Toolbox Brewing Company Ruby
Toolbox Brewing Company Ruby is a 6.5% ABV American wild ale released in April 2016 by Toolbox Brewing Company of Vista, California — aged in French oak white wine barrels and brewed with local, organic Ruby Red grapefruit and young Fiji ginger, then dry-hopped with Mosaic. The result is a bright, aggressively aromatic sour: huge tropical fruit, citrus and ginger on the nose over a sharp, tangy sourness, pouring a hazy bright yellow. A 750mL bottle from one of only 750 released. Buy sour beer online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 6.5%
- Size: 750mL (750 bottles released)
- Style: American wild ale / barrel-aged sour
- Barrels: French oak white wine barrels
- Ingredients: Local organic Ruby Red grapefruit, young Fiji ginger, dry-hopped with Mosaic
- Origin: Toolbox Brewing Co., Vista, California (2016 release)
Vista's Sour-Beer Program in a Bottle
Toolbox made its name on barrel-aged and sour/farmhouse beers, and Ruby is that program distilled: a French-oak-aged wild ale built around California citrus and ginger rather than a traditional fruit lambic template. Picked up at the brewery over two days in April 2016, its 750 bottles made it genuinely scarce even at release. Browse more Toolbox Brewing beers and the craft beer collection.
Tasting Notes
Nose: tropical fruit, citrus, ginger and grapefruit — huge aromatics. Palate: sharp, tangy sourness — bright citrus over a wild-ale funk base, Mosaic hops adding a tropical top note. Finish: dry and citrusy. (BeerAdvocate reviews, 2017.)
How to Enjoy
Serve well chilled (40–45°F) in a tulip. Pair with ceviche, Thai food or anything citrusy and spicy. As a retired 2016 release, drink it soon — it's a cellar relic, not a fresh shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of beer is Toolbox Ruby? An American wild ale — a barrel-aged sour with grapefruit and ginger, dry-hopped with Mosaic.
Is Toolbox Brewing still open? No — Toolbox is closed, and Ruby was a limited 2016 release (750 bottles). Remaining bottles are cellar inventory.
What fruit is in it? Local, organic Ruby Red grapefruit and young Fiji ginger, aged together in French oak white wine barrels.
One of 750 bottles from Vista's wild-ale pioneers — order Toolbox Ruby online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.