The Rare Barrel

The Rare Barrel is a Berkeley, California brewery and brewpub focused exclusively on sour beer. The business was founded by Jay Goodwin and Alex Wallash, who met while studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Their shared interest in home brewing led them to envision opening a brewery together. Goodwin subsequently developed professional experience at The Bruery, progressing from production assistant to brewer and eventually managing its barrel-aging program. That background shaped The Rare Barrel's emphasis on mixed fermentation, oak maturation, and carefully developed acidic beer profiles. The brewery produced its first batch in February 2013 and opened its Berkeley tasting room on December 27 of the same year. Unlike breweries with broad portfolios spanning lagers, pale ales, stouts, and other conventional styles, The Rare Barrel built its identity around sour beers. Its beers are aged in oak barrels for extended periods, generally ranging from six to 36 months. Fermentation uses Brettanomyces yeast together with Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus bacteria. These microorganisms contribute complex aromas, acidity, and layered flavors, with lactic and acetic acids playing important roles in the final character of the beer. The name refers to “pH1,” a barrel associated with the original batch of La Folie produced by New Belgium Brewing in 2000. The barrel became an important symbol of American barrel-aged sour-beer culture. New Belgium gave the pH1 barrel to The Rare Barrel in 2015, and it was still being used for dark sour-beer aging as of 2016. In keeping with this history, The Rare Barrel and its customers and industry peers select a particularly successful barrel each year and designate it “The Rare Barrel.” The brewery's beers received recognition at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, including gold and silver medals. These awards reinforced its standing within the specialist sour-beer segment. In November 2022, Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel and announced plans to reopen the facility in the following year's late spring. The available reference material does not establish the eventual reopening date, current operating status, present ownership structure beyond that announcement, or a current product lineup, so those details remain unresolved.

Jay Goodwin and Alex Wallash met while attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. They began brewing beer at home in their apartment and developed the long-term ambition of operating a brewery together. Goodwin later joined The Bruery, where he gained experience across production and brewing roles before becoming head of its barrel-aging program. That experience provided a professional foundation for The Rare Barrel's eventual focus on mixed-fermentation and oak-aged sour beer. The Rare Barrel brewed its first batch in February 2013. It opened its tasting room in Berkeley on December 27, 2013, establishing a public-facing brewery and brewpub centered on sour beer rather than a conventional multi-style portfolio. Its production model relies on extended maturation in oak barrels, with beers typically spending between six and 36 months on wood. Fermentation combines Brettanomyces yeast with Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus bacteria. The resulting microbial activity produces acidity and contributes to the layered flavor profiles associated with the brewery's beers. The brewery's name pays tribute to “pH1,” a barrel used for the first batch of New Belgium Brewing's La Folie in 2000. New Belgium gifted that barrel to The Rare Barrel in 2015. As of 2016, the barrel remained in use for aging dark sour beer. The brewery also developed an annual tradition in which it, its customers, and industry peers selected a particularly successful barrel and named it “The Rare Barrel” for that year. Several beers produced by The Rare Barrel earned gold or silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. These results helped establish the brewery as a recognized participant in the American barrel-aged and sour-beer category. In November 2022, Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel. Cellarmaker announced plans to reopen the Berkeley facility in late spring of the next year. The supplied reference does not confirm whether that reopening occurred, nor does it provide a definitive current operating status, current management roster, or updated range of products.

• 2022

  Acquisition by Cellarmaker Brewing Co.

  [1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel in November and announced plans to reopen the facility the following late spring.

• 2016

  pH1 barrel remained in active use

  [1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  The historic barrel was reported to be active and used for aging dark sour beer.

• 2015

  Historic pH1 barrel received from New Belgium

  [1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  New Belgium Brewing gave The Rare Barrel the pH1 barrel associated with the original 2000 batch of La Folie.

• 2013

  First batch brewed

  [1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  The Rare Barrel produced its first batch of beer in February, beginning its commercial brewing development.

• 2013

  Berkeley tasting room opened

  [1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  The brewery opened its tasting room on December 27, creating a public brewpub and tasting destination in Berkeley.

A specialist sour-beer brewery centered on mixed fermentation, long oak-barrel aging, and small-batch brewery and tasting-room experiences.

• Sour beer

  Barrel-aged sour beers

  The Rare Barrel's core production consists of sour beers aged in oak barrels for extended periods, generally six to 36 months. The beers use mixed fermentation involving Brettanomyces yeast and Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus bacteria, creating acidity and complex fermentation-derived flavors.

• Dark sour beer

  Dark sour beer

  Dark sour beer is specifically identified as a use for the historic pH1 barrel. The available reference indicates that the barrel was being used to mature dark sour beer as of 2016, but it does not provide a complete named product list.

• 2022

  Cellarmaker acquisition and planned reopeningM&A

  Background

  Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel in November 2022, following the brewery's established history as a Berkeley specialist in barrel-aged sour beer.

  Action taken

  Cellarmaker announced that it planned to reopen The Rare Barrel facility in late spring of the following year.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material does not confirm the actual reopening date, subsequent operations, or the post-acquisition product lineup.

  Source

• 2022

  Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel[1]The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Cellarmaker Brewing Co. acquired The Rare Barrel in November 2022 and said it intended to reopen the Berkeley facility in late spring of the following year.

1. 1The Rare Barrelen.wikipedia.org