4 Hands

Alright people,

So last week the lady friend and I took a little trip into the downtown area to check out 4 Hands Brewing Company. 4 Hands is a young brewery, being only 1.5 years old, but I think they are making a name for themselves. If you've heard of these guys before, my guess is that you've heard of one of their saisons; Pyrus and Prunus. While at the small tasting room/pub/brewery, I had a pint of the Pyrus Saison. This saison is supposed to have flavors of pear, white peppercorn, and orange zest that were added while brewing. Frankly, I get a small amount of spiciness, and almost no fruit.  That being said, this is a very approachable, very good saison. I would recommend anyone looking to try the style to try this beer.

Courtesy of 4 Hands Brewing Co.

Anyway, we took the tour they offer (Saturdays at noon and four), and it was fairly interesting. All of their operations are in one room of the older, industrial building they inhabit. I believe their brewing setup is a 15 BBL system, all grain. Very small bottling line right in the middle of the room. They fill 6 bottles at a time then hand package into cases, which we were told they have to hand glue shut. The most interesting part of the tour is the barrel-aging area in the back corner. Not a big operation, but they probably have 25 barrels, mostly wine barrels, aging mainly stouts and wilds. They mentioned one of their BA beers, Cuvee Ange, which is a wild, aged in red wine barrels with raspberries and blackberries. I personally can't wait to try to get my hands on this stuff.

Back to the tasting room/pub, I really enjoyed the decor. A chalkboard on the wall describes their commitment to sustainability, which includes recycling brewing products, but more importantly, where all of the interior materials came from. The bar top, tables, chairs, bar foot rest, and outside tables are all made of materials they took out of their current building when they moved in. Really a cool part of this brewery.

Since I'm talking about 4 Hands, I figure I'll include a review of one of their core beers; Reprise Centennial Red. The beer's label touts that the beer is made using only one hop; the Centennial hop. It's an interesting take on an everyday beer style. Pours and smells basically like any other red ale you've had, but the use of one hop makes this one a little different. Instead of being malty and then hoppy like most reds, this one is balanced with malts in the beginning, but the hops are less bitter than most on the back end. The hops provide a somewhat muted, and maybe even musty, mild bitterness. Anyway, this is a solid, somewhat unique everyday beer or 4 Hands. I can see this beer having a loyal following for regulars.

Well, there she is....two posts in two days. Enjoy it while it lasts people! Until next time, cheers!
-Chris