The Rare Barrel

The Rare Barrel was a brewery in Berkeley, California, founded in 2013 by Jay Goodwin, Alex Wallash and Brad Goodwin, who met at UC Santa Barbara and started as home brewers; its first batch was brewed in February 2013 and its tasting room opened that December. It made only sour beers, aged in oak barrels for six to 36 months using Brettanomyces yeast along with Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria, and won gold medals at competitions including the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Cellarmaker Brewing Co. bought the facility in November 2022 after The Rare Barrel stopped operating independently.