Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit. I’ll explain in a sec.
I finally made it up to Heretic Brewing in Fairfield. The place was busy. A line cued up at the bar as one server tried to deliver each order.
One thing I’ve noticed about good beer places. People will wait without complaint. This is about enjoying a well-crafted, quality beverage, not waiting in line at some drunk fest, trying to get a few more swigs in before last call at the one or two breweries whose kegs haven’t yet blown (usually for good reason).
Relief finally arrived, as another staffer returned from having to change a keg. The staff was very apologetic for the wait time, and thanked everyone for their patience as they placed their orders.
Fortunately, by the time I got my sampler, some space had opened at the bar, where I happily camped out for my afternoon of tasting. To say it was well worth the wait would be an understatement.
The beers here are something special. Here are my tasting notes, verbatim:
Gramarye (Rye Pale Ale) — nice nice nice pale ale. Rye adds perfect spice. Crisp biting finish. Outstanding. Gold medal 2012 GABF, rye beers.
IMP/Empire (Imperial Stout) — very rich, velvety, creamy, but very hot. 12% ABV definitely there. Quite good, but meant for sipping.
Incubus — same stout, aged 6 mos in bourbon barrels. Amazing. Really mellows the heat, adds bourbon, toast, caramel. What a difference. Terrific.
Primo Diablo — dbl IPA w/ habanero peppers. Good spicy kick almost overwhelms the hops. Almost. Good balancing act.
Tafelbully (American Brettanomyces Ale) — got that Brett funk. Nice, light, clean, refreshing, with that tang. Great.
Petit Rouge (Hibiscus Belgian Ale) — a rosé beer? From flowers? Seriously, tart, light berry fruit, rosé color. Great summer quencher.
Torment — Belgian dark. Great for the style, just not my style. Sweet, candied. But very smooth. The 10% ABV is undetectable. This is dangerous.
CHP — chocolate hazelnut porter. If ever there was a beer made for floats, this is it. Pour over ice cream, perfect. Tastes like peanut butter. Seriously.
Okay, so the beers are great. But French Laundry and Chez Panisse great?
To explain, I should first mention that I’m one of the most picky, finicky eaters on the planet. There are very few vegetables on earth that I’m friends with, and not many more fruits, for that matter.
(As an aside, not only is this very unhealthy, but it forms my extreme lack of confidence in writing beer reviews. I stumble along as best I can, but my lack of a palate really constrains my vocabulary of flavor descriptors. So I’m forced to keep my reviews short, sweet, and unfortunately fairly generic.)
At both restaurants (yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience each of them, once) I thoroughly enjoyed foods I typically can’t stand and would never have tried. For reasons that still seem mystical to me, the preparation and execution made each dish mesmerizing.
To a lesser degree, I had the same experience at Heretic. Several of the styles I tried (Tafebully, Petit Rouge, Torment) I have historically disliked. While they weren’t necessarily my favorites, I enjoyed them a lot more than I anticipated and could appreciate their quality.
“Wow, I normally don’t like [beer style here]!”
I was especially surprised by the Tafebully and Petit Rouge.
Tafebully is sort of a Pale Ale with Brettanomyces. I normally don’t care for Brett beers; that Belgian funk never has done it for me. But this is so light and crisp, that touch of Brett sweetness at the end really finishes it nicely. Just great.
The Petit Rouge is Belgian blonde infused with (or according to them “abused with an insane amount of”) hibiscus. Right down to the color, this could pass for a rosé wine. It’s deep pink, almost red, with light raspberry/strawberry flavors. A great summer quaff.
I’m also so glad I tried the IMP/Empire Imperial Stout and the Incubus back-to-back. This is a case study in how six months in barrels can change the very character of a beer.
While I enjoyed the velvety fullness of the stout quite a bit, the heat was almost off-putting. Alcohol fumes seemingly wafted from the glass.
But the Incubus? The alcohol was muted, and the bourbon, char, and maple flavors perfectly melded with the stout structure. Just amazing. May have been my best of show, although here there is a lot of competition.
Please, make the trip to Fairfield and try these beers. They are sensational, served by a friendly, attentive, and knowledgable staff. If you want beer to go, you can pick up some bottles, or a 32- or 64-oz. growler. They also carry the usual schwag (hats, shirts, glasses) if you want some gear.
And there’s usually a food truck around if you need some grub, plus board games and crayons are available to keep the kids busy.
