California Wild Ales, San Diego’s only all-barrel- aged American sour brewery, will team up with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to host a fundraiser for the association starting at 5 p.m. Friday at the brewery’s Sorrento Valley location.
Zack Brager, one of California Wild Ales’ founders, said the cause was a personal one. His mother died of the disease on July 15th, 1999.
“It has been my goal to give back as much as possible,” Brager said. “This is why I’m partnering with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to make sure that no one loses a loved one to cancer.”
As part of this event, the brewery will release a new beer named after Brager’s mother — Rebecca Jungreis-Brager — called RJB.
“This beer is extremely special to me, as it’s the first beer the brewery has made using Brettanomyces at bottling,” Brager said, referring to the type of yeast which can add tartness to beer. “This process requires a little longer time in the bottle, but the result adds a layer of funk to the finished product that will cause this beer to age beautifully for years to come.”
The beer is a blend of golden sour ale with blueberries from the Carlsbad Flower Fields and Cabernet Franc grapes from Summer’s Vineyard in Escondido. The finished product “has a soft and bright tannic character and a tropical funkiness from the late dose of our favorite yeast,” a statement from the brewery reads. After resting in the bottle for approximately five months, the beer is ready to be shared.
California Wild Ales will donate all tips from the evening to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, along with 15% of the bottle proceeds. In addition, people can make a direct donation at https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/sd/sd21/zbrager.
The California Wild Ales brewery and tasting room in Sorrento Valley is located at 4202 Sorrento Valley Blvd., Suite L.
–City News Service
