Barrel of Monks and Odd Breed Wild Ales Form Partnership

Two niche, independent Florida breweries have banded together.

The owners of Barrel of Monks, a Belgian-inspired brewery; and Odd Breed, which offers wild and farmhouse ales, have announced that the partners of Barrel of Monks have purchased part of Odd Breed Wild Ales, making them co-owners.

The goal is for the Barrel of Monks partners, along with Odd Breed's founding partner and head brewer, Matt Manthe, to work together to enhance Odd Breed's line of specialty beers. The newly formed partnership allows both breweries to produce more sought-after offerings, interesting flavor profiles, and additional selections of styles.

Manthe says that after years of forming a friendship with the Barrel of Monks owners, forming an official partnership is "amazing." According to Manthe, it will allow the two breweries to share resources and equipment, which will allow for more creativity in the beers both will produce. "They [at Barrel of Monks] are extremely passionate, hard-working, and bring a wealth of business experience to the team."

Keith DeLoach, one of the owners at Barrel of Monks, says, “We’re looking forward to working on a much closer level with Matt, who will bring a wealth of knowledge to both entities. We’ve had a great long-standing relationship with Odd Breed, and this seemed to have been in the cards for quite some time. We’re delighted that this partnership has now come to fruition.”

The two science-forward companies add complexity, artfulness, and craft to the South Florida brewing scene. Many upgrades to both locations will happen soon, including improvements to Odd Breed’s tasting room and an expanded selection of styles at both breweries.

Though Barrel of Monks and Odd Breed will remain autonomous as far as products and day-to-day operations, both locations will share each other's limited-edition bottles and releases. Beer nerds can expect an increase in rare and aged beers as well as more robust members-only bottle-club collections in the future.

Both breweries are celebrating the new partnership with bottle releases.

Barrel of Monks is releasing Fleur de Blonde, a 7 percent ABV Belgian-style blonde ale. The European malt is combined with New-World hop varieties Hüll Melon, Hallertau Blanc, and Mandarina Bavaria and fermented with a classic Belgian yeast strain to produce a balance of light sweetness, low pleasant hop bitterness, a fruity hop aroma, and a clean finish ($13.99 per bottle).

Odd Breed has two new releases. Halo Kibbles is a 5 percent ABV blended golden wild ale refermented with organic red raspberries and aged in French oak puncheons ($25 per bottle). Blackberry Saturation is the first experiment in the brewery's Saturation series. It's a 6 percent ABV aged in French oak barrels ($32 per bottle).

Barrel of Monks Brewing. 1141 S. Rogers Cir., #5, Boca Raton; 561-510-1253; barrelofmonks.com.

Odd Breed Wild Ales.50 NE First St., Pompano Beach; 754-220-6099; oddbreed.com.