Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
In my mind, I think these new Brite beers from Terreux (The Bruery) are arriving at the right time. I believe that beer consumers (minus me) have experimented with the “hard” seltzer and the “hard” kombucha and are probably leaning back towards wanting something light in alcohol and calories and that these sparkling sours might be where they land. Especially in the summer.
I found this beer at a wondrous shop in Healdsburg, California by the name of The Shed. They had two other bottles on the shelf but this large format bottle caught my eye. As did the style. Sparkling ales are a rare species and one with local Starthistle honey are even more rare. Cali-Craft is in the Bay Area and has a former Honest Tea employee, Blaine Landberg at the helm. This beer pours a light yellow. The first aroma is beer but then you sniff again and you come up with wine notes. The taste is similarly split. There is a light golden ale that blends into champagne notes and then back. The honey is prevalent without being super sweet or cloying. It is indeed light and zesty. I now wish that I had bought two!
Fullsteam just opened last month and they have a unique twist to their business and their beers that stems from their community roots.
Did I mention that their beers are unique? Try these on for size:
Carver sweet potato beer
“North Carolina is the largest U.S. producer of sweet potatoes. In our quest to work with local Southern ingredients as much as possible, the humble sweet potato is an obvious choice. In fact, one-third of the total fermentables in Carver come from North Carolina sweet potatoes.
Perhaps less obvious: our decision to avoid cloying spices that would only serve to mask the savory-yet-delicate flavors. The goal of this modestly-hopped amber ale is to have you explore the nuance of the sweet potato…not hit you over the head with Obvious Spices. What is, after all, the taste of a sweet potato? Carver asks this quest ion and encourges you to explore the answer.”
Scuppernong sparkling ale
“A highly-carbonated, cloudy white beer with a surprisingly dry hint of scuppernong grapes. Perfect for a late afternoon. A local wheat and scuppernong blend that is 100% naturally fermented. Premiered at 2008 Southern Foodways Alliance Sympoium in Oxford, Mississippi. 5.0% ABV”
First Frost wild persimmon
“This unique winter ale is made from the winter fruit harvested from a 50-year-old Chatham County persimmon tree. The persimmons were added in secondary with a touch of cinnamon — a nod to persimmon pudding. We call this beer “First Frost” as persimmon fruit reaches its peak flavor after, you guessed it, the first frost of autumn. 7% ABV.”