The band is back together! After last year’s super successful release of The Belgian Tramp, the six illustrious Bay Area brewers in the “Band of Gypsies” couldn’t resist doing it again—except bigger, boozier and fruitier than before.
This year, the vagabond brewing crew opted to brew a Belgian Tripel with local hachiya persimmons, orange blossom honey and housemade candy sugar. They shortened the name this time, dubbing it simply The Tramp.
“It’s what we call the beer down here,” explains Alec Stefansky, brewmaster and founder of Uncommon Brewers, the host brewery for the collaboration. “It was also a verb last year. The crew got ‘Tramped’ several times last beer week.”
The persimmons were tossed directly into the mash, where the fruit literally melted out of the skins. The gypsies ran fermentation up to 74 degree Fahrenheit, allowing the beer to develop intense the intense fruity esters characteristic of the Belgian Tripel style. The gypsies conditioned The Tramp with locally sourced orange blossom honey, pasteurizing it in house and adding it to the fermenters roughly two weeks into fermentation.
Orange-hued with bold notes of orange blossom, clove and orange—The Tramp is a fruity and wickedly boozy elixir with a surprisingly dry finish. Tipping the scale at 11% alcohol by volume, The Tramp is dangerously smooth and very seductive.
“It’s tasting lovely, jaw-droppingly so,” Stefansky reports. “Complex fruits, spice, and just enough alcohol heat. “
“The Tramp is rich, delicious, and oh-so creamy,” notes Daniel Del Grande, owner and brewmaster at Bison Brewing. “We hit a perfect spot where gentle honey and persimmon flavors, spicey yeast notes, and an exquisitely fine carbonation from secondary honey fermentation linger in your mouth!!”
“FYI, this beer is da sh*t!! Really excellent flavor and mouthfeel. Happy Happy Joy Joy!!,” exclaims Steve Altimari, brewmaster at High Water Brewing Company.
During SF Beer Week, you can try The Tramp at three events. First, her grand debut will be during the SF Beer Week Opening Gala celebration. The Gala will also feature last year’s Belgian Tramp, a quad brewed with figs, raisin and dates, as well as a Chardonnay Barrel-aged version of the Belgian Tramp. The Band of Gypsies are also partnering on two beer week events—a tap takeover at Bobby G’s Pizzeria in Berkeley on February 10th from 6-9pm and a Gypsy Beer Brunch at Barclay’s Pub in Rockridge (Oakland) on February 16th from 11am-3pm.
Members of the 2014 Band of Gypsies Collaboration Beer Project include Bison Organic Beer, High Water Brewing Company, Oakland Brewing Co., Pacific Brew Labs, Pine Street Brewery & Uncommon Brewers.
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