The Wild Botanica is the first spirit barrel beer I’ve done since leaving Bellwoods. The styles of beer I make don’t lend themselves to brown spirits, so I have always avoided them. But when I was presented with a gin barrel, I snatched it up and sat on it until the right beer came to mind.
After some contemplation, I decided to brew a coolshipped spontaneous saison with raw rye from Good Family Farms. The wildness and acid forward nature of my spontaneous saisons I knew would work well in a botanical forward gin barrel. I chose to lean into the spiciness by using raw rye and Hersbrucker hops to complement the botanical, herbal nose the gin barrel was bringing.
After six months of natural fermentation in the barrel with native yeast, the beer was ready to be bottled. I decided to target a slightly higher volume of CO₂ to elevate the experience, as this beer drinks like a cocktail or an RTD to me.
Tasting Notes: Lemon, Lime, Juniper bitters, Gin Cocktail
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Rye, Hops, Native Yeast
Barrel #: 11
Bottled: January 1st, 2026
Brewed: May 20th, 2025