Wildflower Brewing Field Work: Grassland Oats

An ale made for research and development, Field Work: Grassland Oats aims to highlight the characteristics of Northern NSW grower Bruce Maynard’s raw oats grown within his innovative No- Kill Cropping system on his family property at Willydah. Brewed on our old-world brewery in Marrickville, fermented with our house culture containing a diversity of yeasts and bacteria collected from native flowers from NSW then transferred into ex-wine oak barrels for 8 months maturation before being blended and bottled where it rested for conditioning and natural carbonation until release.

This Field Work beer, like the others, really is an exploration of how this grain would affect our original Gold recipe if one element was changed. For this one we replaced the raw wheat in the grist with raw oats from our friend Bruce Maynard. What's interesting about Bruce's oats is that they are grown in a full grassland, in-amongst a complete polyculture of hundreds of different grains and grasses.   

The grain when milled had the most evocative aroma, earthy and rich soil. The mash was incredibly difficult, oats are canonically hard to work with, so we're not only relieved but delighted with how this beer turned out.    

Tasting notes by Meesh: A fresh, ester driven nose showcasing plenty of textbook Wildflower house culture funk and a gentle element of spice. On the palate, it starts soft, round and creamy, then finishes quickly with an assertive bitterness. There's a play of fruit throughout and a mild element of acid which keeps the experience fresh and moreish. - Wildflower Brewing