FARMHOUSE IPA
A BARREL-AGED GRISETTE WITH A TOUCH OF HOPS
4.0% ABV
A BEER SHAPED BY PATIENCE, BARRELS, AND A LITTLE BIT OF FUNK. A DRY, DELICATE, SLIGHTLY TART FARMHOUSE ALE THAT DRINKS CRISP BUT COMPLEX. NOTES OF WHITE WINE, LEMON PEEL, AND TROPICAL FRUIT, FINISHING WITH A SOFT SPARKLE FROM NATURAL CARBONATION.
WHAT IS A FARMHOUSE IPA?
IT’S NOT A TRADITIONAL STYLE—THINK OF IT AS A CREATIVE MASHUP.
A FARMHOUSE ALE IS A RUSTIC BEER INSPIRED BY EUROPEAN BREWING TRADITIONS. IT’S USUALLY FERMENTED WITH WILD OR EXPRESSIVE YEASTS THAT ADD SUBTLE FUNK, SOFT ACIDITY, AND FRUITY, EARTHY CHARACTER. HISTORICALLY, THESE BEERS WERE MADE ON FARMS WITH LOCAL INGREDIENTS AND ALLOWED TO FERMENT NATURALLY—UNPREDICTABLE, BUT FULL OF LIFE.
AN IPA, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS ALL ABOUT HOPS—BOLD AROMAS, BRIGHT BITTERNESS, AND JUICY OR CITRUSY NOTES.
A FARMHOUSE IPA BRINGS THOSE TWO IDEAS TOGETHER:
A DRY, SLIGHTLY TART, YEAST-FORWARD BEER WITH A LIGHT DOSE OF HOPS FOR BALANCE AND AROMA.
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COLLABORATION
THIS BEER’S STORY BEGAN IN MARCH 2024, WHEN WE PICKED UP FRESHLY EMPTIED LEON MILLOT WINE BARRELS FROM OUR FRIENDS AT WHISKEY HILL WINERY IN CANBY, OR. MY WIFE AND I OFTEN VISIT THE WINERY AND HAVE BECOME GOOD FRIENDS WITH CHRIS, THE OWNER AND WINEMAKER. A COLLABORATION FELT NATURAL, SO WE LOADED THE BARRELS INTO THE TRUCK AND HEADED BACK TO THE BREWERY.
CONCEPT
THE BREW TEAM CHOSE TO CRAFT A GRISETTE AND USED A TURBID MASH TO LEAVE EXTRA UNFERMENTABLES IN THE WORT—PLENTY OF “FOOD” FOR OUR HOUSE CULTURE OVER THE LONG HAUL. STRAIGHT FROM THE KETTLE, THE WORT WENT INTO THE BARRELS WITH A PITCH OF BELGIAN FARMHOUSE YEAST TO GET THINGS STARTED. OVER TIME, OUR BLEND OF BRETTANOMYCES DEVELOPED LIGHT ACIDITY AND SUBTLE FUNK.
CELLARING
ONCE PRIMARY FERMENTATION WRAPPED UP, WE TOPPED THE BARRELS AND LET TIME TAKE OVER. WITH MIXED-CULTURE BEERS, RELEASE DATES DON’T COME FROM A CALENDAR—THE BEER TELLS YOU WHEN IT’S READY.
TASTING
AT ZWICKELMANIA THIS YEAR WE SAMPLED THE BEER STRAIGHT FROM THE BARREL—NO DRY HOPS YET, JUST SHY OF ONE YEAR IN WOOD. SHARING FIRST SIPS AND GATHERING FEEDBACK WAS A BLAST, AND THE CONSENSUS WAS CLEAR: IT WAS TIME FOR THE NEXT STEP.
SECONDARY FERMENTATION AND CONDITIONING
AFTER A BIT MORE THAN A YEAR OF BARREL AGING, WE RACKED THE BEER INTO A TANK AND GAVE IT A GENTLE CITRA® DRY HOP. BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETELY FLAT, WE OPTED FOR 100% NATURAL CARBONATION: WE ADDED SUGAR AND A TOUCH OF YEAST, THEN PACKAGED INTO CANS AND KEGS. A MONTH OF WARM CONDITIONING LATER, THE FARMHOUSE IPA IS FULLY CARBONATED, AND READY TO ENJOY.
CHEERS!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WE HAD A GREAT TIME WORKING WITH WHISKEY HILL WINERY ON THIS PROJECT. GO TRY THIER FANTASTIC WINES AT THEIR TASTING ROOM IN CANBY.