Bière de Coupage
Fine Creek Brewing Company

Bière de Coupage is a phrase that has been used in different ways over the years, but in general refers to a blend of young and old beer. Inspired by this tradition of blending, we took younger, hop-forward Virginia Wet Hop Saison and blended it with two beers that both spent time aging in barrels, each conditioning with a different culture. This blend allows us to display mature mixed culture beer, with a complex profile and acidity, alongside fresher beer with a mellower profile and balancing bitterness, that would normally stunt the development of our other mixed cultures.

The aroma is dominated by tart notes of red currant, ripe raspberry, and fruit forward red wine. Meanwhile the flavor displays a softer acidity than the aroma would suggest, and has a balanced profile of cranberry, fresh lemonade, black cherry, and hints of oak driven vanilla that is cut by an ever present but balanced tartness. The body has a round juice like quality but quickly fades to a dry finish thanks to a mild bitterness and subtle oaky tannins.

Below are the beers blended in this year’s Bière de Coupage:
Golden Sour Ale, aged four years in barrels with our “Resettle” Culture
Sour Red Ale, aged for 15 months in barrels with our “Slashes” Wild Culture
Virginia Wet Hop Saison, fermented in stainless steel with Ghost Ale yeast from RVA Yeast Labs.