Arzelle
Solid Ground Brewing

Arzelle is a type of soil blend in the Condrieu; white wine appellation in the Northern Rhône Valley. It is responsible for the fruity aromas of peaches and apricots in typically found in Rhône Viognier. 2017 Arzelle is a Viognier Strong Ale. We started with a strong, lightly hopped base beer and a local El Dorado Viognier produced by Solid Ground. We fermented 19.5% Viognier into the base beer for an aromatic and light ale that has flavors of peach, apricot, lychee, and ginger. We used an unhopped IPA base and blended it with Viognier we produced from the Sierra Foothills. Arzelle has a crisp acidity with notes of apricot, ginger, and peach which are derived both by hops and the Viognier addition.