Apr 17, 2018

Alewerks Springhouse Brett

Virginia’s Alewerks Brewing has always crafted excellent IPAs and porters, but over the past couple of years, the company has been exploring other areas and genres of the beery world with great results. Springhouse Brett is just another example of the brewery continuing to produce wonderful beers. This saison-style ale was crafted with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis before heading into former Chardonnay barrels for a year.

The 6.1% ABV Springhouse Brett that emerges from those barrels presents an excellent flavor profile and smooth wild traits. The beer shows off with a combination of funk, wild yeast, vinous notes, a touch of playful tartness, grain, distant fruits and a touch of wood. A soft mouthfeel — I would have personally preferred something a bit more crisp — carries everything to the lasting and dry finish.

I’m not sure that the brewery could have given this beer a better moniker. The flavors would be ideal for a warm Spring afternoon, but unfortunately, I enjoyed the saison during a cold, mid-March afternoon as Mother Nature was refusing to release her Wintery grip on the area. Alerwerks have themselves a darn tasty beer with this one. As stated, I’d personally have liked it to be a bit more crisp, but that did little to take away from the overall experience.