Velvet Glow is an homage to an old Grace Brother’s Brewing beer brewed right here in Santa Rosa! The Grace Brother’s brewery was around from 1933 to 1966, where they created many iconic beer brands including Velvet Glow and Happy Hops. This Helles style lager is a clean, crisp, and refreshing beer with a bright straw color, aromas and flavors of bread crust and biscuit. There is a very low bitterness with a mild hop aroma.
Although we have made this beer once before, it was only available on our guided tour and for special events. The base beer is a Pilsner aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels with the addition of Sauvignon Blanc grape juice from the 2018 harvest for a secondary fermentation. The juice and barrels are from Dutton Vineyards in the Russian River wine appellation here in Sonoma County. There is no lactobacillus or pediococcus added to the beer, only brettanomyces. The tart acidity comes from the wine grapes. This beer is delicate and beautifully balanced, a perfect refresher on a warm summer day!
STS Pils is a classic European style Pilsner. It is straw in color and often times will have a slight haze due to the fact that it is unfiltered. STS Pils is a hop forward pilsner with a mild malt foundation, strong lager yeast characteristic, and a dry, bitter finish.
Mind Circus IPA has a mild bitterness and a thick, luscious mouthfeel. This style of IPA is what is being called in the beer world a “Hazy IPA” Dominantly herbaceous and grassy, with moderate tropical notes as well as some bright citrus. This unique hazy IPA gains its flavor of grapes and grass from the Nelson hops, and its tropical notes of pineapple and mango from the Strata hops. It is unfiltered leaving a “haze” and some yeast for more texture. Oats were also used to add to the softer mouthfeel and hazy appearance.
Full-bodied, very hoppy, with citrus, pine, fruity notes and a nice dry, bitter finish!
Pliny the Elder is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. It is well-balanced with malt, hops, and alcohol, slightly bitter with a fresh hop aroma of floral, citrus, and pine. Best enjoyed FRESH! That is why we make it in such limited supply. Actual bottling date is printed on each bottle!
There is an old familiar saying in the wine business: “It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine!” Winemakers, cellar workers, and grape pickers alike rarely (if ever) reach for a nice big glass of red wine in the middle of harvest. Wine is quite delicious, but not very refreshing on a hot summer day. The beverage of choice during harvest is BEER! Ice-cold, refreshing, and thirst-quenching BEER! The beer in this bottle is a toast to our winemaking friends who work around the clock during harvest to make world-class wine right here in our own back yard! Cheers!