"Critters" is the name of our mixed fermentation project! Each release in the series is different beer or blend, and super small batch (even for us). Mostly, we fool around with "wild" yeasts like our old friend Brettanomyces (known to her friends as "Brett") coupled with some long slumbers in oak barrels, which (due to the nature of our favorite microflora*) gives us sporadic releases of Mixed Fermentation Goodness.
This page is used as an archive to provide information on bottle releases of all our lil' Critters. Keep scrollin' for more!
This page is used as an archive to provide information on bottle releases of all our lil' Critters. Keep scrollin' for more!
2019
CRITTERS 1 - Grisette with Brettanomyces and strawberry
ABV: 5.2%
Barrel: Wheat Whiskey
Tasting Notes: Dry as heck with a pinch of funkiness and a smidge of tartness and a subtle-but-noticeable note of ripe strawberry.
Release Date: 7/25/19
CRITTERS 2 - Wild red ale aged in rye barrels with Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Rye
Tasting Notes: Lightly malty-sweet with a solid whack of bright acidity, tempered by an undercurrent of oaky vanilla
Release Date: 7/25/19
CRITTERS 3 - Grisette with Brettanomyces, blackberry, and peach
ABV: 5.2%
Barrel: Rye
Tasting Notes: Dry and tart with some fruit flavors fighting for first place with funkiness from the Brett
Release Date: 7/25/19
ABV: 5.2%
Barrel: Wheat Whiskey
Tasting Notes: Dry as heck with a pinch of funkiness and a smidge of tartness and a subtle-but-noticeable note of ripe strawberry.
Release Date: 7/25/19
CRITTERS 2 - Wild red ale aged in rye barrels with Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Rye
Tasting Notes: Lightly malty-sweet with a solid whack of bright acidity, tempered by an undercurrent of oaky vanilla
Release Date: 7/25/19
CRITTERS 3 - Grisette with Brettanomyces, blackberry, and peach
ABV: 5.2%
Barrel: Rye
Tasting Notes: Dry and tart with some fruit flavors fighting for first place with funkiness from the Brett
Release Date: 7/25/19
2020
CRITTERS 4 - Farmhouse ale with multiple strains of Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.9%
Barrel: Red Wine
Tasting Notes: The funkiest of the bunch!
Release Date: 1/4/20
CRITTERS 5 - Saison with ginger, wildflower honey, and Brettanomyces
ABV: 4.6%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting Notes: Floral, funky, and light-bodied with aromas of honey, ginger, and the right kind of funky cheese.
Release Date: 2/7/20
CRITTERS 6 - Grisette with plums and Brettanomyces
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting Notes: Bright acidity with lots of funk and notes of stonefruit
Release Date: 2/29/20
CHIMERA - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale with peach, strawberry, and Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Oak
Release Date: 5/8/2020
CRITTERS 7 - Biere de Miel with Brettanomyces and bergamont
ABV: 6%
Barrel: Rye whiskey
Tasting notes: A pinch of honey and a punch of citrus and a strong suggestion of funk and honestly it's kinda what we always hope for when we see "sour" used as a style descriptor.
Release Date: 6/9/2020
CRITTERS 8 - Sour brown ale with Brettanomyces and plum
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Apple brandy
Tasting notes: Light funk, lots of dark fruit and chocolate
Release Date: 6/15/2020
CRITTERS 9 - Farmhouse ale with Brettanomyces, lime, and apricot
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: Bright fruity acidity, light funk, dry
Release date: 7/26/2020
CRITTERS 10 - Saison with Brettanomyces Lambicus
ABV: 4.7%
Barrel: n/a
Tasting notes: bracingly tart, barnyard funk, hint of citrus
Release date: 8/29/2020
KEGASUS - Mixed fermentation brown ale with plums, tart cherry, and honey
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: Multiple sources
Tasting notes: toasty malt, citrusy tartness, floral notes, red fruit
Release date: 9/15/2020
FUNKY LIFE - Wild ale with Brettanomyces Lambicus
ABV: 6.6%
Barrel: n/a
Tasting notes: caramel, balsamic, bracingly tart, barnyard notes
Release date: 10/15/2020
ABV: 6.9%
Barrel: Red Wine
Tasting Notes: The funkiest of the bunch!
Release Date: 1/4/20
CRITTERS 5 - Saison with ginger, wildflower honey, and Brettanomyces
ABV: 4.6%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting Notes: Floral, funky, and light-bodied with aromas of honey, ginger, and the right kind of funky cheese.
Release Date: 2/7/20
CRITTERS 6 - Grisette with plums and Brettanomyces
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting Notes: Bright acidity with lots of funk and notes of stonefruit
Release Date: 2/29/20
CHIMERA - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale with peach, strawberry, and Brettanomyces
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Oak
Release Date: 5/8/2020
CRITTERS 7 - Biere de Miel with Brettanomyces and bergamont
ABV: 6%
Barrel: Rye whiskey
Tasting notes: A pinch of honey and a punch of citrus and a strong suggestion of funk and honestly it's kinda what we always hope for when we see "sour" used as a style descriptor.
Release Date: 6/9/2020
CRITTERS 8 - Sour brown ale with Brettanomyces and plum
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Apple brandy
Tasting notes: Light funk, lots of dark fruit and chocolate
Release Date: 6/15/2020
CRITTERS 9 - Farmhouse ale with Brettanomyces, lime, and apricot
ABV: 4.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: Bright fruity acidity, light funk, dry
Release date: 7/26/2020
CRITTERS 10 - Saison with Brettanomyces Lambicus
ABV: 4.7%
Barrel: n/a
Tasting notes: bracingly tart, barnyard funk, hint of citrus
Release date: 8/29/2020
KEGASUS - Mixed fermentation brown ale with plums, tart cherry, and honey
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: Multiple sources
Tasting notes: toasty malt, citrusy tartness, floral notes, red fruit
Release date: 9/15/2020
FUNKY LIFE - Wild ale with Brettanomyces Lambicus
ABV: 6.6%
Barrel: n/a
Tasting notes: caramel, balsamic, bracingly tart, barnyard notes
Release date: 10/15/2020
2021
CRITTERS 11 - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale w/multiple Brett strains and fruit
ABV: 4.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: stone fruit, citrus-like tartness, soft funk
Release date: 1/23/2021
CRITTERS 12 - Mixed fermentation grisette with buckwheat honey and strawberry
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: strawberry, light funk (Brett B), soft molasses note in the back
Release date: 4/15/2021
CRITTERS 13 - Dark and stormy inspired mixed fermentation beer
ABV: 6%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: ginger, lemon, light caramel, acidic funk
Release date: 6/19/2021
CRITTERS 14 - Saison fermented with Brett B
ABV: 5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: barnyard, noticeable funk, bright citrus and stone fruit
Release date: 7/15/2021
EXCELLENT QUESTION! - Blended sour saison
ABV: 5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: jammy fruit, stone fruit, balanced funk, bright and tart
Release date: 9/23/2021
ABV: 4.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: stone fruit, citrus-like tartness, soft funk
Release date: 1/23/2021
CRITTERS 12 - Mixed fermentation grisette with buckwheat honey and strawberry
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: strawberry, light funk (Brett B), soft molasses note in the back
Release date: 4/15/2021
CRITTERS 13 - Dark and stormy inspired mixed fermentation beer
ABV: 6%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: ginger, lemon, light caramel, acidic funk
Release date: 6/19/2021
CRITTERS 14 - Saison fermented with Brett B
ABV: 5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: barnyard, noticeable funk, bright citrus and stone fruit
Release date: 7/15/2021
EXCELLENT QUESTION! - Blended sour saison
ABV: 5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: jammy fruit, stone fruit, balanced funk, bright and tart
Release date: 9/23/2021
2022
CRITTERS 15 - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale w/Brett and pineapple
ABV: 5.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: pineapple, mango, coconut, bright acidity, dry finish
Release date: 1/7/2022
CRITTERS 16 - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale w/Brett, guava, pineapple, peach, soursop, and wildflower honey
ABV: 5.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, medium body, barnyard/earthy funk
Release date: 1/7/2022
THE GREAT MISC. - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale
ABV: 4.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: While pouring a glowing (albeit hazy) auburn, The Great Miscellaneous combines the earthiness of black tea with a flash of fruity sweetness and a pinch of citrusy tartness, followed by a mellow funkiness. It's not far from the tea-and-lemonade beverage that you're thinking of, and yet it's somehow a whole different (and altogether more complex) animal.
Release date: 3/4/2022
CRITTERS 17 - Dark sour ale w/Brett, pineapple, and maple syrup
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: ripe pineapple, tart cherry, earthy funk, maple, and a touch of caramelized sugar, finishing dry
Release date: 5/2/2022
CRITTERS 18 - Barrel aged sour brown ale
ABV: 6.0%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: balsamic, tart cherry, earthy funk, maple, dry finish
Release date: 7/1/2022
WORKING TITLE - Mixed fermentation saison
ABV: 6.0%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, cereal/hay on the nose, bright acidity and light funk
Release date: 10/15/2022
CRITTERS 19 - Mixed fermentation saison w/apricot
ABV: 5.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: notes of stone fruit (particularly peach and apricot), light and easygoing, with medium funkiness/tartness
Release date: 3/5/2023
HIGH VOLTAGE - Barrel aged sour ale
ABV: 5.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: this is basically a margarita
Release date: 3/5/2023
HAPPENSTANCE - Blended sour ale
ABV: 6.3%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, cereal/hay on the nose, bright acidity and light funk
Release date: 3/5/2023
EXTRA FUNKY - table beer with Brett
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: None
Tasting notes: A little while ago Ben said "hey, why don't we take the recipe for Extra Naked and ferment it entirely with Brett C?" and that was a truly shocking idea for a couple reasons (upon hearing it Jared got the vapours and had to lie down for a little while) - firstly and less importantly is that we're pretty firmly a Brett B Household (we've toyed with Brett L from time to time, but it's maybe a little too funky. Brett C has a reputation for being not funky enough). But more to the point, we almost never use anything other than our house yeast (which we've named Carl) for primary fermentation. Out of the 700+ batches we've made, we've used a yeast other than Carl maybe three or four times, so it was truly scandalous to suggest otherwise (most of our wild beers undergo a second fermentation with Brett, if you were wondering. That's also why most of our funky beers have fruit in them - we need something to kickstart that second fermentation). ANYway we're super glad we did that thing he suggested because this beer is hella good!
Release date: 10/13/2023
ABV: 5.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: pineapple, mango, coconut, bright acidity, dry finish
Release date: 1/7/2022
CRITTERS 16 - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale w/Brett, guava, pineapple, peach, soursop, and wildflower honey
ABV: 5.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, medium body, barnyard/earthy funk
Release date: 1/7/2022
THE GREAT MISC. - Mixed fermentation farmhouse ale
ABV: 4.9%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: While pouring a glowing (albeit hazy) auburn, The Great Miscellaneous combines the earthiness of black tea with a flash of fruity sweetness and a pinch of citrusy tartness, followed by a mellow funkiness. It's not far from the tea-and-lemonade beverage that you're thinking of, and yet it's somehow a whole different (and altogether more complex) animal.
Release date: 3/4/2022
CRITTERS 17 - Dark sour ale w/Brett, pineapple, and maple syrup
ABV: 6.5%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: ripe pineapple, tart cherry, earthy funk, maple, and a touch of caramelized sugar, finishing dry
Release date: 5/2/2022
CRITTERS 18 - Barrel aged sour brown ale
ABV: 6.0%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: balsamic, tart cherry, earthy funk, maple, dry finish
Release date: 7/1/2022
WORKING TITLE - Mixed fermentation saison
ABV: 6.0%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, cereal/hay on the nose, bright acidity and light funk
Release date: 10/15/2022
CRITTERS 19 - Mixed fermentation saison w/apricot
ABV: 5.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: notes of stone fruit (particularly peach and apricot), light and easygoing, with medium funkiness/tartness
Release date: 3/5/2023
HIGH VOLTAGE - Barrel aged sour ale
ABV: 5.8%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: this is basically a margarita
Release date: 3/5/2023
HAPPENSTANCE - Blended sour ale
ABV: 6.3%
Barrel: Oak
Tasting notes: tropical fruit, cereal/hay on the nose, bright acidity and light funk
Release date: 3/5/2023
EXTRA FUNKY - table beer with Brett
ABV: 4.8%
Barrel: None
Tasting notes: A little while ago Ben said "hey, why don't we take the recipe for Extra Naked and ferment it entirely with Brett C?" and that was a truly shocking idea for a couple reasons (upon hearing it Jared got the vapours and had to lie down for a little while) - firstly and less importantly is that we're pretty firmly a Brett B Household (we've toyed with Brett L from time to time, but it's maybe a little too funky. Brett C has a reputation for being not funky enough). But more to the point, we almost never use anything other than our house yeast (which we've named Carl) for primary fermentation. Out of the 700+ batches we've made, we've used a yeast other than Carl maybe three or four times, so it was truly scandalous to suggest otherwise (most of our wild beers undergo a second fermentation with Brett, if you were wondering. That's also why most of our funky beers have fruit in them - we need something to kickstart that second fermentation). ANYway we're super glad we did that thing he suggested because this beer is hella good!
Release date: 10/13/2023
*For those of you who are lookin' for a bit more of a "deep dive" into what makes this series so special and so near and dear to us, read on!
Basically, Brett (which is our current critter of choice, though we'll likely be branching out to other yeasts and/or bacteria later on) can eat/ferment pretty much anything, but she likes to take her sweet time doing it. And what that means is when Brett is in a beer intentionally, you'll tend to get some wonderfully dry, funky, occasionally tart flavors that you wouldn't get from "clean" beer, though it often takes months if not years for these flavors to develop. But other than timing, the problem (well, one of them) is that Brett can be... tricky to remove from any equipment once she's gotten all nice and comfy in there, which in short means that we gotta have dedicated parts, plus a lot of dedicated/separate aging space for all our Critters beers, lest we find Brett turning up in places she's not invited (which would lead to some less-than-fun consequences). Anyway, we didn't have the parts or the space until recently, so it's been but a twinkle in our collective eye until late 2018 when we finally "bit the bullet" and started making some dang ol' wild beers and now they're here!
Speaking of deep dives into wild beers, we're gonna put on our Pedant Pants for a minute here to address a question we get all the time, that being "do you have sours?" It was an easy one to answer for a while (because the answer was "no"), but this series blurs the line a whole bunch because lots and lots of people tend to conflate "wild" and "sour." There's certainly a lot of overlap, but Brett beers are a bit of a distance away from, say, mega-tart fruited kettle sours (which, due do entirely different equipment limitations, we can't make).
And while we've got our Pedant Pants on, we might as well mention the use of the word "wild." To a lot of people, that conjures up images of us harvesting yeast out of thin air like the Lambic makers of old, and haha oh man that is definitely not what we're doing. We wish we were cool enough to do shit like that. Instead, "wild" is the term that gets applied to any non-"standard" beer yeast, thus applying all that evocative imagery to a bag of tan glop that we bought from a lab. Put simply, that ain't exactly the word we would have chosen, but that seems to be what the kids are doin' these days so we might as well just go along for the ride.
Basically, Brett (which is our current critter of choice, though we'll likely be branching out to other yeasts and/or bacteria later on) can eat/ferment pretty much anything, but she likes to take her sweet time doing it. And what that means is when Brett is in a beer intentionally, you'll tend to get some wonderfully dry, funky, occasionally tart flavors that you wouldn't get from "clean" beer, though it often takes months if not years for these flavors to develop. But other than timing, the problem (well, one of them) is that Brett can be... tricky to remove from any equipment once she's gotten all nice and comfy in there, which in short means that we gotta have dedicated parts, plus a lot of dedicated/separate aging space for all our Critters beers, lest we find Brett turning up in places she's not invited (which would lead to some less-than-fun consequences). Anyway, we didn't have the parts or the space until recently, so it's been but a twinkle in our collective eye until late 2018 when we finally "bit the bullet" and started making some dang ol' wild beers and now they're here!
Speaking of deep dives into wild beers, we're gonna put on our Pedant Pants for a minute here to address a question we get all the time, that being "do you have sours?" It was an easy one to answer for a while (because the answer was "no"), but this series blurs the line a whole bunch because lots and lots of people tend to conflate "wild" and "sour." There's certainly a lot of overlap, but Brett beers are a bit of a distance away from, say, mega-tart fruited kettle sours (which, due do entirely different equipment limitations, we can't make).
And while we've got our Pedant Pants on, we might as well mention the use of the word "wild." To a lot of people, that conjures up images of us harvesting yeast out of thin air like the Lambic makers of old, and haha oh man that is definitely not what we're doing. We wish we were cool enough to do shit like that. Instead, "wild" is the term that gets applied to any non-"standard" beer yeast, thus applying all that evocative imagery to a bag of tan glop that we bought from a lab. Put simply, that ain't exactly the word we would have chosen, but that seems to be what the kids are doin' these days so we might as well just go along for the ride.