Wander Brewing’s Wild Warehouse Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale was judged the best barrel aged beer in the country in 2015 at the Great American Beer Festival. It’s that good. It’s released once every year and this year’s event will be this Saturday, April 9th.
When I spoke to Wander’s owner, Chad Kuehl, about it last weekend, over a pint of their Shandy, he said,
It happens once a year, so make sure you’re there. When they’re gone, they’re gone until next year.
I made the distinct error of only buying one (1) bottle of it last year. I let it sit for a bit then cracked it, only to regret that it was gone so fast. Luckily, Wander will allow you to walk home with up to 3 bottles this year.
The Wild Warehouse Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale has been sitting in the same four chardonnay barrels as last year’s batch for nine months. Chad said the recipe and everything is exactly the same. I’m guessing the barrels have evolved slightly, but we’re excited to experience Wander’s well known consistency.
From last year’s press release on the release of the first batch of Wild Warehouse
The genesis of Wild Warehouse starts with Chardonnay wine grapes grown at Lonesome Spring Ranch in the Yakima Valley. This fruit was then transformed and aged in French oak barrels at Chatter Creek winery in Woodinville, WA, to produce a delicious 2013 Chardonnay with apple and white peach sensations. The same day these barrels were emptied of Chatter Creek’s Chardonnay, they were delivered to the Wander Barrel Project and immediately filled with our farmhouse ale.
Wander’s Barrel Project has produced some amazing beers and we can expect more in 2016.
Do any of you still have a bottle from last year’s batch? I’d like to hear about a side by side comparison if you do. How did they evolve?
