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*MUSIC FOR A STOLEN CAR* is a blend of young and aged saisons conditioned in oak with marionberries from Sidhu Farms in the Puyallup River Valley. We've begun working with Sidhu Farms a lot--we won a GABF medal last year for a grisette we conditioned in oak with their Crimson Ghost rhubarb (a bottle that was exclusive to last year's club!), and their berries/vibes are killer.
*THE JESTERS, THE DIABLOS, & THE PARAGONS* is a blend of young and aged saisons conditioned in oak with Balaton cherries from the Apple Cart Fruit orchards in Tonasket, WA. The Balatons give this beer an almost-neon red color, a pie-like cinnamon note, and a touch more sweetness than most tart cherry varieties.
*THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE* is a blend of young and aged saisons conditioned in oak with heirloom Mirabelle plums from the Mirkovich homestead on Bainbridge Island. Mirabelles are illegal to import or sell in the United States, but it's legal to grow them--these trees likely began as cuttings planted by the Mirkovichs generations ago. And while I've never harvested/seen a more beautiful fruit, its subtle character and lingering sweetness made for a challenging blending day. It took juuust the right amount of tart/aged saison to balance the young/fruited saison base without overpowering it entirely. Super honored to have worked with this fruit, and very proud of the result.
*A WIDE-RANGING CONVERSATION WITH...MIRAGE & LOWERCASE* is a collaboration with our friends at Lowercase Brewing that began (4 years ago!) as a blend of gin barrel-fermented wild ales conditioned in oak with tart Montmorency cherries, sweet Lapin cherries, and Robada apricots. Before packaging, these barrels were blended at a ratio of 3:2 with spontaneously-fermented beer brewed in the méthode traditionelle.
*CROOKED NUMBERS* is a single, unblended barrel cofermentation of young saison and fresh hand-crushed Siegerrebe winegrapes from the vineyard at Comforts of Whidbey. Our 5th anniversary beer, and at only 165 bottles, our rarest to date.
*HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE* is a blend of young and aged saisons conditioned in oak with Montmorency cherries from Tamiyasu Orchards outside Hood River, OR. (Tamiyasu actually grew several different tart cherry varieties for us this year, but those late May freezes wiped their yields out. I'm hoping for a better season next year--before MIRAGE expressed interest, Tamiyasu planned to chop the trees down...) Montmorencies impart little color--the juice is almost clear--but they carry plenty of acidity and a classic cherry character.
*TWO BRIDGES* began in 2017 as a saison fermented in stainless and aged in French oak barrels for one year with a variety of house-captured mixed-cultures. In 2018, these barrels were blended and racked into a round of barrels containing 2nd-use peaches, plums, pears, and pluots—and aged on said fruit for a year. In 2019, it was blended again and re-fermented in oak over fresh hand-processed apricots grown by Collins Family Orchards—and aged on said fruit for yet another a year.
*ANASTOMOSIS* is a petit saison I brewed in collaboration with my friends at Black Spruce Brewing Co. in Fairbanks, Alaska, featuring a base of pilsner, oats, Vienna, and Munich malts from Skagit Valley mashed with some raw Alaskan grains: red Ingal wheat and Austenson 2-row barley. It was hopped generously in the boil and whirlpool with Ariana and fermented/aged in a French oak demi-muid with one of my house mixed cultures.
*RESIDUUM* is the 3rd generation of a tart petit saison fermented solera-style in a 20HL French oak foeder.
*THE QUARTERLY* is the 4th generation of a tart petit saison fermented solera-style in a 20HL French oak foeder.
*TWO BRIDGES* began in 2017 as a saison fermented in stainless and aged in French oak barrels for one year with a variety of house-captured mixed-cultures. In 2018, these barrels were blended and racked into a round of barrels containing 2nd-use peaches, plums, pears, and pluots—and aged on said fruit for a year. In 2019, it was blended again and re-fermented in oak over fresh hand-processed apricots grown by Collins Family Orchards—and aged on said fruit for yet another a year.
*RAY* began in the winter of 2020 with a base of spontaneously-fermented beer brewed in the methode traditionelle. In the Spring of 2021, it was blended with a saison brewed with aged hops that spent 36mos in freshly-emptied pinot noir barrels.
* THE GIRL WHO WAS DEATH* is a single-barrel cofermentation of and fresh-pressed golden russet cider from the Yakima Valley and young saison. Drinks very funk- and cider-forward with a subtle tannic structure from the oak.
*BATTLE OF CAMERAS* began as a tart saison fermented solera-style in a large oak foeder. It was then racked into smaller-format wine barrels, where it was allowed to undergo a secondary fermentation on organic peaches grown by Collins Family Orchards in Selah, WA.
*THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE* is a blend of young saisons conditioned in oak with heirloom (and very illegal) Maribelle plums from the Mirkovich homestead on Bainbridge Island.