Casey Family Preserves
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Tasting Notes
Casey Family Preserves pours from a tradition of co-fermented fruit and mixed-culture base beer, so expect the aroma to lead with whatever seasonal fruit is in the bottle — stone fruit, berries, or citrus zest — layered over a funky, Brettanomyces-driven earthiness and light acidity. The flavor follows suit: bright fruit character up front, tart lactic bite in the middle, and a dry, tannic finish that keeps things from reading as sweet. Body is medium-light, with fine carbonation that amplifies the acidity. The finish lingers with a pleasant sourness and subtle oak if the base beer saw wood time.
About the Brewery
Casey Brewing and Blending operates out of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, founded by Troy Casey around 2013. The brewery built its reputation almost entirely on spontaneous and mixed-fermentation beers, drawing serious comparisons to Belgian lambic producers — high praise in American craft circles. Family Preserves is among their most sought-after releases, a rotating series of fruit-forward wild ales that generates significant secondary-market interest and sells out quickly at the source.
Food Pairings
The beer's acidity and fruit-forward character make it a natural alongside a soft-ripened cheese like brie or camembert, where the tartness cuts through fat cleanly. Duck confit works well because the richness of the meat holds up to the funk and the fruit echoes any cherry or plum component in the bottle. A charcuterie spread with cured pork and whole-grain mustard gives the sourness something savory to push against. Fresh berry tarts or fruit-based pastries mirror the fruit additions without overwhelming the beer's dryness. Smoked salmon is a quieter pairing but effective — the smoke bridges the oak and Brett notes without competing.
Style Guide
American Wild Ale is a broad, loosely defined category covering beers fermented with mixed cultures that include Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, or other non-Saccharomyces organisms, often with fruit additions. ABV can range widely, though most land between 5% and 8%. The style draws heavily from Belgian lambic and gueuze traditions but gives American brewers latitude to use non-traditional fruit, local ingredients, and a range of blending approaches. What distinguishes it from a straightforward sour beer is the complexity contributed by wild yeast strains, particularly Brett, which adds earthy, leathery, or stone-fruit-like qualities beyond simple acidity.