Straja
Wild-Hopped Ale
Homebrew SeriesNamed after an early 20th century Romanian song, "Straja" is an homage to my home region of Bucovina. Brewed with wild hops that were hand-picked from that very same region, this beer has been fermented with a potent blend of saison yeast, Lactobacillus, and three Brettanomyces yeast strains, making it about as wild as the bison that once roamed the hills of my homeland.
View on Untappd- Last brewedJanuary 1, 2022
- Alcohol5.5%
- MaltsPilsner, Vienna, Munich
- HopsWild Romanian Hops
- YeastImperial Yeast Wild & Sour F08 Sour Batch
After discovering wild hops growing in the countryside near my hometown of Suceava, Romania in 2016, I was curious of their variety and what kind of beer I could brew with them. Despite being well past their harvest season, the samples I took went into a first experiment the following year with my "Dust N' Bones" pale ale out of which half was dry-hopped with these, giving it a very interesting piney aroma. The following season I was fortunate enough to have my family's help in harvesting even more wild hops, this time packed and sealed in proper vacuum bags. This was the harvest I used to brew the first batch of "Straja" in early 2018, out of which 25% was dry-hopped and 25% was double dry-hopped. The double dry-hopped one was too grassy, while the single dry-hopped one barely had any extra aromas, so it was the regular batch that made the final cut. Later that year I brewed an entire batch using that same pale ale recipe followed by a few more iterations in the years after, trying to see just how much I could get out of those wild hops. Eventually though I decided to make this a truly wild ale by changing the yeast to a blend of low attenuating Belgian saison yeast, Lactobacillus, and three Brettanomyces yeast strains.
Availability
This is a homebrewed beer that is not available for sale or distribution of any kind. It was brewed at home in small quantities to be shared only with family and friends, simply out of passion for the craft and as a tribute to the music that inspired it.
- Non-commercial
- No selling
- No distribution
Other Beers
Check out some of the other things I brewed that might be similar to this one, or alternatively just explore the full range regardless of their style.