Almanac Beer Company brews original ales inspired by the farms of Northern California. Each release is a unique vintage rooted in the place and time it was crafted.
How we make our craft beers:
Before brewing ever begins, we collaborate on ideas for interesting, unusual and seasonal beers. Once we’ve settled on that idea, we carefully select our partner farm—focusing on small family run operations, just like us. Then we start with the basics.
Water, malt, yeast and hops are combined to create a balanced beer with equal parts sweet and bitter. Then the fruit is added, so that the hungry yeast can eat the sugars in the fruit as well. This creates a beer that has all of the flavors of the fruit, without overbearing sweetness. All of our base recipes are rooted in, but not limited to, classic beer styles and brewed in very small batches.
For our barrel aged beers, the beer is racked into oak wine barrels. The beer—alive inside the barrels—continues to evolve during this secondary fermentation. The beer absorbs hints of toasted vanilla and oak from the barrel.
After months of aging, the flavors of the fruit, beer, and barrels have melded together. The beer in the barrels is then blended with freshly brewed “base beer” and bottled flat. Fresh yeast and sugar is added during bottling in a process known as bottle conditioning. As a third fermentation, this traditional process provides carbonation with a very fine bubble and melds the complex flavors of the beer together.
When ready, our beers are released to our favorite local restaurants and retailers to be enjoyed with food and friends. Almanac beers are excellent fresh, or can be cellared for years to allow the flavors to evolve in the bottle.
Can I visit the brewery?
Not yet, but hopefully someday soon. We’re just two guys with a vision—so we’re starting small, producing our beer through “partner” brewing (or, if you’re feeling romantic, “gypsy brewing.”) This means we brew our beer at a local brewery, under their license. This allows us the creative freedom and access to create the kind of beers that would be otherwise impossible for us to share with you. We own the brand, the beer, and the recipes— just not the brewing equipment. Not yet anyway.
