Firestone Walker Brewing:
BARRELWORKS UNLEASHES THE 2015 “FERAL ONE”
2nd Anniversary Wild Ale to Be Liberated on February 14
Buellton, CA—Cover your eyes and hide the children, as Firestone Walker Brewing Company is set to release the 2015 vintage of the Feral One—a rowdy sour ale blend that commemorates the second anniversary of the brewery’s Barrelworks wild yeast facility.
“With last year’s Feral One and now this year’s second batch, the goal was to sleuth out a winning blend from our best and most mature barrels,” said Barrelworks Director Jeffers Richardson. “We see this beer as representing the improbable saga of Barrelworks, from its origins as a secret ‘skunk works’ project to our present-day cathedral of barrels.”
The 2015 Feral One is a blend of Vintage Solace (43%), a wild wheat ale aged between 16 and 48 months in French and American oak; Agrestic (43%), an American wild red ale aged between 24 and 28 months in French oak; and Lil’ Opal (14%), a brett’d saison aged for 26 months in French oak. Microflora accomplices included Brettanomyces Lambicus, Brettanomyces Bruxellensis and Lactobacillus Brevis.
“The bulk of this blend has been aging for two to four years in oak barrels, and the resulting complexity really shows on the palate,” said Master Blender Jim Crooks.
The 2015 Feral One begins with an earthy funky nose that gives way to estery notes of dried apricots, strawberry, guava and slight orange zest. Mature toasted oak, lavender, vanilla and cinnamon lurk in the background. Mouthwatering acidity and soft tannins are punctuated by firm carbonation.
The 2015 Feral One (6.7% ABV) is a limited 375-milliliter bottling that will be released at Barrelworks on February 14 at the Feral One Liberation party. Tickets will be available starting on January 5. Only 500 cases of 2015 Feral One were produced.
