{"id":69146,"date":"2025-02-05T06:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T06:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/beer\/new-sonoma-brewery-raises-the-bar-with-belgian-style-ales\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T06:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T06:47:12","slug":"new-sonoma-brewery-raises-the-bar-with-belgian-style-ales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=69146","title":{"rendered":"New Sonoma Brewery Raises the Bar with Belgian-Style Ales"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Brewmaster Hendrik Verspecht of Cuver Brewing\u00a0is used to people asking him what makes his Belgian-style beers different from the many craft brews around Sonoma County. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to generalize,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have beers that range from 3% to 15% ABV, from pale-as-can-be to dark stouts, sours, hoppy beers, and everything in between.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Windsor brewery and taproom, Verspecht focuses on a handful of signature brews: a poetically floral Pepperwood saison made with Meyer lemon peel and California bay laurel; coriander-hued Dobbel Dark Abbey Ale; rich, caramelly Tripel Golden Abbey Ale; honey crisp Bell Road Bohemian Pilsner, and Hoppy Don Belgian IPA.<\/p>\n

\"Hendrik
Hendrik Verspecht, owner of Cuver Brewery. (Photo John Burgess\/The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hendrik
Hendrik Verspecht makes signature Belgian-style beers at his taproom and brewery in Windsor. (John Burgess\/The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The interesting offerings have converted many local beer lovers to the Belgian style, with its typically light body, low bitterness, and yeasty character, often kissed with spicy or fruity undertones. Even Cuver\u2019s IPA is mild, at 6% ABV and welcoming with a harmonious hop blend and ever-so-slightly sweet undertones. \u201cTypical IPAs are very aggressive, so if you\u2019re hopped out, which a lot of people tell me they are, we\u2019re offering an alternative,\u201d Verspecht says. \u201cPeople want to try something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hendrik\u2019s father, Jan Verspecht, moved his family from Belgium to California in 2012. In Sonoma, he continued a homebrewing hobby he began back in Europe. But when he couldn\u2019t find Belgian styles locally, he was excited to expand the hobby into a business. \u201cWe could import, but the beer suffers from such long transportation. Plus, it\u2019s pretty expensive if you want to have one or two every day, like any good Belgian guy does.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brewery crew is tight-knit, including most of the local Verspecht clan and plenty of extended family and friends. \u201cIt gets pretty complex, but we all come together,\u201d Hendrik says. \u201cI guess like our beers, we\u2019re all harmonious.\u201d<\/p>\n

7704 Bell Rd., Windsor. 707-687-0577, cuverbrewing.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n