An exclave is a weird little piece of land completely surrounded by land owned by someone else. They’re strange and unique. There’s usually some bizarre conflict story behind them that leaves you asking questions as to how that little dot got there. And sometimes farmhouse breweries brew blackberry wine barrel birthdaywines.

You see this bourbon, fruity, oaky, North Carolinian barleywine just hanging out there, surrounded by the other wild, saison offerings from Fonta Flora and it’s like, what’s the story behind this guy. Turkey has the burial site of Suleyman Shah inside of Syria and they’ve moved it three times due to flooding and ISIS. That’s some barleywine maneuvers.

If you’ve ever seen that dude from your high school post complaining about using self check out, you know the conflict that occurs when tradition hits modernity. This isn’t what Fonta excels in traditionally, but can they adapt to stickier times? Yes and no. This beer is unquestionably well made and is ambitious. It seeks to wrangle the bourbon casks while concurrently sussing out the fruit notes of a secondary barrel.

Some movies have a C plot and a D plot. It feels overwrought at times with the peanut brittle and Payday getting cut off mid thought by a brassy juicy upstart. They both need equal floorspace because they are magnificently done, but she’s obsessed with her berry publishing career in new York, what could she ever see in that bourbon cask from her hometown when she visits home for the holidays? These barrels have a compelling meetcute.

If you have had Who Hit John Grand Cru, or other fruit adjacent (Blackberry Finn not StrawJack) barleywines, you know the drill. If you have that second trimester palate that eats Gardettos rye chips with Malbec then yes, here you go.

You can follow every page your crush does and like all the adjacent posts so they see your name as liking them. it’s legal, its just a strange forced interaction.

In the end there is passion in the ambition that is laudable and absolutely worth your time. These old farm ales sure found love where they barley expected it, presented by Hallmark. An exclave for your heart.