Where the wild beer grows

The local beer scene's growing, which means more brewers playing with wild ales. Enter Mraz Brewing Company in El Dorado Hills: It announced an expansion into a 3,000-square-foot facility last week, where brewmaster Mike Mraz intends to house hundreds of barrels to grow his wild-beer program. This bodes well for brews such as The Cardinal ($16.99 for 500 milliliters), a Flanders red-style beer aged on oak. After a while, he blended young and old vintages, cherries were added, and the end result is a light bodied, gently carbonated, delicately sour ale. The brew's not tart or nuanced, but it's a quality local sour brew. 2222 Francisco Drive, Suite No. 510, in El Dorado Hills; (916) 934-0744; www.mrazbrewingcompany.com.