I hope you allow me a more personal write up, as this is a very personal beer. This beer is a landmark for me and this whole Funk Factory experiment. It is the beer I set out all those years ago to see if it could be made in Wisconsin. This is the first three vintage blend, "Méthode Traditionnelle - 3 Year", geuze-inspired beer to come out of Funk Factory.
7 years ago I started with a single barrel in my basement, which led to-
6 years ago I started working with O'so and began a barrel program, which grew into-
4 years ago I started filling barrels in our own space.
This has led to four fruitful seasons of driving the mobile coolship around growing friendships, a business, and our barrel stock. We built a taproom, discovered new beer styles, and traveled the world. But back home, I have been waiting for this beer. Patient. Our name "Geuzeria" is meant to indicate we are not a brewery, but a blendery. As such, any unfruited blends we do are close to the heart of Funk Factory, but Four Winters is our namesake beer, our magnum opus pursuit, and I am so proud to finally release it.
This has not been an easy journey and I wasn't always sure we would reach this goal. There was a season when I was working until 2am prepping barrels, and then wake up dry heaving in fear of the financial burden I put my wife/newborn under. It really has been a roller coaster, and still is. Where you get to meet your idols one day, and another day have those you idolize put you down.
Today, I step back and see what Funk Factory is, and I am proud of what we've done and where we're at. We have stayed disciplined and hyper-meticulous in our focus of a Geuzeria, which you may have seen with other startups over the years, is no easy task. I want to emphasize "we". This project is no longer me alone late at night, or me and my wife painting the walls on the weekend. We have an amazing staff now to share the heavy lifting and they have all taken over areas of blendery. This is no longer just my mission of beer with intense focus, but a mission we have all taken on. None of our beers would take their elaborate shape without all of us.
So, The Last Four Winters in Wisconsin is quite literally that. Four winters ago I filled the first barrels in our warehouse. Every winter after we have filled more and more barrels. Last winter we did our first three vintage blend, and then have bottle conditioned it for a full year. I am immensely proud of this beer, not only for how it turned out, but also for what it represents. This beer, and particularly this batch, will always be a very very special beer to me. It contains the memories, struggles, and ultimate success of this wonderful basement experiment.
Thank you for your continued and enthusiastic support-
Levi Funk
No comments:
Post a Comment