Our Civil Disobedience series is, ultimately, an act of optimism and hopeful curation. As we track and trace each barrel, noting and estimating various trajectories and arcs, options and patterns slowly emerge. Some barrels stand out singularly and become their namesake’s peak expression; others terminate in perceptible failure, destined for reintegration into our fields—perhaps becoming beer again far down the water table chain. A third barrel category seeks accompaniment within a sympathetic chorus and often, upon curated blending with like-directed selections, undertakes a secondary journey of integration and co-development, one that can take years.

This, the thirty-fifth entry in our blended barrel-aged Farmstead® ale collection spans more than five years and is comprised of wine barrel-aged Anna and Arthur from late summer 2017 that rested in barrels whose lineage includes Elaborative Five, Flora, Ann, and Art. This presentation has undertaken an unhurried journey from brew day to assembly to glass, traversing more than four years of conditioning in the bottle prior to release. Given the fascinating progression of the blend over the course of these four years in bottle—and its current Anna-forward presentation—we anticipate that this blend has a long road of positive expression for the next 5 (or more) years. We have witnessed this beer’s mysterious evolution, nonplussed by the significant length of time required for its transition from our optimistically projected blend to a period of ambiguity. A discourse between its components ensued in bottle, with neither taking a leading role for more than two years. Now, at four years, its current manifestation exhibits honeyed aromatics, vibrant mid-palate, and a balance of integrated acidity, texture, and weight.