18 dollars, with a 3 bottle limit.

Style: American Wild Ale (Barrel Aged. Wine Aged.)
Availability: 750ml bottles
Release: 1/22/15

[TICKETS]

by Reid Ramsay January 13, 2015

Posted in Don't Miss This, Jester King Brewery, New Releases, Prairie Artisanal Ales

Jester King & Prairie Create Natural Union [PICS]

Jester king Brewery and Prairie Artisan Ales have teamed up on a new collaboration dubbed Natural Union.

Chase Healey of Prairie joined Jester King’s head brewer Garrett Crowell in Austin, Texas back in August for this brew day. Natural Union is brewed using locally sourced ingredients from Texas and Prairie’s Oklahoma home. Healey brought rosemary from Oklahoma, and Crowell chose lemon bee-balm going in a nearby Texas pasture.

The boiled wort was fermented in oak for three months, using brewer’s yeast, and bacteria from the local air and wildflowers nearby.

Jester King/Prairie Artisan Ales Natural Union will be available in 750ml bottles and draft starting Friday, January 16th. Chase Healey will be on hand at the brewery for a special release celebration on January 17th.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Rosemary, Lemon Bee-Balm. Oak-aged.)
Hops: Nelson Sauvin

Availability: 750ml bottles, Draft. 900 bottles produced. $14
Release: 1/16/15

7.1% ABV, 42 IBUS

Images via Jester King