Sales Page: Old Friend
ABOUT “OLD FRIEND”
Name: Old Friend
Description: The culmination of multiple years of work. As much as we love our fruited beers, it has always been barrel aged saison style beers and gueuze blends that have inspired us most. The expression of microbes on a simple recipe of water, malt, and hops with a gentle oak character is, for us, the perfect beer. We layered complex flavors to create a delicate balance of acidity, hop bitterness, and tannins. This creates a flavor and aroma that no one barrel can achieve. A blend of four neutral oak barrels that previously held red wine containing mixed culture saison and one neutral oak barrel that previously held red wine containing a lambic style recipe fermented 100% with brettanomyces. These barrels aged for 2+ years before being blended and bottled. This beer can be drank now or aged further. Naturally conditioned, clarified, and carbonated in the bottle over several months. Unpasteurized and unfiltered. Contains natural sediment. Store in a dark and cool space.
Style: Barrel Aged Saison
Tasting Notes: Stone Fruit, Lemon Pith, Oak, Hay, Earthy Hops
ABV: 6.4%
Bottle Size: 500ml / 16.9oz
Ingredients: Pilsner Malt, Pale Malt, Malted Wheat, Raw Wheat, Oats, Saaz Hops, Aged Hops, Yeast, and Bacteria
Brewed: 11/18/2018 and 12/18/2018
Bottled: 1/31/2021
Brewed, bottled, and sold by: Shady Oak Barrel House
ABOUT ALTBRAU
AltBrau is a homebrew blog, podcast, and collaborative brewing project formed to explore the creative possibility of beer and how it can serve as a tool to share people's stories. We drink and brew with friends from all walks of life.
We have brewed collaborations in California, Oregon, Washington, Germany, France, and Belgium and pour our fermentations at select locations and festivals such as Carnivale Brettanomyces in Amsterdam and Brews For New Avenues in Portland, OR.
At this time AltBrau is not a commercial brewery and our collaborations are fully owned and sold by the participating breweries. We work with our brewery friends who have spare capacity and are looking to brew small experimental batches. Our goal is to use our collaboration releases as proof-of-concept and introduce our brand to the craft beer market. Once that is achieved we will be seeking funding to open our own commercial operation.
ABOUT OUR BEERS
With a focus on traditional, rustic-style brewing, many of our beers are aged in oak and fermented with a variety of yeast and bacteria not commonly found in commercial products. These yeast are a combination of lab grown cultures , those collected from our favorite wild ales, and those captured in nature
Our goal is to promote the importance of thoughtful ingredient selection and supporting small farmers whenever possible. We utilize local craft malt, yeast from small labs, unique hop varietals, and whole fruit in our recipes. We prefer organic ingredients whenever possible while maintaining the quality, consistency, and flavor we aim for.
We do not use any pasteurized fruit purees or flavor extracts. We use little-to-no clarifying agents. We filter as minimally as possible. We prefer re-conditioning and natural carbonation over forced carbonation.
ABOUT TIM DECKER
Tim Decker is a Certified Cicerone ®, BJCP Certified Beer Judge, and former concert promoter from Oakland, California.
Tim was introduced to craft beer through local pubs and his love of imports. In 2011 he began homebrewing in his apartment and in 2013 he launched AltBrau to document his experiences in beer. Since then, he has been featured in a variety of online and print publications for his work in beer (including Good Beer Hunting, The Wall Street Journal, and SF Gate) and has collaborated with world renowned breweries from around the globe including De Garde Brewing, Antidoot Wilde Fermenten, and Freigeist Bierkultur.
Tim entered the industry as a tour guide for a large craft brewery in Northern California before joining their sales team. He went on to serve as an alcohol sales representative for a small cider company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently a maltster in Alameda, California. He works with 100% California grown barley, wheat, rye, and oats, and processes the grain using traditional floor malting processes.
In addition to his job in sales and working on AltBrau collaborations, Tim is a contributor at GoodBeerHunting.com and assists with the organizing of Carnivale Brettanomyces in Amsterdam.
