House Saizon (for Fred Eckhardt)

House Saizon (for Fred Eckhardt) 6.2% ABV. A rustic farmhouse ale brewed with 100% local Riverbend pils and wheat malt and old world Styrian Goldings hops. Free rise fermentation with a blend of three yeast strains and bottled with a bit of Brettanomyces.
Bright lemony aroma with earthy notes from the hops. Very dry and minerally on the palate similar to a Pinot Grigio with a peppery fairly bitter finish. Just a perfect example of a traditional saison. The Brett will slowly add some interesting funk over the next 3-12 months.
It’s not often that light refreshing beers are suitable for aging but our care with bottle conditioning and the addition of Brett allows this beer to be aged for 3-4 years easily.305239971_3222420297972005_4519873177885241701_n

Tokyo Style Gose (for Otomo Yoshihide)

New beer release: Tokyo Gose (for Otomo Yoshihide) 4.7%. Back by popular demand, this summer crusher has been a favorite since we first released it.
Traditional Gose is a tart wheat beer brewed with salt and coriander. We substitute local white miso for the salt and pickled sushi ginger for the coriander. 100% local Riverbend malt.
The aroma is bright with ginger and a lemony acidity, the flavor is tart/sour with a lemon heads/ginger chews character. The miso adds just a hint of savory umami and sports drink saltiness.
 295096839_3187768961437139_2007468723100522016_n

Original IPA circa 1840 (for Wally Funk)

One of the few beers we repeat every year and it’s one of our most intense and challenging: Original IPA circa 1840 (for Wally Funk). This is what IPA tasted like back when it was actually shipped to India.
Brewed with 100% Maris Otter malt and a calculated 160 IBUs of traditional East Kent Goldings hops. Aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces for a full year then dry hopped with more EKGs.
Aroma is very funky with notes of sandalwood and gingerbread, the flavor is a battle between gorgeous mouth coating hop resin and Brett funk. The bitterness has mellowed considerably from the year in barrels and the flavor ends with a burst of dried apricot character from the EKG dry hop.
While this is the furthest thing imaginable from a modern hazy it will be bring joy to fans of Orval and should be tried by everyone in order to understand where the style originated and how far we have strayed.291452286_3177416012472434_8330779243451459973_n

Whiskey Barrel Aged Barley Wine (for Lou Reed)

New beer release: Whiskey Barrel aged Traditional Barleywine (for Lou Reed) 13%. An old school 6 hour boil English barleywine rested in American whiskey barrels.
Maris Otter malt and a bit of caramel wheat is all this needs to deliver waves of creme brûlée, New Orleans pralines and whiskey cordial candy. Aging potential 3-5 years.
280758249_3136919953188707_3172713040749765961_n

Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas)

Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas) 5.6%. A blend of two year old sour barrels fermented with 100% wild culture from the Asheville air aged on a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

The light oak and gentle funk blend with a complex fruit character. The perfect beer for a charcuterie or cheese plate. A beautiful showcase of our local micro flora at an affordable price.

278006785_3110051012542268_8930542556241723219_n

Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (for Phil Lynott)

Aging Imperial Stout in barrels goes back to the 1700s but aging in whiskey barrels is a truly American take. In my opinion a barrel is really the only “adjunct” needed for a beautiful imperial stout. It gives notes of vanilla and coconut that compliment the complex roast malt character. 13% ABV

275835286_3095685493978820_1806661608879885282_n 275805259_3095685500645486_4292056500401837007_n

 

Traditional Barley Wine (for Christopher Hitchens)

A showcase of the finest English Maris Otter malt, concentrated with a six hour boil. Traditional East Kent Goldings hops hang on for dear life against the waves of intense malt and caramel. Fruity yeast and hop character in the aroma are reminiscent of strawberries and port wine. The flavor keeps those fruit notes but brings in sticky caramel without being cloying in the least. A gorgeous example of a barleywine without any adornments.
While this is beautiful right now, this is a beer to age like a fine Bordeaux. It will easily age for a decade and buying a case and drinking one every winter for the next 12 years would be my recommendation. 11.4% ABV270310082_3043764855837551_5811981536132432896_n

Double Stout Release: Traditional Imperial Stout (for Alan Watts) and Me and the Devil#4 (for John Fian)

265367545_3030892150458155_1850854216256626692_n
Traditional Imperial Stout (for Alan Watts) brewed with the finest English Maris Otter,brown and black malts and traditional East Kent Goldings hops. This is what Imperial Stout tasted like when it was still being sent to Russia in the mid 1800s.
Deep flavors of bittersweet chocolate and coffee that finishes with a firm bitterness that will fade with age. A stout for adult palates unlike the sickly sweet glop gloop stouts that dominate the market today.
Me and the Devil #4 (for John Fian) while we respect tradition there is a place for gilding the lily of a stout with natural raw adjuncts. We start with a complex non-lactose imperial stout and add Ghirardelli cocoa powder in the mash and aged on a massive 13# of coconut per barrel. Never any “natural” extracts or flavorings. Even our curmudgeon brewer admits it’s delicious!

Bodhisattva (for Walter Becker)

Bodhisattva (for Walter Becker) 6.3% ABV. A collaboration with Saint Somewhere brewery, we started with a classic traditional saison and aged it on Buddha hand citrus fruit.
The lemony citrus blends perfectly with the spicy yeast character. Finishes bone dry and is immensely drinkable/poundable. 100% local malt from Riverbend malting. Brettanomyces was added at bottling which will allow the continued evolution over time and a bit of funk would be amazing in this beer. Buy a few bottles and sample over the next year or two.

241657190_2966466113567426_4294199915890647227_n

Tokyo Style Gose (for Toshiro Mifune)

Tokyo Style Gose (for Toshiro Mifune) 4.7% ABV. Gose is a sour ale traditionally brewed with salt and coriander. We put a Japanese twist on it by using local white miso for the salt and pickled ginger for the coriander. Local Riverbend barley and wheat.
Pours very pale with a rocky head, delicate ginger aroma that is more reminiscent of sushi than ginger ale. Clean, bright acidity with just a touch of umami from the miso.

236828964_2952040335010004_4711520574712908775_n