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Wine Wednesday: Mad Fritz Weizenbock

As you may know, since the very beginning the girl & the fig has offered an exclusively “Rhône-alone” wine list. We’ve always loved that featuring unique wines (and beer!) gives us an opportunity to begin a conversation with our guests, perhaps introduce them to something new, as well as to present talented and innovative producers we believe in.

We're changing it up this week! In honor of “Wine Wednesday,” a little about a very special brewer -

This week: Mad Fritz Weizenbock - The Fox and the Stork

The Story of Mad Fritz:

There’s an old saying that “it takes a lot of beer to make great wines,” and perhaps a lot of wine to brew great beer.

Nile Zacherle and Whitney Fisher, a husband and wife team who net a combined 40-plus years in the wine biz, have turned their attention to their newest pursuit: crafted ales and lagers born of a beer drinker’s palate and winemaker’s sensibility. They are what Nile describes as “origin” beers – each ingredient derived from a known source, making use of single-variety barleys, Napa Valley artesian springs and aquifers, and local hops.

The beers are exceptional. Techniques vary from aging in second or third-use Chardonnay, Riesling, or Cab barrels, brewing with Petite Sirah grape must (as in the case of “The Fox and the Grapes”, a fusion Wier), cultivating exotic & wild yeasts. Natural fermentation results in an incredibly soft, elegant carbonation, and the flavor profiles run from classic to totally unique!

Tasting notes:

The Fox and the Stork was fermented using a classic Bavarian yeast strain, then aged in a 2nd use chardonnay barrel for about two weeks. The result is bright with fruit, spice and wheat on the nose, offering a crisp and dry finish.

At the end of the brewing process, it was infused with fresh purple sage from the girl & the fig garden for some beautiful sage notes.

Pairings:

At the girl & the fig we’d recommend pairing Mad Fritz Weizenbock with local chicken thighs (celery root, marble potatoes, chanterelles, golden raisin gastrique), grilled pork belly sandwich (cabbage & red onion slaw, fig chutney, toasted dutch crunch bun, frites) and hard cheeses.