Dr. FouDre I marks a long-awaited release, and our first foray into the depths of beer aging using huge wooden tanks known as foudres.
Pronounced either foo-druh, foe-der, or foo-der depending on who’s asked, our 35 hectoliter Italian Oak Foudres were manufactured especially for us from repurposed wood, sourced from grappa and brandy casks.
Strangeways brewers use our two wooden vessels as labs for their experiments, and aptly nicknamed one of them Dr. FouDre I. Hence, their contents will bear the same name upon release, stamped with a year to mark the vintage, as natural changes will occur over various aging cycles and as we implement the Solera process.
This unique concoction is chock full of local Virginia wildflower honey from Golden Angels Apiary, and initially was propped with a Biére de Garde yeast. It was then aged for well over two years in the foudre with a Roeselare blend wild yeast to give it a distinct character showing layers of fruity complexity, while finishing dry and slightly tart.