The Rare Barrel

The Rare Barrel is a brewery and brewpub in Berkeley, California, United States, that exclusively produces sour beers.

The Rare Barrel
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded2013
HeadquartersBerkeley, California, United States
ProductsBeer
Production output
400 barrels
OwnerJay Goodwin, Alex Wallash, Brad Goodwin
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Founders Jay Goodwin and Alex Wallash met while attending UCSB. They started home-brewing in their apartment[1] and decided that they would one day start a brewery together. Goodwin started working at The Bruery,[2] where he worked his way from a production assistant to brewer, eventually becoming the head of their barrel aging program.[3] The Rare Barrel brewed its first batch of beer in February 2013,[4] and opened its tasting room on December 27, 2013.[5]

The Rare Barrel was named for "ph1" a barrel used to make the original batch of La Folie in 2000 by New Belgium Brewing based out of Fort Collins, Colorado.[6] In homage of the original "Rare Barrel", every year the brewery along with its customers and peers select the best barrel of beer and name it "The Rare Barrel" for that year.[7] The "ph1" barrel was gifted to The Rare Barrel by New Belgium in 2015 and as of 2016 is currently active, used to age dark sour beer.[6]

In November 2022, Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel and plans to reopen the facility late spring next year.[8]

Production
The Rare Barrel sours

The Rare Barrel only makes sour beers which are aged for an extended period of time in oak barrels;[9] all of their sour beers will age on wood for anywhere from six to 36 months. Their beers are fermented with a combination of Brettanomyces yeast and Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus bacteria.[10] Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria are both responsible for creating lactic acid and acetic acid, which make the beers acidic and taste sour.

The Rare Barrel currently produces its brews in small-batch quantities, which can range anywhere from one to 10 oak barrels in volume. The brewery's on-site tasting room provides an outlet for showcasing the brewery's single barrel experiments. The Rare Barrel also maintains the Founder's Club program that provides members with exclusive access to some of the brewery's limited releases.[11]

Awards

Several beers from The Rare Barrel have won gold and silver at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.[12][9]

Name Style Honors
Apropos of Nothing Gold Sour with Raspberries and Lavender 2015 Great American Beer Festival Bronze
Cosmic Dust Golden Sour 2014 Great American Beer Festival Gold
Ensorcelled Dark Sour Ale with Raspberries 2015 Great American Beer Festival Silver, 2014 World Beer Cup Gold
Shadows of Their Eyes Dark Sour Ale 2014 World Beer Cup Bronze

See also

References
  1. "About Us". The Rare Barrel. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  2. "The Rare Barrel, Sour Brews in Berkeley". Eater SF. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  3. "The Rare Barrel: all sour, all the time". East Bay Beer. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  4. "Craft Beer: The Rare Barrel". Craftpour.blogspot.com. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  5. "The Rare Barrel Tasting Room Opens To The Public Dec 27th". Drinkingcraft.com. 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  6. "The Rarest Barrel: pH1's Influence and Inspiration". BeerAdvocate. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  7. "FAQ". The Rare Barrel. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  8. Saria, Lauren (2022-11-18). "Essential San Francisco Brewery Cellarmaker Is Leaving SoMa and Taking Production to the East Bay". Eater SF. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  9. Robertson, Blair Anthony (2014-12-03). "Rare Barrel in Berkeley finds craft beer success in all-sour lineup". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  10. "Pucker Up, America: Beers Are Going Sour : The Salt". NPR. 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  11. "The Rare Barrel Founder's Club Memberships On Sale October 11 | Beer Served Rare". Beerservedrare.wordpress.com. 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  12. "This sour beer brewer is hitting the sweet spot". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
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