I got up to order beer number three and promptly sat back down. “I’ll have a water…and perhaps a bite to eat,” I thought to myself, feeling a bit of a surprise buzz. I promptly checked the alcohol percentage of the new O.C. Pink Boots Society’s collaboration brew, Unite Belgian-style Tripel, wondering if my alcohol tolerance had suddenly dropped. NOPE! The ABV sits firmly at 10.4 percent and drinks dangerously like a summer sipper. Over 10 percent? Are these ladies trying to get me drunk?
Last fall, members of the international women in beer group, The Pink Boot’s society, met during the 2017 Great American Beer Festival to create a cohesive hop blend that women all over the globe would use in their 2018 collaboration brews. What they chose is a blend of tropical fruit, citrus, and herbal notes. “I’ve created a Unite Brew since its inception in 2014…The Unite Belgian Tripel debuted in 2016,” says chapter leader Barbara Gerovak of Anaheim Brewery. “This is the first year we’ve bottled Unite.”
The bottle art was created by local graphic designer Trevor Kelly and gives a nod to both women in beer, and the 1920’s art deco movement that was popular when the Packard car dealership was where Anaheim Brewery currently operates in the Packing District.
Unite 2018 hides its heft like a good Belgian Tripel should. I picked out some notes of honeycomb, spiced pears, pie crust, and a kiss of citrus and vanilla. It’s seriously like dessert as it goes so well with food. “Most recipes call for orange peel in a Tripel, but I learned that coriander provides a definite citrus note, so I leave it out. Now we have so many hop varieties that do the same and most of them are present in the Pink Boots Blend,” says Barbara.
A portion of the proceeds goes to the national Pink Boots Society and to the Orange County Family Justice Center, which provides victim assistance and empowerment programs to survivors of family violence. A dozen women in the O.C. beer industry assisted on the brew, including Jaqueline Fields (OC Brewer’s Guild), Emily Finch (Iron Press), Erica Carbajal (Left Coast Brewing), Amanda Pierce-Smets (Stereo Brewing), Barbara Gerovak (Anaheim Brewery), Tina Thompson (Stereo Brewing), Maryanne Frederics (Barley Forge Brewing), Maureen Frey (Garage Brewing), Tracy Theodore (OCFJC), and others.
Grab the beer on draft and six-packs at Anaheim Brewery, 336 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim // anaheimbrew.com
And don’t forget to buy tickets to the 3rd Annual OC Brewer’s Guild Festival coming up on April 28 at Newport Dunes.
Facebook Comments