It has been a while since a new post appeared here. The last few months were busy with life, and work, and most spare time dedicated to Beers Gone Wild went into my blending adventures. Also, the first two weeks of this year I spent in San Francisco, a great opportunity to delve into the American wild beer scene and a great topic to start the year with on this blog. Above all, this was my first opportunity to try the amazing wild beers the US has to offer. Besides the occasional very expensive Jester King or The Bruery bottle, I haven’t stumbled upon any American wild beers here in Belgium or the Netherlands.
San Francisco and the greater Bay Area is home to several wild beer breweries. Due to time constraints, and the fact that this was a trip with the in-laws, I couldn’t visit all of them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to Cellarmaker, Sante Adairus Rustic Ales, and Russian River (I did get to try some of their amazing beers though!). However, Woods Beer & Wine Co., the brewery that this post is dedicated to (as you could have read in the title) was a fantastic alternative.
Woods Beer & Wine Co.
Woods is a family of bars, brewpubs, and wineries around the Bay area. They make small-batch beer, wine, cider, and hybrids. With six locations (and two taprooms opening in the future) in San Francisco and one in San Anselmo, a visit to one of them should fit in your San Francisco city trip easily. I visited the original location ‘Woods Cerveceria’ at Dolores Park in the trendy Mission District where I got to kick-start the afternoon with one of their outstanding beer-wine hybrids.
Divine Origins – Oenobeer
All beer-wine hybrids are released under the Divine Origins label. These oenobeers, as they call them, are spontaneously fermented with grapes by native wine yeast in neutral oak barrels. Throughout the years numerous types of grapes have been used to make these delicious liquids. Currently on the menu are Sauvignon Blanc, Carignan, Ribolla Gialla, Corvina, Carignan, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Graciano. Of note is that these not only come in 75-centilitre bottles but in cans too!
In the cozy Argentinian-style bar, I tried the Divine Origins – Zinfandel from 2018. From a can and served in a wine glass, upon pouring it the first thing to notice was the stunning deep pink/purple color. A good amount of fizz, foam, and funkiness on the nose made me want to devour this beauty immediately. The taste did certainly not disappoint, the dryness and fruitiness from the grapes complemented the body and sourness from the beer, and that makes this a perfect drink to enjoy on a sunny terrace. Divine Origins -Pinot Noir and Divine Origins – Corvina, which I bought to enjoy at home were similarly delicious with each their distinct character from the different grapes.
If you’re visiting San Francisco bring a visit to one of the many locations of this brewery. These hybrids are truly something else. Too bad I wasn’t able to bring some cans back home. Guess I’d have to look for some beer-wine hybrids a bit closer to home, potentially at Gallia in Paris later this year for some of their vières.