Sierra Nevada Wanderland Nectarine Ale

Our brand new seasonal, packed with orchard-fresh flavor, is a Kolsch-style Nectarine Ale whose inspiration came from overseas. The idea for Wanderland began in late 2019 when our friends from the United Kingdom paid us a visit. We’ve long hosted “Beer Camp,” where we invite folks in the beer industry to spend a few days at our brewery, tour every inch of the place, and ultimately collaborate on a small-batch beer. Sometimes those creations strike gold, and we have to share the wealth far and wide. This time around, our brewers and the UK “campers” brainstormed two recipes that honored our East Coast location: an IPA using nectarines, and a German-style Kolsch using scuppernong grapes—both fruits locally grown in North Carolina, the latter being the state fruit, named after the Scuppernong River near the coast. Matt Ruzich, our head pilot brewer, recalls that he couldn’t source enough grapes, so the campers met in the middle with a Nectarine Kolsch.