Pepperwood
Cuver Brewing

 

Another interesting find up here in wine country. Pepperwood attempts to show beer's terroir here and nearly succeeds.

Pepperwood Looks, Smells and Tastes appetising, most of a saison's job: encourage the start of the meal. I can imagine Pepperwood working with a wide array of appetisers; but would have a more restricted range of main courses. This saison looks lively, nice foam and protein swirls. Smells are more citrusy than typical as saison fruits are usually more harvest-y, like apples. Tastes are balanced. The bay laurel helps create an unusually dry finish for the style and I'm thinking it is a good substitute for some hops... helps the brew be less bitter. A prominent reminder of Sonoma's sweet terroir. Medium-mouthed; good palate-cleansing, but also so very soft.... hard to achieve.

Even harder to achieve is the Belgian beer tradition. And for having started last year (or at least added to BA), Cuver has made astounding progress. Yeasts are the key obstacle to North American brewers getting close to the Belgian tradition. Even if American micros buy from a Belgian yeast specialist, they rarely know how to keep the yeast cultivated over time. With all the Belgian pedigree at Cuver (look on their website), it seems like they have figured out yeasts. Pepperwood's yeast conveys entirely the right attitude. And I want more. I also drank their dubbel tonight and they have succeeded on the darker side also. So despite being a two year old, I give Cuver excellent Overall Hugs. I intend to visit them soon.

 

 

 

A fairly mild Saison with dry hops that gives it a peppery/spiciness. Very well brewed and would serve well as an introduction to Saisons in general. Hendrik, the brewer, knows his chemistry!