Asheville, NC – As Hi-Wire Brewing transitions their original Downtown Asheville brewery into a sour and wild ale facility to officially launch later this summer, they announce the release of a new, different line of limited specialty beers which they are calling the Single Barrel Series. All Single Barrel Series releases are small batches fermented 100% in oak barrels, bottle conditioned, and sold in cork and caged 750 ml bottles.
“Before we officially announced we were going to start making sour and wild ales, we started experimenting on a very small scale with Brettanomyces and souring bacteria like Lactobacillus,” says Hi-Wire’s Head Brewer Luke Holgate. “We didn’t want cross-contamination from these bugs in our pilot system tanks, so we decided to ferment these beers in barrels. What started as an experiment turned out be some really fun beers, so we decided to share them with everyone.”
The first two Single Barrel releases will be a 7.8% ABV Oak Fermented Dark Saison with Brettanomyces and a 4.8% ABV Oak Fermented Wild Ale Aged on Cherries and Raspberries.
“The main purpose of the new series is experimentation,” says Head Specialty Brewer, Johnathan Parks. “These beers are very different from what you are going to see from our larger upcoming wild and sour program.
Hi-Wire will release the first two beers in this new, limited series at their South Slope Specialty Brewery in Downtown Asheville on April 1st starting at 2pm. Production of these beers are limited to 120 bottles each and will not see distribution . Look for the official launch of their Sour Program later this summer.
About Hi-Wire Brewing:
Located in Asheville, NC, Hi-Wire Brewing is known for producing approachable and balanced ales and lagers, most notably Hi-Wire Lager, Prime Time Session Pale Ale, Bed of Nails Brown, and Hi-Pitch IPA. They have two locations in Asheville; the 27,000 square foot Big Top Production Facility and Taproom located a half mile from the Biltmore Estate and the South Slope Specialty Brewery and Taproom located in the South Slope region of downtown. Hi-Wire was awarded the most medals at the 2014 NC Brewer’s Cup and was named Best New North Carolina Brewery of 2013 by RateBeer. Their award-winning beers can be found on draft and in bottles across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.