Dr. Bill Sysak to launch his own brewery in 2017

If you’ve been in the craft beer industry for any length of time, you’ve likely come across “Dr.” Bill Sysak, who is regarded as one of the top craft beer experts in the world. His encyclopedic knowledge of beer styles, flavor profiles and his expertise at pairing beer with food has landed him in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Draft, Imbibe and numerous local magazines, TV and radio shows. He is on the San Diego State University Business of Craft Beer Advisory Board and instructs the courses “Exploring Craft Beer” and “Secrets of Exceptional Beer and Food Pairings.” His popular project Master Pairings was a weekly feature on the long-running series, New Brew Thursday, and was the star component of beer dinners at Stone and around the United States.

So, with the craft brewery count now ready to push over 5,000, it only makes sense that someone like Sysak has a new brewery project in the works.

We were sent word that Sysak is launching his new brewery, Wild Barrel Brewing Co., in San Marcos, Calif., slated to open spring of 2017. Wild Barrel will be 15-barrel brewhouse and will produce a variety of styles that will please everyone from the novice to the most experienced beer aficionado. Sysak’s 39 years of experience in the craft beer world, including over seven years at Stone Brewing, will ensure an unforgettable lineup.

The brewery will be known for its “San Diego Weisse” sours implementing a variety of fruit additions, along with a constantly rotating selection of San Diego style IPAs to satisfy the most extreme lupo-maniacs. Rounding out the core lineup is an American stout with coffee additions changing seasonally from local roasters and a “crushable” Belgian Wit.

Wild Barrel Brewing will have an extensive barrel program, beginning with 300 and progressing to 1,000 barrels within the first few years. The brewery will hold a number of small releases each year that will include a variety of barrel-aged sours along with bourbon-barrel imperial stout variations.

“I’m very excited to officially announce this new project I have been working on over the last couple of years,” Sysak said. “It has been an amazing seven plus years at Stone Brewing. I am thankful to Greg Koch and Steve Wagner for allowing me to spread the gospel of craft beer to legions of fans nationwide.”