American Wild Ales

Avery Spontanea Joining Barrel Aged Series

Number 24 in Avery Brewing’s Barrel Aged Series is Spontanea, an American wild ale.

Spontanea is brewed with Cabernet Sauvignon grape must and aged in Cabernet Savignon wine barrels. An interesting fact about Spontanea, is that no extra yeast was added Continue Reading →

Posted in Anchorage Brewing Company, Crooked Stave, New Beers

Anchorage Crooked Stave Between the Staves

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Modern Times Beer

Modern Times Sour Bottles On Sale December 4th

Modern Times Beer (San Diego, CA) is gearing up for a sour beer release on December 11th, 2014. This will be the brewery’s first public release.

The release features five sour/wild offerings, each spent 15 months aging in red wine barrels with a mix of souring bacteria. Each beer was fermented in stainless first, then transferred to barrels. Each barrel contained a mix of more than 40 strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococius from all over the world.

The lineup:

Empty Hats – Oud Bruin. The flavor starts with a big red wine component, quickly followed by a strong tartness, funk, and a hint of warm malt on the finish, which lingers for ages.

New from Nowhere – Flanders Red. The flavor starts out with raspberry, strawberry, and oak, quickly followed by a puckering sourness, and a long, red fruit-drenched finish.

Rampart Junction – Peach Sour. After 11 months in red wine barrels, we added 50lbs per barrel of fresh, organic, heirloom peaches, which spent 5 months in the barrels before bottling.

Oracle of the Bottle – Cabernet Grape Sour. (News From Nowhere is the base beer.) After 11 months in red wine barrels, we added 50lbs per barrel of Cabernet grapes, which spent 5 months in the barrels before bottling.

Palace of the Cracked Heads – Nectarine Sour. (Empty Hats is the base beer.) After 11 months in red wine barrels, we added 50lbs per barrel of fresh, organic, heirloom nectarines, which spent 5 months in the barrels before bottling.

Bottles retail for $25 – $30 dollars each and can be pre-purchased online starting December 4th, 2014. You must pick them up in person before February 12, 2015. (No Proxies).

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, New Releases, Upslope Brewing Company

Upslope Wild Saison Cans Debut November 20th

Upslope Brewing Company (Boulder, CO) will introduce Volume 2 in the their limited release Lee Hill Series – Wild Saison.

Wild Saison is a sour ale, fermented with a saison yeast along with lactobacillus and brettanomyces. The beer is also aged 7 months in red wine barrels before being packaged in 19.2 ounce cans.

“Our Lee Hill Series gives us the opportunity to showcase our experimental side and these highly limited brews are a fun experience for our brewers and fans alike,” said Head Brewer, Sam Scruby. “We’re excited to release Volume 2 and share our American sour take on a classic beer style.

Volume 1 in the Lee Hill Series was Barrel Aged Brown Ale.

Upslope Wild Saison will debut on Thursday, November 20th in the brewery’s tap room.

Style: American Wild/Sour Ale (Wine Barrel Aged)
Availability: 19.2oz Cans
Arrival: 11/20/14

6.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Hangar 24, New Releases

Hangar 24 Barrel Roll “Chandelle” on Black Friday

Hanger 24 Barrel Roll #5 is Chandelle, releasing on November 28th, 2014.

Chandelle is a sour blonde, aged for a year in white wine barrels with 850 pounds of Golden Sweet apricots.

The fulsome and earthy apricot aromas float on the bracingly sour base developed in the barrel, coming together in a wonderfully complex final beer. This is our first major sour release in over two years, and represents the first of many delicious beers that will be emerging from our new sour program in the coming months.

Hanger 24 Barrel Roll Chandelle will be available in 22oz bombers, debuting at 10 Am on Black Friday (November 28th.)

Style: American Wild/Sour Ale (w/ Apricots. Wine Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 22oz Bombers. Limited Release
Arrival: 11/28/14

?? ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Avery Brewing, Coming Soon, Don't Miss This

Avery Einzigartig Joins Barrel Aged Series on December 14th

Avery Brewing’s Barrel Aged Series release #25 is Einzigartig, an American wild ale. This small batch release is brewed with Riesling grape must (freshly pressed juice with skins, seeds, and stems) and aged neutral Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Neutral wine barrels are older barrels, used to soften wine instead of imparting oak flavors.

Einzigartig mean “unique” in German. Avery produced 116 cases of Einzigartig, and is only releasing 44.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Grape Must, Wine Barrel Aged)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. 116 cases produced.
Arrival: 12/14/14

10.13% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Avery Brewing, Coming Soon, Headlines

Avery Spontanea Joining Barrel Aged Series

Number 24 in Avery Brewing’s Barrel Aged Series is Spontanea, an American wild ale.

Spontanea is brewed with Cabernet Sauvignon grape must and aged in Cabernet Savignon wine barrels. An interesting fact about Spontanea, is that no extra yeast was added to the beer. The yeast and bacteria naturally occurring on the grape must did all fermentation.

We gave our yeast a vacation, The critters on the skins of the grapes did all the work on this beauty! Completely spontaneous fermentation!

Avery Spontanea was bottled in October in 12oz bottles.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Grape Must. Wine Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. 165 Cases produced.
Arrival: 12/14/14

9.58% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Jester King Brewery, New Releases

Jester King Colour Five Releases on Halloween

Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX) will release Colour Five on Halloween. Colour Five is a blend of barrel aged sour beer with Texas blueberries.

The first attempt at this blueberry barrel aged sour beer failed in 2013. That batch was too vinegary (i.e. too much acetic acid.) The brewery decided to do something different for Colour Five.

This batch is 89% Das Uberkind, and 11% RU55. (The failed batch was all RU55 Sour Red.) The blueberries were frozen prior to refermentation to stave off acetobacter (makes acetic acid) and was allowed to ferment in stainless steel, where the brewery can push away oxygen (again, inhibiting acetobacter.) These steps (simplified for the story) helped Jester King bring Colour Five to fruition.

Jester King Colour Five will be available when the brewery opens at 4pm. By the glass, or 500ml bottles. ($16)

Style: American Wild Ale/Sour Ale (w/ Blueberries. Oak Aged.)
Availability: 500ml bottles, Draft. 2,000 bottles produced.
Release: 10/31/14

7.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay