The wicked way

Innovation is about taking tradition and making it your own. This means going local and trying to bring out the culture from the area you are from says Stephen McGirr, sales manager at Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

The brewer combines cellaring methods with new flavors and production techniques, using local botanicals and spices. Wicked Weed’s focus is in West
Coast-style IPAs and sour and wild ales.

McGirr brought the following to Leuven Innovation Beer Festival:

• Farmhouse Cider, 7%: an oak-fermented carbonated cider.
• Bourbon Barrel Aged French Toast Stout, 12.3%. An imperial stout brewed with cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup.
• Chien de Ferme, 5.3%. brettanomyces farmhouse ale fermented with cherries.
• Pernicious, IPA, 7.3%.
• Black Angel, 6.8%. a bourbon barrel aged American sour ale fermented with cherries.
• Recurrant 7.7% American sour ale fermented with black currants.

Link

Wicked Weed Brewing

See the other fantastic Beer Idiots interviews at Leuven Innovation Beer Festival 2019

• André Janssens of Brouwerij Hof ten Dormaal, Belgium
• Pekka Kääriäinen of Bryggeri Helsinki and Lammin Saht, Finland
• Philippe Minne of Brasserie Minne, Belgium.
• Patrik Hellström of Bryggverket brewery, Sweden.
• Casper Vorting and Gitte Holmboe own Bøgedal Brew in Vejle, Denmark.
• Julien Bretheau of À Tue-Tête, Switzerland.
• Iacopo Lenci, brewmaster and owner of Birrificio Brùton, Italy
• Pim Zomerdijk of Brouwerij De Moersleutel, the Netherlands. 
• Paul Herbert of UK-based Kent Brewery.
• David Cohen of Dancing Camel Brewery, Israel.
• Robin Barden of Edge Brewing, Barcelona, Spain.
• Breandán Kearney of Siphon Brewing, Damme, Belgium.
• Stephen McGirr of Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
• Vasyl Mikulin of Varvar Brew, Kyiv, Ukraine has been mixing his experimental beers.
• Botond Prischetzky, brand manager at Monyo Brewing, Budapest, Hungary
• Pia Morgenroth, founder of G’Bräu, Berlin, Germany.