The Virginia Beer Co. Head Brewer Jonathan Newman Talks Apricot Orchard Brett Golden Ale

We spoke with The Virginia Beer Co.'s head brewer Jonathan Newman about Apricot Orchard Brett Golden Ale.

BC: Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I came up with this recipe pretty early on in our brewery's development of a Brettanomyces fermentation program. It's becoming a yearly staple for our Brett beer lineup.

BC: What is your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
I love how the fruity and slightly funky Brettanomyces primary fermentation echoes and supports the apricots. They are very complementary -- making both seem more intense without overshadowing one another. Bottle conditioning with Brettanomyces also adds to this complexity. It's been fun to see the beer develop in the bottle over time.

BC: Where does this beer's name come from?
The "Apricot" part is pretty self explanatory. "Orchard" is a reference to one of the strains of Brettanomyces we used in the beer. RVA Yeast Labs in Richmond, VA isolated the strain from a Virginia orchard.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Apricot Orchard works really well with food in a couple of different directions. It's really good with a seared tuna steak or sushi. It's also really good with a big plate of pancakes for breakfast. Don't ask how I know.

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