Alesong Brewing and Blending Founder and Cellar Master Brian Coombs Talks Pêche

We spoke with Alesong Brewing and Blending Founder and Cellar Master Brian Coombs about Pêche.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our "recipes" evolve throughout the entire process of making any of our beers, so it is very much a team effort. Matt Van Wyk heads up our hot side development and production, but once the beer hits the cellar we make decisions based on sensory evaluation of the maturing beer. To make this beer we started by working with a farmer to select the variety of peaches we liked, in this case Veteran peaches. Then we head back to the barrel cellar and taste through our barrels and come up with a blend that we think will showcase the fruit the best. We let the resulting blend re-ferment on the fruit until we taste the beer again to determine if we want to add in any other barrels to complete the beer.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
I love the ripe peach aroma in this beer. This beer was ready to be released in the middle of winter when I was craving fresh fruit the most! 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
We are very fortunate to live and brew in Oregon where the fresh bounty is so plentiful. We work with growers around the state to have some of the freshest and delicious ingredients used in our brews, and that includes fruit as well. When we crafted Peche, we drove to an orchard north of our town to get the freshly picked Veteran peaches. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on buckets, pitting each overripe peach by hand while sweet juice ran down our forearms. Needless to say, a few peaches didn't make it into the tank that day! Processing local fruit is time-consuming and challenging, but the rewards are oh-so-sweet.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Bursting with peach flavor and aroma; tart, refreshing, effervescent.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Creamy rich cheese, Grilled pork loin, roasted chicken salad and angel food cake with mandarin oranges.

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