Wunderkammer Bier

Wunderkammer Bier is a micro-brewery located in Greensboro Bend, Vermont that brings the experience of “walking in the woods and fields” into the brewery. Established in 2016, the brewery started as a side project by the Head Brewer and Production Manager of Hill Farmstead.

The concept of Wunderkammer had started long before Vasilios Gletsos, founder of Wunderkammer Bier, accepted a job with Hill Farmstead. While he built the concept, he made beer with plants from his garden and some gathered ingredients. He didn’t have a commercial setting until he started participating in Beers Made by Walking, where brewers made beer inspired by the theme ‘a walk in the woods.’ 

Surprisingly, some of the beers that are offered in Hill Farmstead that are infused with hints of foraged herbs, lichen, mushrooms, and other forest flavors are not Hill Farmstead beers at all. These intriguing beers offered at one of the top breweries in the world are unique inventions of Vasilios Gletsos.

Beers Made by Walking was an inspiration that Vasilios Gletsos was looking for, for it made brewers think beyond the confines of their breweries. Every beer that Gelestos brews is inspired by nature. He simply walks through the woods and lets the ingredients he finds shape the beer. He seeks out new plants and flavors or ingredients to incorporate into future beers, and no two beers are the same. Wunderkammer Bier is known as a brewery that has no boundaries, and Vasilios Gletsos is known for being the boundary-pushing brewer like none other.

What’s Their Best Beer?

Wunderkammer Bier is focused on oak fermentation, foraged beers, and experimental mixed culture. Vasilios Gletsos seeks our new ingredients, such as yarrow, goldenrod, pine, sumac, lichen, and mushrooms, to be incorporated into the brewing process. No two beers offered in the brewery are the same, as the varying combinations of ingredients results in a completely unique beer.

Each beer offered takes you on a journey through the woods. Some of the best beers brewed by Wunderkammer Bier include the following:

• Hyla Crucifer: a mixed ferment ale brewed with lichen and mushrooms
• Ordinary Diadems: a brilliant yellow beer the color of perfectly ripe lemons
• Fertility Statues and Symbols: featuring a fascinating herbaceous sweetness
• Ruins of a Subterranean Feasting Hall: a tribute to the Gotslandsricka that was brewed with juniper and cedar.

Transformation masks, Walking Insects, Memento Mori, Folk Costume, Gathered 2, and Mantle are some of the other popular brews by Wunderkammer Bier that add uniqueness to every sip.

In the News

In October 2019, Wunderkammer Bier was listed as one of the breweries that offer beer that is uniquely created and can enhance and encapsulate a sense of place within every customer. Only eight breweries all over the United States were recognized for brewing beer made with raw materials that were foraged from local landscapes, such as fruits, fungi, herbs, roots, and more.

Not Actually a Brewery?

As per founder Gletsos, Wunderkammer Bier is not a brewery, but just a distribution company. Every beer that is brewed by them is released in small batches throughout Vermont. It is available in most of the bottle shops, bars, and restaurants, but not for long, as the beer moves quickly. It is suggested not to wait until next time. If you want a taste of one of Wunderkammer Bier’s beers, then grab one soon as you see it.

Gletsos has no intention of being a brewery owner, as he believes that keeping his side project light helps him keep the creativity in brewing alive.

What Do the Customers Say?

When Wunderkammer Bier customers were asked to give feedback on some of the beers brewed by Gletsos, there were some really profound reviews.

Several customers expressed how the brews were all-around funk that was rounded and formed incredibly, which made them sift through and enjoy every sip of it. They called it a brilliant mixture of borderless drinkability and palate stimulation for any day of the year, a warm day or otherwise.

While the first sip is an explosion of flavor, just after a few sips, the flavor gets extremely pleasant, refreshing, and wholly unique. The taste bursts with notes of natural aromas, and unlike any other beers offered by modern-day breweries, Wunderkammer Bier takes you on a journey through the woods.

Unlike beers that are brewed by other breweries in Vermont, the unique beers offered by Wunderkammer Bier do not stay on the shelf for long. For a little bit of woodiness and some unique aromas of nature, Wunderkammer Bier must not be left as “maybe next time,” as they surely will not be available next time.

For a taste of the incredible Wunderkammer Bier, you can visit them at 403 Hill Rd Greensboro Bend, Vermont, 05842-8813.