You may be asking what is a “wild ale” and how is it different from your standard beer? We talked to our Brewery Operations Manager, Teaghan Mayers, and our Head Brewer, Brett Geislinger to break it down for you. The key ingredients you’ll find in every beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast – but it’s the yeast component that make wild ales so unique. “Brewers typically work with pure cultures of a single type of yeast that has been selectively bred to ferment beer with predictable flavour profiles known as brewer's yeast.” explains Teaghan. “Wild ales, on the other hand, are fermented by many different species of yeast, most of which live in the wood of the barrel where they are aged – ‘wild’ (or natural) yeasts. The final flavour will depend on the types of ‘wild’ microbes in the barrels, how many are present and how they interact with each other over the time that the beer spends ageing in the wood. The result is often unpredictable and occasionally magical! These wild ales often take several years to make from start to finish!”

Wild ales are known for complex and unique flavour profiles with descriptors like funky, barnyard, hay and earthy. And, in many cases, fruit is added to the brew to add further character and dimension. While these may sound unusual, trust us, they’re delicious. “The barrels used in the brewing process also contribute pleasant wood and oak notes to the beer,” says Brett. “All of the barrels we use at Campio are ex-Chianti wine barrels. The previous wine content adds a certain tannic depth and a touch of red fruit character to each beer.”