Many of you may know the story of the Wildcard Ale, but it’s probably time to tell it again. It’s not just because we’re enjoying a pint of it right now – although we are! Here’s how it goes:
“About two and a half years ago the Broadhead guys were sitting in their basement pouring a pint of homebrew called Citra Pale Ale – their latest creation. What hit the ol’ taste buds was a silky smooth, citrus-almost-tropical fruit flavour. After the first sip, it was an instant favourite. A few more pints down the hatch and they all agreed that it would bring world peace and should be brewed often!
When the plans to start Broadhead took shape, the Citra Pale Ale was of course on the must-brew list. Little did the guys know, on a commercial scale you have to order hops years in advance. Alas, world peace would have to be delayed.
Always pushing the limits and wanting to please, they decided that if they couldn’t get Citra hops, maybe something else was close. Sitting down with an encyclopedia of hops and the last supply of Citra Pale Ale, a list of other options was made.
An order was quickly placed to snatch up the supply while it lasted! Planning hop amounts for years down the road was stressful though – they had to guess how much they’d be brewing. Needless to say it was a big number, so to calm the nerves they poured a few more pints!
But, what to call this new brew without the namesake hop?
With a constantly changing hop variety they needed a name that would prepare people for something different every time. The “Wildcard Ale” was born!”
So why all the fuss about the Wildcard? Well, it’s now years down the road from the Broadhead launch. On that first hop order, we were sure to include Citra as soon as it was available. That’s now – and it’s tasty as ever. We hope that everyone gets a chance to try a sample (remember they’re free at the brewery!)
Cheers to world peace.
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