Odd Breed Ales, Pompano Beach’s stalwart sour brewery is releasing two beers in bottles this weekend: Meandering Thoughts and Fresh Off the Farm with Kumquats.
The brewery goes into detail about these releases in their newsletter:
Meandering Thoughts
Fresh off the Farm with Kumquats
This weekend, we have two new bottles we are releasing. These beers will go live on Oznr at Noon on Friday, August 20th. We will also have these beers available on our website at Noon on Friday for RBC members, and at 9am on Saturday for the general public. Pick up begins at Noon on Saturday.
Meandering Thoughts – Farmhouse Ale Aged in French Oak Barrels
This funky, easy drinking Saison is brewed with imported Pilsner, wheat, and Munich malts alongside Czech Saaz and Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Fermented in stainless steel with a very expressive and phenolic Belgian ale yeast before aging in our French oak puncheons for 15 months with our mixed culture of wild yeast and souring bacteria. This beer delivers phenols and fruity Brettanomyces esters of overripe tropical fruit with a touch of hay and barnyard funk. The finish is dry and tart but balanced. 5.5% ABV
Compared to most of our Saisons, this beer has a lighter level of acidity, and presents more classic Brett funk. Orval was the first Brettanomyces beer I tried while living in Belgium 18 years ago, and those that are familiar with this quintessential Brett beer will recognize the inspiration for creating Meandering Thoughts. This one has great drinkability, and finishing a 500ml bottle is too easy.
Fresh Off The Farm with Kumquats – Wild Ale with Fresh Florida Kumquats
This beer is blended from barrels of our Lambic Inspired Wild Ale aged 16 months. After barrel aging, we refermented on top of fresh Florida Kumquats we picked up off the farm in Dade City. Aromatics of tangerine and citrus lead to notes of sandalwood and cedar. French oak tannins and moderate acidity round out the palate before leading to a funky and fruity finish. 6.5% ABV
WTF is a Kumquat???
It’s a small citrus fruit (about the size of an olive) that resembles an orange. And like oranges, they originated in South East Asia. They can be eaten whole (including the skin) and the skin has a sweet flavor while the flesh is nice and tart. The overall sweet and tart flavor profile is incredibly unique and delicious, reminiscent mostly of orange but also key lime and grapefruit.
The process of washing and cutting up thousands of these little fruits really is a labor of love. If this fruit weren’t so delicious, it would be hard to justify the effort required. I used a combination of approximately 2/3 Nagami (oval shaped) and 1/3 Meiwa (round) Kumquats. The Nagami varietal is more tart, and the Meiwa are considered more sweet. Both are delicious.
I’m proud to work with Florida farmers, and nothing beats getting fresh fruit right off the farm. Of all the citrus fruits, I have found that Kumquats work the best in beer.
Meandering Thoughts is packaged in 500ml bottles and is $13, and Fresh Off The Farm with Kumquats is packaged in 750ml bottles and is $30. As always, these beers are bottle conditioned and should age gracefully.
About Odd Breed Wild Ales
Based in Pompano Beach, FL, Odd Breed Wild Ales is one of just a handful of breweries in the country focusing on producing wild ales that are fermented and aged in oak. OB’s management views oak-aged wild ales as the ultimate, most complex type of beer—and customers and beer lovers agree wholeheartedly. For additional information, visit: OddBreed.com.