Former Holy Mountain Partner Starts New Wild Beer Project

One of Holy Mountain Brewing’s co-founders, Adam Paysse, has amicably split from the renowned brewery and launched a new project called Floodland Brewing that involves wild-fermented and bottle-conditioned beers. Paysse says brewing is underway, but the first brews won’t be ready for consumption until fall or winter.

Paysse is occupying the lower level of a building near Art of the Table in Fremont, and the enterprise represents a return to his passion for dry, hoppy, and wild beers. “I’m really proud of the work I’ve done in the past, and I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of fun brewing beers I love, but I felt driven to start Floodland,” Paysse says. “There’s a clarity of vision that I think you can only achieve by running a small operation which speaks with a single voice.”

Paysse will wield techniques like native fermentation, which relies on the yeasts naturally occurring on, say, fruit from local farmers, rather than pre-cultivated strains. He’ll also employ a coolship, which is a fancy term for a centuries-old method of cooling wort in a large open pan of sorts.

Unlike most modern breweries, Paysse is also working without glycol or refrigeration to control the process. He says, “Floodland beers will ferment in a rustic manner at ambient temperatures, often undergoing extended aging before being blended and often refermented on fruit, followed by a final fermentation to condition in the bottle.”

“My goal has always been to make beers with a strong sense of intent,” said Paysse. “Fermentation in barrels is about finding a path to create the beers I envision in my head, not about being anachronistic. At their heart these are just very classic styles of beer.”

And just where can one find these beers? Well, it may take a while to bring them to market. Paysse says he’s “taking it slow on retail plans” in part because his processes take a long time. Most of Floodland’s brews will be bottled and sold through retailers and a potential bottle club, much like a winery. Paysse may offer tours and tastings by appointment for club members.

To stay abreast of the latest with Floodland, head to the brewery’s website and join the mailing list.