Brewery Vivant Contemplation - Beer Review

Jason Spaulding has given Michigan quite a gift with Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids's envionmentally friendly purveyor of Belgian style beers. One of the founders of New Holland Brewing, Spaulding has done it again with his current venture, which features well-crafted, sometimes cheekily named Old World ales with a New World twist (Big Red Coq, for example). Brewery Vivant distributes their fine beverages in 16 ounce cans. Yes, you heard me, cans. And while you will probably never crack open a tallboy of Orval or Westmalle, Spauding's beers haven't lost anything as a result of their packaging. They are flavorful, robust, and created with the same attention to quality as other North American Belgian style breweries, such as Ommegang and Unibroue. Canning is part of Brewery Vivant's philosophy of sustainability, and the merits of the packaging are proudly displayed on their products. Usually when I'm in Grand Rapids, I have one compulsory stop at Founders; now it seems like I might have two.

I chose to review Contemplation, a Belgian Pale Ale brewed with Michigan honey and hops. Through this focus on local products, Brewery Vivant makes a nod to sustainability while incorporating the terroir of their state into this fine ale. Well played.

 

Appearance:

 

Decanted from a 16 oz can into a large goblet. Caramel colored. Medium amber, approximately 11 or 12 SRM. Thin head after initial pour, but heavy lacing on the side of the glass. Clarity is impressive; steady stream of bubbles continue to rise.

 

Aroma:

 

Floral honey up front, nutmeg, saisony barnyard notes, wild, slightly gingery, cidery, mildly clovey, yeasty, banana

 

Body and Texture:

 

Buttery and corny. Fairly thin body, moderate legs on the sides of the goblet, but not cloying at all. The honey fermented down without leaving much residual sugar.

 

Aftertaste:

 

No serious hop presence. Mild muffiny, buttery, and cidery linger.

 

Overall:

 

Not the best honey beer that I've had, but I think I'm a little biased because I make one of my own. Still pretty interesting. Brewery Vivant markets Contemplation as a good summer beer, but I think it's a little heavy for that (6.5% ABV). It strikes me as an appropriate autumn brew; it's earthiness and mild spice would make it a good partner to a Thanksgiving turkey and some pumpkin pie.