323: Vermont’s Wunderkammer Tells Mixed Culture Stories Beyond the Barnyard

Over the course of his decade-and-a-half, bicoastal brewing career, Vasili Gletsos has brewed a wide range of beer styles on an equal wide range of brewing systems. But after launching Wunderkammer as a personal brand while serving as head brewer for Hill Farmstead, he ultimately decided to make it his focus, building out a simple brewery with an old dairy tank mash tun and a wood-fired copper kettle to make mixed culture beers that tell stories. Through foraging and engaging with the landscape around him, he continues to make beer that feels not just rooted and local, but thoughtfully considered and artful. He’s particular about ingredients and fermentation, searching for mixed culture expressions that don’t simply lean on clichés of the genre. “Part of the power of mixed culture beer is that I find it very transportive,” he says. “It brings you to a time and place—but I don’t always want that time and place to be a barnyard.” In this episode, Gletsos discusses his mixed culture process, including: differentiating Wunderkammer from Hill Farmstead’s mixed culture program choosing Brettanomyces strains for more favorable flavors brewing on a very simple wood-fired brewhouse working in layers blending stainless fermentation and wood puncheon aging using foraged ingredients like yarrow cold side versus hot side additions of foraged ingredients And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers ( https://gdchillers.com ) : For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing ( https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/ ) : Developed as a part of part of Kerry’s Eco Brewing range, FermCap™ Eco is a plant-based alternative to traditional silicon-based products. FermCap™ Eco increases fermenter capacity by reducing foam height to improve beer foam stability and enhance hop utilization. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com or contact your BSG Sales Rep to get started. Old Orchard ( https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer ) : Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew ( https://accubrew.io ) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew ( https://www.probrew.com ) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email contactus@probrew.com . Omega Yeast ( https://omegayeast.com ) : Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro ( https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod ) : Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) Yakima Chief Hops ( https://yakimachief.com/return-growers ) : Yakima Chief Hops is proud to have an established Return-To-Grower program, which redistributes an average of 75% of their business earnings back to the family farms who grow the hops in your beer. Where you buy your ingredients matters and with Yakima Chief Hops, it’s more than a box of hops. Learn more at YAKIMACHIEF.COM/RETURN-GROWERS Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast