Started by brewing industry veterans Ron Extract and Amber Watts in 2018, Garden Path Fermentation produces hand-crafted beer, cider, wine, mead, and other fermented products that showcase the natural resources of the beautiful Skagit Valley, nestled between the North Cascades and the Pacific Ocean, and home to some of the most fertile soil on earth. Barley, apples, pears, grapes, hops, and berrie
s all thrive in Skagit’s climate, and the abundant assets in the area—including craft maltster Skagit Valley Malting and a bounty of generations-old small family farms—make it possible for Garden Path Fermentation to source the vast majority of its ingredients solely from the Valley. All products are fermented with a mixed culture of naturally occurring microbes cultivated from the brewery site and take advantage of the temperate year-round climate of northwest Washington to minimize the need for temperature control during fermentation while showcasing the region’s distinct seasons. Most recently, they were at Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX, where Ron was an owner and managing partner, and Amber helped manage the tasting room and front office. While it was inspiring to be part of the team that helped Jester King grow into a world-class farmhouse brewery, Ron and Amber were ready to start their own project from the ground up. The name Garden Path Fermentation stems from the idea that a garden path is an indirect way to get from Point A to Point B. It’s the scenic route that, more likely than not, leads you somewhere unexpected. Mixed-culture products take time to ferment, and tend toward complex, interesting flavor profiles that may be surprising to the palate; they’re fermentation’s way of taking you down the garden path to a place you may not have thought you’d end up. The name was also partially inspired by Ron and Amber’s appreciation of “garden path sentences”—sentences that initially appear incomplete or nonsensical, but that, when interpreted correctly, are actually completely coherent and grammatically correct. Garden Path’s logo was created in collaboration with and illustrated by Skagit Valley artist and designer R. Ben Turpin, whose other work can be seen on his website at www.rbenturpin.com. Follow Garden Path Fermentation on Facebook, Twitter (), and Instagram (), or subscribe to the mailing list for further updates on the project. Please direct all press inquiries to [email protected].
