Between the 9^th and 2^nd centuries BCE, ancient Etruscans, who lived in the region of modern-day Tuscany in Italy, brewed and drank beer. This ancient brew was crafted with local grain, mainly rye and spelt, and flavored with various other ingredients such as honey, dates, pomegranates, and figs. This ale was most likely fermented with leftover wine or even with the microbes present in the unpasteurized honey they used, and it would have been above 8% ABV. There is also evidence that they actually brewed with wild hops, almost 2000 years before hops became the standard in brewing! This ale was extremely popular among the ancient Etruscans, but after they were conquered by Rome, this ale was lost to history!

Inspired by this forgotten ancient ale, we sought to craft an ale entirely with CT grown and made ingredients. We crafted our interpretation with a mash comprised of CT grown and malted spelt and rye from Thrall Family Malt, Teamaker hops from Smokedown farms, and a very large amount of raw unpasteurized honey from Stonewall Apiary. We performed a single decoction mash and lightly hopped this ale throughout the boil with the Teamaker hops. In the foeder, we added the raw unpasteurized honey and transferred the cooled wort on top. After several weeks of rest, a 100% natural fermentation began and we let this ale condition and mature over the course of 28 months in oak. In fact, this is the third ever beer we brewed here, several weeks before we opened to the public in 2023. After conditioning in oak, we bottled this ale and naturally carbonated it within the bottle over the course of 8 months. After those many months of conditioning, it is finally ready to enjoy! This beer is unlike any farmhouse we have ever brewed or tasted, and it begs to be enjoyed with family on a cool winter night.

It is named after Larthia Zan, who was an ancient Etruscan woman who died sometime in the 5^th century BCE. Nothing is known about her life or who she was. We only have a small inscription of her funerary monument which mentions her name.

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Marcus is our flagship Farmhouse Ale. We crafted it with American malted barley, malted white wheat, a touch of flaked oats, specialty German malts, European noble hops, and our house mixed culture. Following a complex step mash schedule, we fermented and conditioned this ale in one of our American white oak foeders. After 16 months of conditioning in oak, it was bottled and naturally carbonated within the bottle over the course of eight months. The beer that emerged is tart, delicate, and incredibly complex. We taste notes of apricot, peach, white grapes, guava, and blackberry. It is named after Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 CE), who was the last of the “Five Good Emperors” during the Roman Empire. He is known for his Stoic philosophical text “Meditations”, which still influences and inspires people to this day.  

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