Sadly, not all breweries last forever. But their recipes can.
And in today’s creative craft world, brewers will often attempt to recreate, retool, or reimagine past recipes to pay homage to the original.
The idea of honoring a legendary or style-defining beer isn’t new. In fact, it goes as far back as the early 1600s, to the monks of St. Francis of Paula in Munich. The first doppelbock, with its rich, malty sweetness, was considered “liquid bread” by the monks who brewed it, so they gave it the name Salvator. Since then, most commercial dopplebocks in Germany ended in “-ator” as a tribute to the original.
Similarly, it’s not uncommon to find Belgian Golden Strong Ales with a reference to the devil in their name after the style-defining original, Duvel.
Or, you could have a beer that’s named in honor of a brewer – like Hoeybier.
Peter Hoey began brewing professionally at the age of 19. He was very influential in the early craft beer scene in Sacramento, as brewmaster of Sacramento Brewing Company, then later Odonata Beer Co.
These breweries may have struggled to find commercial success, but that didn’t stop Peter and his beers from becoming something of a legend in the Sacramento beer world.
Although no longer a professional brewer (he currently works for a brewing ingredients supplier), Capitola, California’s Sante Adairius Rustic Ales invited Peter back into the brewhouse as they breathed new life into one of his old recipes.
Best known for brewing Belgian-inspired beers, Sante Adairius used one of Peter’s saison recipes as a base, then aged the beer in Odonata Wines’ Riesling and Chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces yeast.
Slightly funky, slightly tart, with a touch of citrus and fruity sweetness from the white wine barrels, for me, this beer was bliss in a glass.
The beer’s back label reads, “A collaboration and friendship born from a shared reverence for a beer style, Hoeybier is an homage to Peter Hoey and his now legendary saison.”
Some recipes deserve to live on forever.
And, in the spirit of paying homage, a huge massive shout out to Anders at Pangaea Bier Café in Sacramento who recommended this beer and, in the process, introduced me to Sante Adairius. THANK YOU!
Source:
Beer Judge Certification Program // 2015 Style Guidelines: Beer Style Guidelines
Image source:
Full size by Natalya Watson
Watson's Corner 