The time has come for Denver-based Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and Boulder-based Upslope Brewing Company to unveil the first installment of Crooked Stave’s Ferus Fluxus series – Wild Belgian Pale Ale. After nine months, the collaborative beer is ready for its highly anticipated release.
For this unique barrel-aged project Upslope’s Limited Release Belgian Style Pale Ale was inoculated with carefully chosen strains of Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus in first-use red wine barrels that were hand-picked at Rocky Mountain Barrel Company by Crooked Stave owner Chad Yakobson and Upslope head brewer Alex Violette.
The Wild Belgian Pale Ale that has been aging separately at both Upslope’s North Boulder brewery at Lee Hill and Crooked Stave’s Barrel Cellar for the last nine months will be available in two different package options. Crooked Stave’s version will be packaged in its standard 375 milliliter bottle, while Upslope’s version of Ferus Fluxus will be packaged in Ball Corporation’s 19.2 ounce Royal Pint can.
“This collaboration was a great opportunity to reunite with my friends at Upslope and make a unique beer,” said Crooked Stave’s Head of Sales and former Upslope employee Kyle Krebsbach. “I have always thought our yeast would pair well with Upslope’s Belgian Style Pale Ale. Tasting the beer yesterday, I loved the crisp floral and citrus flavors followed with a nice tart and earthy finish.”
“It’s exciting to be a part of the first installment of what’s sure to be an awesome series. With the completion of our production brewery, space was freed up at our original facility to expand our barrel-aging program and experiment with bacteria,” said Upslope head brewer Alex Violette. “The opportunity to collaborate with our friends at Crooked Stave was one we couldn’t pass up. We all agreed that our Belgian would be perfect for this project. It highlights the tropical fruit notes from the Brettanomyces while maintaining a subtle oak character from the barrels.”
Fans looking to be the first to take a walk on the wild side can look forward to two release parties that celebrate this collaboration. On Monday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. Crooked Stave’s taproom at The Source will release bottles for $10 each, a half hour later at 6:30 p.m. drafts will begin pouring. The following day (Tuesday, Feb.18) at 6 p.m. Upslope will host a release party at its Lee Hill tap room featuring $14 cans of the Wild Belgian Pale Ale (limit three) as well as additional barrel-aged styles and a food truck.
Cheers,
Crooked Stave
