Firestone Walker to Release Agrestic

22 Sep 2014 --- The wild things are bouncing of the walls at Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Barrelworks wild yeast facility, setting the stage for more unruly releases in 2014.

The next bottling to be sprung from Barrelworks is Agrestic, an American wild red ale that will be released at the Liberation of Agrestic event on September 20. Only 600 cases of 375ml bottles were produced, and they will only be available at Barrelworks and the brewery in Paso Robles.

Agrestic is an audacious riff on the brewery’s original flagship DBA British pale ale. It began its brewing journey as DBA, but took a mutinous turn when it was racked to oak barrels and inoculated with a proprietary collection of microflora.

To create the final blend, barrelmeisters Jeffers Richardson and Jim Crooks blended a selection of different agrestic lots matured from eight to 24 months in French (87%) and American oak (13%) barrels. Toasted oak and lemon pith swirl on the nose and palate, followed by harmonious notes of vanilla, coconut, Earl Grey tea and spice. The finish is crisp, with mouthwatering acidity and chewy tannins.