Mad Fritz

The Eagle's Nest

IPA - Imperial / Double

The Eagle's Nest fable is just bad ass and the artwork by Barlow does it justice thus we needed to craft a beer that could be held to same level of morality!… Read More

The Eagle's Nest fable is just bad ass and the artwork by Barlow does it justice thus we needed to craft a beer that could be held to same level of morality! West coast IPA is the style framed with Colorado's Scarlet Malted Barley and a pinch of Belgium Special B to color it, a long bittering hop time 110 minutes with Amarillo and Citra then more and more and more on the finish. We opted not to dry hop as we feel there is adequate punch from the whirlpool/knock-out steep. After a warm fermentation we racked to a 3rd use Chardonnay barrel for aging. This highly aromatic beer is bright with citrus and tropical notes with a rich yet dry texture terminating at 1.006 and alcohol at 8.7 % v/v and 85 IBUs. Read Less

The Old Man and Death

Stout - Imperial / Double

Appropriately, The Old Man and Death fable, is a darkly brewed beer. This Imperial Stout recipe pulls from our experience with past stouts with an added… Read More

Appropriately, The Old Man and Death fable, is a darkly brewed beer. This Imperial Stout recipe pulls from our experience with past stouts with an added twist of rye that makes up about 14% of the grain bill was grown in Fallon, Nevada and micro malted at Rebel. The base malt is a 2 row barley called ‘Full Pint’ that was bred at Oregon State University by Pat Hayes, grown in Brownsville, Oregon and micro-malted in Colorado…a long strange trip. It has slightly more nutty/biscuit flavor and works well with the spicy notes from the rye and the roasted malts. We racked this beer into a 2008 American Oak Barrel for aging. This beer has it all from layered aroma profile to a fully textured palate even with a low terminal gravity of 2 Plato (1.008 SPG) and 8.1 % v/v Alcohol Read Less

The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs

Brett Beer

Our Saison style ale is our first true 'Brett beer' short for Brettanomyces which is yeast genus know to produce wild earthy like aromatics. We added… Read More

Our Saison style ale is our first true 'Brett beer' short for Brettanomyces which is yeast genus know to produce wild earthy like aromatics. We added Brettanomyces cultures to our Golden Ale base after the primary fermentation with a Belgian yeast strain while in a Puncheon Barrel (500 L). After about 3 to 8 months of aging the beer develops a new personality. We then package a small amount of this aged beer and then top up the barrel using another Puncheon of the base beer, un-Bretted, this Puncheon is then retopped with another fresh batch of the Golden Ale, thus creating a SOLERA style of aging and a Goose that will lay Golden Beer! Our base Golden Ale is made with a variety of base malts primarily Copeland from Fallon NV and then Thoroughbred 6 Row from Chester County PA among others so we have designated it 'Mixed Craft Malts'. One finds that this beers aromatics are driven by the Brett rather than the source malts nuance thus a variety designation doesn't apply. This beer is complex, vinous and mysteriously delicious although I have to say many of our wine focused friends are timid to its nature. Read Less

The Wind and Sun

Belgian Strong Golden Ale

Our rendition of a Belgian Strong Ale with Saison styling offers the spicy notes derived from the yeast without late hop additions. We use a straight… Read More

Our rendition of a Belgian Strong Ale with Saison styling offers the spicy notes derived from the yeast without late hop additions. We use a straight 2 row Rebel Micro Malted Copeland variety for the grain bill. This beer is fermented in stainless steel and is aged in 3rd use French oak Chardonnay barrels for about 1 to 2 months which gives the beer a subtle vinous character and oak tones. Our Golden will age beautifully for months and potentially years to come due to its low terminal gravity that also makes it crisp, lean and deceivingly potent. Read Less

The Donkey and Thistle

Lager - Pale

One of our favorite styles of beer is the Pilsener Style. The subtle sulfides and nuanced malt characters framed by a balance hop profile seems to awaken… Read More

One of our favorite styles of beer is the Pilsener Style. The subtle sulfides and nuanced malt characters framed by a balance hop profile seems to awaken the senses. We crafted our pale lager after a more Bohemian Style while pushing the Original Gravity to fall more in a Mai Bock style without filtration it would be a Keller bier or Cellar Beer! ..Somehow many of our beers never seem to quite fit a mold in the style guidelines thus their personality shows as well as the barrel aging in French Oak-Chardonnay for 1 to 2 months. We produced several batches of this beer utilizing several different lager yeast strains fermented at 55 F, aged at 58 F and thus final alcohols very from 6.6% to 7.6% v/v depending on the lot. The barley is 100% micro Malted Scarlet from Alamosa Colorado at 7500 feet elevation, while the hops are Organic Glacier and grown locally in Clear Lake, California. Read Less

The Larks in the Corn

Pale Ale - American

The idea behind this beer is to single hop with our locally grown Cascade and have a grain bill with approximately 30% micro malted blue corn (milled… Read More

The idea behind this beer is to single hop with our locally grown Cascade and have a grain bill with approximately 30% micro malted blue corn (milled at our local Bale Grist Mill-est.1846). To craft a refreshing style while showcasing some of the color and flavor you get from the blue corn. The barrel age program is limited with another hop addition prior to racking for bottling. The result is a crowd pleaser that parallels many milder IPAs yet offers aromatic beauty of one of the greatest hops currently cultivated. Read Less

The Dog with a Clog

Bitter - Extra Special / Strong (ESB)

Our ESB is another beer crafted with Full Pint that is Estate grown and malted in Madras Oregon. This barley tends to have a lot of malt intensity that… Read More

Our ESB is another beer crafted with Full Pint that is Estate grown and malted in Madras Oregon. This barley tends to have a lot of malt intensity that works well with this style of beer: a malt forward, mild bitterness and very smooth. This beer has been brewed multiple times with small tweaks in the water sources and elevage or aging side. The use of used chardonnay barrels seems to bring out more spice aromas while we have another that was aged in brand new french oak barrel (tight grain Allier M+ toast) that offers a layering of malt and barrel toast that seems to marry the flavors together nicely. The Golding hops seem to take a back seat on this beer aromatically although there is a nice bitter snap to the finish to what maybe thought of as a Strong Ale over an ESB in regards to style. Read Less

The Fox and the Grapes

Grape Ale - Other

It was the middle of the 2014 harvest and we were steadily harvesting through our vineyard blocks when the old thought of a fusion beer Wine + Beer =… Read More

It was the middle of the 2014 harvest and we were steadily harvesting through our vineyard blocks when the old thought of a fusion beer Wine + Beer = Wier, or so I thought! Petite Sirah, a juicy dark red wine grape with low acid, lots of color and a solid tannin profile seemed to be the right fit. We made two batches one with some variations and aged both in a combination of French Chestnut wood and a older Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrel. After 7 months of aging we had a very dry beer (mostly due to the wild cultures of yeast and natural wine bacteria). We did some light blending and the result is...well.. 'Wier'... The bright fruit aromas and flavors from the grapes are almost Rose' wine like yet the core of it is a beer rich smooth beer with light bitterness then dry crisp and carbonated with subtle chestnut and oak spice. Read Less

The Ringdove and the Hunter

Rauchbier

The Ring Dove and the Hunter is a beer I have been brewing for decades, once called 'Peoples Porter' , it has always been a Robust Style Porter and it… Read More

The Ring Dove and the Hunter is a beer I have been brewing for decades, once called 'Peoples Porter' , it has always been a Robust Style Porter and it has inevitably changed throughout the years (20+). This rendition is framed by the malty-rich and biscuity Full Pint malted barley, Black Patent malt, a pinch of Coffee malt and hints of Caramel 100-120. We hopped with US grown Goldings hops from Yakima Valley in WA, which were hit hard during set and yields were very low so we were lucky to get our hands on some. We aged the beer in a red and white wine barrel for three weeks prior to bottling. A spicy herbal nose balanced with subtle roasted malts and a mild bitterness brings this beer alive and should age gracefully in your cellar at 6.8. to 7.3% Alc Read Less

The Fool and the Cart

IPA - American

IPA has become one of our favorite styles and we all love hops. As we worked on our recipes over the years we have made some good ones although we knew… Read More

IPA has become one of our favorite styles and we all love hops. As we worked on our recipes over the years we have made some good ones although we knew we wanted something different. A beer with a hop profile that could be single hopped and handle the impacts of barrel aging. We tossed our old recipes out the window after working with an Heirloom variety of hop that was resurrected by our local hop grower in Lake County. The grain bill has some crystal malt although is mainly single malt Copeland variety. We bumped the bitterness up and hit the wort hard (w/ hops) at cooling/knockout. After primary the beer was aged in 3rd use Cabernet Barrels for 1 to 2 months. Most people are surprised by the idea of a barrel aged IPA...Our thought is ‘why not, it works!’ Read Less

The Birds and the Beasts

Barleywine - American

Our version of the wine of beers and fable, The Birds and the Beast, is a great analogy to what it actually is beer or wine! Its clearly beer as its made… Read More

Our version of the wine of beers and fable, The Birds and the Beast, is a great analogy to what it actually is beer or wine! Its clearly beer as its made from 100% Full Pint barley Estate Grown and Malted in Madras Oregon by Mecca Malt and Seth Klann's' Team. Our goal from the out set is to achieve about 21.5 to 22.5 Plato or percent sugar without boiling for an extended time thus we use double the malt needed for most our other beers by doing a double mash and sparging very little. The malt is paired with our local Centennial Hop from Clear Lake to balance the high gravity. We use a low impact yeast for maximum malt/hop expression without a lot of yeast driven character and ferment really dry which we prefer over the sweeter examples out there with higher final gravities... leaving the style guidelines to rest we took a more wine focused approach. We aged all of our Barley Wines in Hungarian Oak with lots 83, 86 and 88 in New Barrels. As far as age worthlessness this beer (or wine) clocks in at 9.5 to 11% Alcohol by Volume and should show well in to its years. Read Less

The Lion and Other Beasts

Farmhouse Ale - Grisette

Belgian Style ale called a Grisette that is somewhat of a lost beer style named for the coal miners wives that would serve this up after the long work… Read More

Belgian Style ale called a Grisette that is somewhat of a lost beer style named for the coal miners wives that would serve this up after the long work day in the mines. It is typically a low alcohol ale at 4 to 5% by vol. (ours lands at 5.6%), with low bitterness and aromas of yeast-spice as well as subtle hop notes. The base malt on our approach was Full Pint 2 Row from Madras Oregon, water from St Helena, Amarillo hops from Yakima Valley then aged in French Oak (used Chardonnay barrels) for 1 month. Our resulting beer is bright with light fruit tones, yeast spice, dry and clean. Read Less

Terroir Series - Napa Ale

Old / Stock Ale

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The Peacock and the Crane

Kölsch

Our Kolsch style Ale is not exactly what one might think of as a Kolsch. Its clearly far from home and a far cry from its defined character attributes… Read More

Our Kolsch style Ale is not exactly what one might think of as a Kolsch. Its clearly far from home and a far cry from its defined character attributes yet we opted to play house and add some winemakers spin to it. The base malt is Scarlet from Alamosa CO and offers a clean malt spectrum that allows our yeast to push the style, while the St Helena well water and Hallertau hops add subtlety to favor profile and then aged in a Riesling barrel or Chardonnay barrel for three to four weeks (freshly emptied Chardonnay and Riesling barrels-we wanted some light wine character in the finished beer). Its clearly our own mad minds that have created this beautiful and delicately balanced beer as its more of a Kellerbier Ale, than a Kolsch. Read Less

The Viper and File

Brown Ale - Belgian

This beer is another creation that is a bit of a wild one, yet uniquely balanced. After souring our browns we decided to shift back some to a more classic… Read More

This beer is another creation that is a bit of a wild one, yet uniquely balanced. After souring our browns we decided to shift back some to a more classic American brown ale utilizing Belgium yeasts and a new chestnut barrel for aging. The approach was to balance the toast/roast of the barrel with the roasted malts in the grain bill while protecting the aromatics of the yeast, no easy task. After utilizing some winemaking techniques and careful handling, the result is a beautiful beer that combines in harmony both New and Old World styles.

Our Belgian Brown Ale with a unique twist. This base comes from a more classic American brown ale using Copeland 2 Row from Fallon, NV (will shift to Thoroughbred 6 row from Carrol County, MD in 2016) some crystal and roasted malts then utilizing a Belgian Yeast and a New French Chestnut barrel for aging. The approach was to balance the toast/roast of the barrel with the roasted malts in the grain bill while protecting the aromatics of the yeast, no Read Less

The Peacock and Jupiter

Wheat Beer - Witbier / Blanche

This White Ale or a Belgian Wit-bier was created from an earlier rendition that we had worked on with our even smaller pilot system. We called it Whit's… Read More

This White Ale or a Belgian Wit-bier was created from an earlier rendition that we had worked on with our even smaller pilot system. We called it Whit's Wit after my wife, Whitney, for obvious reasons! We brew the base with Scarlet variety barley from Alamosa CO and 33% White Wheat, then with a light bittering hand of hops and aroma infuse Cardamom, Coriander, Lemon Grass and Mandarin rinds at the end of the kettle. We used an new selection of yeast for primary in stainless then racked to neutral white wine barrels for one month of aging. We usually see another pick up in fermentation from a house yeast, then rack to bottling and natural fermentation in the bottle/keg for carbonation. This beer is a foamy delight in the summer or winter its 6 to 6.5% Alc by Vol is hidden by explosive spice characters that almost seem like a citrus soda in the palate, clean and crisp. Read Less

The Kite, The Frog and The Mouse

Rye Beer

This strong ale of sorts was the first to be crafted using a local well in Calistoga. An area known for minerality and beneficial health properties we… Read More

This strong ale of sorts was the first to be crafted using a local well in Calistoga. An area known for minerality and beneficial health properties we thought it wouldn’t hurt us to make a little beer with it. This ale’s core malt is the Full Pint barley grown in Brownsville, OR while the Rye Malt was grown in Fallon, NV at 26% of the total grain bill. The generous spice and lift that Rye malt brings an aroma that is completely seductive as well as the synergy with the Ivanhoe heirloom hop this beer seems to get better and better with age. It clocks in with about 65 IBUs, 8.1 % Alc v/v and a pH of 4.5. Its terminal gravity of 1.004 adds to a crisp savory finish. Read Less

The Fox and the Leopard

Bock - Doppelbock

This richly styled lager is perhaps far from a traditional Doppel Bock due to the use of wine barrels during aging, Calistoga Well Water as well as our… Read More

This richly styled lager is perhaps far from a traditional Doppel Bock due to the use of wine barrels during aging, Calistoga Well Water as well as our use of Glacier hops. A 5 week 55 F fermentation yielded a crisp and malty driven beer with mild hop notes. It was then racked to a freshly emptied first use Petite Verdot French oak barrel from 2012 where it aged for another 6 weeks. The aromas are very bold and bright showcasing the impacts of the barrel while the power of this 9.1% Alc. v/v lager pushes back both with flavor and palate texture. It will be interesting to see this beer evolve and just how much the barrel may integrate in over time....Not sure it will last long enough to wait it out. Read Less

Jupiter and the Camel

Pilsner - Czech / Bohemian

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Humulus Lupulus – Oast House Ale

Belgian Blonde

Belgian IPA

Belgian IPA Read Less

The Lion and the Mouse

Belgian Tripel

Belgian Tripel

Belgian Tripel Read Less

The Crow and the Water

Stout - Irish Dry

Toasty, hint of cocoa. Nice dry finish.

Toasty, hint of cocoa. Nice dry finish. Read Less

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Farmhouse Ale - Bière de Garde

This ale is our first of our beers to be brewed using the malts from Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts where Andrea and her husband Christian grow… Read More

This ale is our first of our beers to be brewed using the malts from Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts where Andrea and her husband Christian grow and source their barley in New York State. We were really excited to begin brewing with their malt. We brewed this beer with the variety Wintmalt and as we got a little more color from it we gave it a new label. The first rendition Batch 91 was brewed with Glacier hops on the bitter side, fermented using a French saison yeast then aged in a Chardonnay Puncheon (450 L) for 2.5 months. It settled beautifully and was then racked for bottling where we introduced a small amount of Brettanomyces for some subtle funk tones for the bottle bouquet as well as the natural carbonation. Aromatically its has a light caramel nose that is layered with earthy-malt tones, spice from both the saison yeast as well as the Brett followed by hints of chardonnay notes from the wine barrel. A lively palate is focused on a mid-palate carmel/malt sweetness, chardonnay oak notes and hints of bitterness on the dry almost slightly tart finish (not soured). A wine like terminal gravity at 1.000-2 and clocks in at an ABV of 7.0% by volume. Read Less

The Bear and the Bees

Blonde / Golden Ale - Other

Our Honey Ale is a collaboration with Rob Keller of Napa Valley Bee Company and who lives and breaths with the Buzz of the Bees. He had foraged some honey… Read More

Our Honey Ale is a collaboration with Rob Keller of Napa Valley Bee Company and who lives and breaths with the Buzz of the Bees. He had foraged some honey from multiple wild hives from around the Napa Valley and offered us the opportunity to create a beer with it. We chose a clean and light base barley sourced and malted in Madras Oregon with very low color yet a with a distinct malt tonality from the variety Full Pint Barley. We used our relatively soft water from St Helena and Hallertau Hops from Yakima, WA as well as our French Saison yeast to create a beer that was dry and crisp on the finish. The honey was married with the beer at the end of boil with specific timing and technique to retain and boost the impact of its aromatics. After the primary fermentation and settling in stainless we racked to a new French Oak barrel (600 L puncheon M toast -Saury) and aged briefly for settling and light oak aromatics. This first release B107 (160414107) is allocated for memberships Q2-16 although can be tasted at the brewery for a short time. Its flavor profile is somewhere between a chardonnay, dry mead-Hydromel style and a Belgian Strong Ale its soft spiced with round honey tones and oak notes. A focused and clean palate (TFG 1.000) with very subtle hop bitterness. Read Less

The Fox and the Stork

Bock - Weizenbock

Our weizenbock was brewed using an heirloom variety of wheat called Sonora grown here in St Helena by the CIA farm to table program. We chose to use it… Read More

Our weizenbock was brewed using an heirloom variety of wheat called Sonora grown here in St Helena by the CIA farm to table program. We chose to use it un-malted at 25% of the grain bill and blended in our Copeland Variety 2 row malted barley, then used a local well water with high mineral content. We fermented using a classic Bavarian yeast strain to illuminated the style, then aged in a 2nd use chardonnay barrel for about two weeks. The result is bright with fruit, spice and wheat on the nose offering a crisp and dry finish (1.004). Read Less