EDMONTON, AB – Campio Brewing has announced a new beer series that “showcases what we do best and what we love about this craft.”
The Wild Ales Series will be kicking off with a pair of limited edition barrel aged beers.
Tart Brett Saison (9.7% abv):
For our first bottle release from the wood, we thought we’d keep things simple. Let the barrels and bacteria do the heavy lifting. Starting with a base saison brewed with a mix of grains, including barley, wheat and rye, this beer was then blended with a splash of sour ale and rested in Foeder #3, where a mix of wild yeast and souring bacteria were added and given time to do their thing. Brettanomyces yeast brings notes of white wine and citrus, and a subtle acidity with the ex-Chianti wine barrels adding a pleasant tannic, drying feeling. This beer was then bottle conditioned for around 5-6 months, adding a bright carbonation and elegant effervescence, completing a years-long journey from grain to glass. The result? A funky, fruity and lightly tart saison, and an example of things to come from the Campio cellar.
Cab Sauv Sour (8.1% abv):
The journey from grain to glass on this beer was significantly shorter than many of the others that will be coming out of the Campio cellar, thanks to the help of a new innovative yeast from Escarpment Labs called Optimus Primary. This special strain was designed to develop the funky acidity found in wild fermented beers that usually takes years to develop in a much shorter time frame of about a month. After funk flavours began to develop, this beer was hit with Cabernet Sauvignon wine must for a secondary fermentation and then racked into ex-Chianti wine barrels to age for six months. After the right barrel characteristics found their way into the beer, it was then off to conditioning tanks and eventually bottles. Expect a beer reminiscent of your favourite glass of natural red wine, but with added layers of complexity. Notes of dark fruits, plum and citrus are balanced with a tannic oak barrel character, and funky yeast notes of tropical fruit and pineapple.
A launch party for the Wild Ales Series will take place on Wednesday November 30th with an “intimate evening downstairs at Campio surrounded by the barrels used to age these unique beers, while our Brewery Operations Manager, Teaghan Mayers, and our Head Brewer, Brett Geislinger will be in attendance to answer any burning questions you might have about these new brews.”
Tickets for the Wild Ales launch can be reserved online for $80 per group of 4 guests, with admission including snacks and one bottle of each of the two beers for the group, plus 20% off orders from the regular menu. For more details, see the full announcement.
Source & Photo: Campio Brewing