Breweries team up on wild beer
Here’s an unexpected beer pairing: independent breweries Barrel of Monks in Boca Raton and Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach are partnering up.
The beermakers behind Barrel of Monks, which specializes in Belgianinspired brews, are the new co-owners of Odd Breed, which brews more experimental ales.
Barrel of Monks bought a 42.5 percent majority stake in Odd Breed. That deal is a first for South Florida’s craft-beer scene, which boasts 50-plus breweries that already collaborate on beer but remain — with a few exceptions — independently owned.
For Odd Breed owner Matt Manthe, the deal means upgrades at Odd Breed (50 NE First St., Pompano Beach), including longer opening hours, more food trucks and access to Barrel of Monk’s distribution network. Eventually they hope to expand the 2,500-square-foot taproom.
For Barrel of Monks, already much larger at 10,000 square feet, the deal means “crazy, cool” beer collaborations with Manthe, says Keith DeLoach, a Barrel of Monks co-owner and brewer.
“Matt is brilliant, so that’s good for us,” DeLoach says. “With his expertise, we’ll be coming out with some cool new offerings, and we got some big plans in place over the next 12 to 18 months as he takes advantage of our brewhouse.”
Manthe says he teamed with Barrel of Monks after his longtime Odd Breed partner, Daniel Naumko, left the company in July. Unable to buy out Naumko’s shares in Odd Breed, Manthe called the Boca Raton brewery to strike a deal.
“We’re already good friends and our brewing styles are very similar, anyway,” Manthe says. “All of our beer is steeped in the Belgian tradition of old farmhouse-style ales, just like [Barrel of Monks].”
For now, Manthe says, Barrel of Monks and Odd Breed will stay autonomous, but drinkers may notice subtle differences at each brewery. Odd Breed and Barrel of Monks will sell each others beer in their tasting rooms, and collaborate on special-release bottles. Meanwhile, Odd Breed will gain stronger distribution muscle, with new beers slated to ship to Georgia, Kansas and Colorado, he says.
For both Odd Breed and Barrel of Monks, craft beer represents science in a glass. Manthe, who has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a brewing degree from Berlin, grows wild strains of yeast and bacteria that he later ages in French-oak and cabernet barrels. Meanwhile, Barrel of Monk’s co-owner Matthew Saady, by day a radiologist in Delray Beach, grows experimental lab cultures for his roster of Belgian brews.