American Wild Ales

Allagash FV13 Arrives [VIDEO]

It was born in a standard steel fermenter, relocated to a 2700 gallon foudre (giant oak tanks used for aging usually wine) where it resided for the past 4 years, and then hand bottled and labeled just for Continue Reading →

New Holland Blue Sunday 2013 Hits Shelves

New Holland Brewing (New Holland, MI) incredible sour beer – Blue Sunday Sour 2013 has hit shelves.  One of two beers in the brewery’s cellar series, Blue Sunday is an American Wild Ale aged in oak.

Continue Reading →

Posted in Allagash Brewing, New Releases

Allagash FV13 Arrives [VIDEO]

It was born in a standard steel fermenter, relocated to a 2700 gallon foudre (giant oak tanks used for aging usually wine) where it resided for the past 4 years, and then hand bottled and labeled just for your mouth’s enjoyment. Meet FV 13, Allagash’s first foudre beer, available starting today. This American Wild Ale “is a blend of wild yeast and bacteria, a base beer with lots of malt character, and about four years of patience. The finished beer is copper in color, with an aroma of cherries and caramel. The flavor is a blend of sweet and tart, with notes of fruit and caramelized sugar.”

Limited quantities of FV 13 will be available in limited quantities to Allagash’s entire distribution area.

Style: American Wild Ale (Oak Aged)
Availability: 12.7 oz bottles

8.9% ABV

FV 13 Release – Allagash Brewing Company from Allagash Brewing on Vimeo.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Surly Brewing

14,000 Bottles of Surly Pentagram Next Week

Surly Brewing’s Pentagram arrives next week. Pentagram is an American wild ale aged in wine barrels. Pentagram made an appearance at the Great American Beer Fest last fall, and brewer Todd Haug mentioned it will all but become a yearly release.

100% Brettanomyces Dark beer fermented stainless and aged in used red wine barrels. “Brett” is a unique yeast strain that produces flavors that would be considered offensive if  they were not intentional. Flavors of sour  cherry, tobacco, oak and classic “Brett” barnyard funkbalanced by dark munich mall chewiness.

14,000 bottles will be dispersed into Surly markets next week. Party this Sunday. This is your heads up.

If you go: 

Surly Pentagram Release Party
Butcher & The Boar
Minneapolis, MN
2/17/13,  5pm — close.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Holland Brewing

New Holland Blue Sunday 2013 Hits Shelves

New Holland Brewing (New Holland, MI) incredible sour beer – Blue Sunday Sour 2013 has hit shelves.  One of two beers in the brewery’s cellar series, Blue Sunday is an American Wild Ale aged in oak.

This unique anniversary libation, heritage-blended from our library of barrel-soured beers, exhibits deeply layered flavors of malt and oak, with a tart finish.

This coming Sunday (January 13th) is “Blue Sunday”. The brewery holds a release party with various vintages on tap.

Style: American Wild Ale (Oak Aged)
Availability: 22oz bombers, limited draft

8.4% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, New Holland Brewing, Seasonal Return

New Holland Blue Sunday Release Party Announced

new holland blue sunday

What are you doing January 13, 2013? The correct answer is heading to the New Holland Blue Sunday 16 Release party! The event will run from 12-8pm and includes live music, a custom menu, special beers both in house and to-go, and of course plenty of Blue Sunday 16. Plus, with the purchase of a $40 ticket, you can get access to a private library tasting of vintaged beers and special special spirits. This ticket also includes a speical brewmaster tour of their production facility as well as the opportunity to reserve some limited stock for yourself!

Blue Sunday is New Holland’s unique anniversary libation, heritage-blended from their library of barrel-soured beers, exhibiting deeply layered flavors of malt and oak, with a tart finish.

Style: American Wild Ale
Availability: 22oz bombers, Draft. Limited
Arrival: January 2013

8.4% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Jester King Brewery

Jester King RU-55, A Robotic Sour Red

Some sour Jester King – RU-55 Barrel Aged Sour Red Ale. A red ale soured in oak barrels. RU has been showing up a festivals, and special brewery tastings.

For generations, the farms of West Flanders have been tended to by large, anthropomorphic automations. In recent years, many of these farms have been taken over by large, multinational corporations, and their automations replaced by shiny new electronic robots. Scattered about the countryside, however, there are still a few intrepid farmers who insist on doing things the old-fashioned way.

Style: Flanders Red Ale (Oak Barrel Aged)
Hops: Czech Saaz, East Kent Goldings
Malts: Organic Munich, Two-Row, Pilsner. Non-Organic CaraRed, Crystal, Melandoidin, Roasted Barley)
Availability: 750 ml bottles

Arrival: Distribution – Late Dec/Jan 2013

 7.3% ABV, 16 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, Lost Abbey, New Releases

Lost Abbey’s Track #12, Heaven & Hell

Rounding out Lost Abbey‘s Ultimate Box Set Releases is Track #12, Heaven & Hell. Track 12 is a non fruited sour ale. It is a blend of three base beers (Avant Garde, a previously unreleased sour brown base and Gift of the Magi). There were two barrels of Avant Garde, one oak barrel of the sour brown and a splash of the Magi in the final blend. The final blend has flavors of sweet and sour with a pronounced musty nose.

Style: American Wild Ale
Availability: 12.7 oz bottles. Brewery release only. Drink on site only.
Arrival: December, 2012

8.69% ABV

Read more: Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Jester King Brewery, New Releases

Jester King Funk Metal Bottles Ready To Go

Jester King is ready to release Funk Metal Sour Barrel-Aged Stout. For this funky release, the brewery took an imperial stout and fermented it with a farmhouse yeast and aged it in oak barrels. The barrels are full of wild yeast and funky souring bacteria that make this beer a must have.

Down below heavy clouds, swollen and green with electric rain, the two-grinned snake waves at us in the arrythmic symphony. We dance up the leg of a star dusted mountain; from its summit our souls are projected into the darkness of the universe as scattered laser light beams. We seek the taste of eternity.  You dig? 

Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged, Sour)
Hops: Millenium, East Kent Goldings
Malts: Pale malt, Black, Carafa, Dark Crystal

Flavor? Per JK: The finished beer retains aromas of chocolate and roast but takes on a distinct vinous character and sour complexity from extended aging and fermentation in oak barrels.

Availability: 750 ml bottles
Arrival: December, 2012

8.2% ABV, 29 IBUs 

 

by Reid Ramsay