If you’ve wandered anywhere near a craft beer bar or restaurant lately, you’ve probably noticed words like brettanomyces, saccharomyces, and lactobacillus getting thrown around in just about every conversation. If your ears perked up and you listened a bit further, you most certainly overheard some talk of French oak wine barrels or the freshly harvested and locally sourced fruit that went into the beer they were discussing.
It’s about that moment that you get drawn in by a conversation being had over a beautifully crafted Imperial Stout. Suddenly you hear words from the spirits world being added into the conversation: bourbon barrels, aged for months on end. Coffee sourced from local boutique roasters. Wait…are we still talking about beer?
Barrel-aged, and specialty beers, are taking the craft community by storm and becoming some of the most highly sought after and hardest to find beers on the market. Over the last year a new upstart brewery that focuses on both wild and non-wild, barrel-aged beers, has been building a head of steam that has produced numerous accolades, including taking home a Gold Medal for the “brett beer” category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival. That brewery is Alesong Brewing & Blending out of Eugene, OR.
Alesong approaches the brewing process like a musician approaches composing a song. Each beer begins with an inspiration: from nature, food, or an unforgettable experience. Production is patient, personal, and reflective and the vision continues to evolve until it is brought to life in a glass. Like a song, each beer is the creators’ form of expression while the enjoyment and interpretation is 100% yours.
“With two of the three of us having California roots, it’s been a goal to be able to share our beers with friends and family in the bay area and we’re excited to finally be able to do that,” says cofounderDoug Coombs.
“Beyond that, the bay area is home to very passionate and educated consumers and we’ve been inspired by numerous Northern California breweries and wineries along the way. We are thrilled to bring our Oregon perspective on Belgian-inspired and barrel-aged beers to this thriving scene.”
Artisan Distributing is proud to announce that we will be welcoming Alesong into the Artisan Family of Producers in early 2017. Our philosophies, dedication to the craft community, and love for artistic expression align perfectly. We couldn’t be more excited to bring this wonderful brewery and blending house into California, with the initial focus being on the San Francisco/Bay Area market specifically.
About Artisan Distributing:
By definition Artisan Distributing is built on craftsmanship. Our philosophy is simple, small batches made with care by a skilled brewer produce the finest product. Our portfolio includes individuals who share our belief and practice it in their craft. We invest the time to learn about the products we carry, by forging lasting relationships with the producers. Artisan Distributing is a family owned and operated business, and our hope is to share our dedication to the craft community with you and your customers.