It’s been a long time in the making, but we are very excited to announce that, after two years of barrel-aging and 11 months of bottle-conditioning, our Spontaneous Ale is ready to be released in an exclusive 330ml bottle format on September 8th, 2018 at 10:00am in our Bottle Shop (7 Queen St., Niagara-on-the-Lake). Less than 1,000 bottles were made and will be available for sale.
Unique in Ontario, our Spontaneous Ale was brewed with traditional turbid mashing techniques followed by an extended boil of noble aged hops. This barrel-fermented ale was inoculated with wild yeast cultures harvested from fruit skins growing in Niagara and using cultures from our own ‘mini-coolship’ experiments – illustrated by the air symbol on the bottle’s label.
Our Spontaneous Ale has already won a GOLD Medal at the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards, in the Lambic/Gueuze Category.
“We are thrilled to release our long-awaited Spontaneous Ale.” says Robin Ridesic, founder & CEO at The Exchange Brewery. “We are very proud of this brew – and very pleased to finally be able to offer this deliciously funky and tart brew to our customers who have been asking about its release for (literally) years. Enjoy!”
“The brewers are extremely proud of this one.” adds Sam Maxbauer, head brewer at The Exchange Brewery. “The whole brewing process is more difficult; the aging is extensive and the likelihood of failure is high with Lambic-style brewing. The whole brew staff is excited to finally offer this rare beer to the public.”
As the very first spontaneous ale to be released by a brewery in Ontario, we believe this project perfectly embodies our brewing philosophy which blends traditional and modern techniques and equipment, along with our passion for sour ales, in our home of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
This sour ale is barrel aged and bottle conditioned, resulting in a long shelf life and shelf stability. Properly cellared (stored in a horizontal position, in a cool and dark space), it can be aged for up to 10 years and will develop more sour and complex notes.
