Beer of the Week: Forte, a sour red ale barrel-aged with peaches
Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 4, 2017
Forte
Spada Farmhouse Brewery, Snohomish
Style: Sour Red Ale
Stats: 6.2 percent ABV, 3 IBU
Available: On tap at Trail’s End Taphouse, Fred’s Rivertown Alehouse and Josh’s Taps & Caps.
My thoughts: John Spada opened Spada Farmhouse Brewery last year on the family farm outside of Snohomish. Specializing in saisons, sours and other naturally fermenting beers, Spada is the first farmhouse-style brewery in Snohomish County.
This is the second release of Forte, a sour red ale barrel-aged with peaches. Spada said he was inspired by Flanders red, a sour red ale fermented with organisms like lactobacillus and brewed in West Flanders, Belgium.
Spada aged the ale six months in one of the first red wine barrels he ever received from Woodinville’s DeLille Winery. He then added 48 pounds of peaches grown on his farm and left it to re-ferment for another month.
“It has a real nice tartness and flavors of stone fruits,” Spada said.
From the brewery: Forte is fermented and aged in oak barrels that previously held red wine. The beer is fermented with our house sour blend of yeast. After the beer has finished aging, 48 pounds of peaches are added to each barrel.
More new releases:
Pinky’s Up!, Skookum Brewing: A hoppy wheat ale brewed and conditioned on hibiscus. Hopped with Mosaic, Amarillo and Southern Passion hops. Available at the brewery.
House Ale Batch #21, Foggy Noggin Brewing: This English ale is fermented in Hungarian oak barrels. Available at the brewery.
Flintlock, Crucible Brewing: A hazy New England-style IPA hopped with Mandarina Bavaria, Amarillo and Mosaic hops. Available at the brewery.
