Wondrous Brewing Company

Emeryville, CA · $$

Inebrious

Beverage Program Score

Editorial review: 2026-08-18

Editor: Micah Rousey

How we score

The editorial take

Wondrous Brewing Company is a small-batch microbrewery on Emeryville's 65th Street that builds its identity on German and Czech lager craft rather than sheer tap count. The current board carries six lager-style pours, led by the house Wondrous Hell lagerbier that won a 2024 Great American Beer Festival bronze in International Light Lager, a German-style pilsner hopped with Hallertau Mittelfruh and brewed in collaboration with the band The Story So Far, a Franconian-style rotbier (red lager), an 11°P Czech-style lager, a Czech-style dark lager, and a grapefruit radler made from Hell lagerbier and sparkling grapefruit juice. West Coast IPAs on Simcoe, Nelson & Citra, and Mosaic round out a hop side that leans brisk rather than turbid, while a Riwaka-bearing hazy and a 13.2% double barrel aged imperial stout for the fifth anniversary show the range. Owner-brewer Wynn Whisenhunt trained at the World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Munich, worked from Lagunitas to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, and opened in May 2021 promising lagerbiers, stainless and barrel-aged beers, and hoppy beers. The medal shelf backs the claim: a 2023 World Beer Cup gold for Janet's Brown Ale, a 2025 Toronado Barleywine Festival gold for the double-barrel-aged Washoe Wizard, and a 2022 Bistro Double IPA Festival gold for Triple Cuff, with Forbes naming the place a beer destination worth traveling for in 2026.

What should I order?: Begin with the house Wondrous Hell lagerbier to judge the program's core, since it carries the GABF bronze and sets the floor for how precise the lagers run. Follow with the Czech-style dark lager or the Franconian rotbier to see the darker lager work, then isolate the hop side with Creek Park, the West Coast IPA on Nelson & Citra. A half pour of the Riwaka hazy works as a contrast, and the 13.2% fifth-anniversary double barrel aged imperial stout is the serious finisher if you want the barrel side.
Who will enjoy this place?: Lager drinkers who seek out genuine German and Czech style work rather than token pilsners, West Coast IPA fans who want clean and Citra-forward pours, barrel-aged beer collectors tracking barleywine and imperial stout releases, and anyone curious about a credentialed East Bay microbrewery that Forbes flags as a destination.
When should I go?: The program rotates through a small-batch board, so the composition shifts week to week; checking the on-tap archive and the week's release before you go is more useful than chasing one fixed hour. Afternoons and early evenings are the calm window, while the weekend brings the fuller taproom. Octoberfest, bock, and seasonal lager releases tend to punctuate specific times of year.
What should I expect to spend?: Pour prices are published per size on the tap list: most full pours run $8.00-$9.50, half pours around $5.00-$5.75, and tasters $3.50-$4.25; the lemonade sits at $7.50 full and the 13.2% imperial stout at $13.75 full. Cans and merch are sold through the online store with pickup at the brewery.
What makes the beverage program distinctive?: A Germanic-Czech lager agenda carried further than nearly any Bay Area taproom, with six lager-style pours on the board at once, the GABF-bronze house lagerbier at the center, and a credentialed brewer who trained at the World Brewing Academy, all set inside a small-batch Emeryville room that also puts out World Beer Cup, Toronado, and triple-IPA golds.

Beverage categories

We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.

Beer

A lager-first small-batch program with six lagers on the current board, West Coast and Riwaka hoppy pours, barrel-aged strength, and a medal record spanning GABF, World Beer Cup, Toronado, and the Bistro.

Menu strengths

— Depth of authentic German and Czech lager styles led by the GABF-bronze house lagerbier
— Credentialed brewer in Wynn Whisenhunt, trained at the World Brewing Academy and at work from Lagunitas to Sante Adairius
— Documented awards across Wondrous Hell (GABF bronze), Janet's Brown (World Beer Cup gold), Washoe Wizard (Toronado gold), and Triple Cuff (Bistro gold)

Standout selections

— Wondrous Hell — house lagerbier, 5.1% ABV, 2024 GABF Bronze in International Light Lager, $8.00 full pour
— German-style Pilsner — 4.2%, Hallertau Mittelfruh, brewed in collaboration with The Story So Far
— Creek Park — West Coast IPA hopped with Nelson & Citra
— 5th Anniversary Double Barrel Aged Imperial Stout — 13.2% ABV, $13.75 full pour

Pricing: Published per-pour tiers on the tap list: most full pours $8.00-$9.50, half $5.00-$5.75, taster $3.50-$4.25; lemonade $7.50 full and the 13.2% double barrel aged imperial stout $13.75 full, with cans via the online pickup store.

How it sits with the food

The official site publishes no kitchen menu, so Wondrous reads as a sipping-and-snacking taproom rather than a food destination. In that context the lagers are the natural anchor: Wondrous Hell and the German pilsner cut through salty and fried snacks, the Czech dark lager and rotbier carry smoked or grilled bites, and the citrus-forward IPAs pair with spicy fare, while the barrel-aged barleywine and imperial stout are best finished on their own.

Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.

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