December 20 marks the 5th year of Brewery Vivant’s Belgian and French inspired beers brewing in East Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids. Five short years have yielded a number of things to celebrate for this progressive brewery and business. Vivant has become a nationally recognized leader in sustainability efforts, won several regional recognitions & awards, and is launching a large scale sour & wild series of beers.
Draft Magazine rates year-round stalwart Triomphe Belgian inspired IPA an excellent 93/100. Paste Magazine listed Vivant’s Pumpkin Tart as a fall beer worth finding. The Brewer’s Association named the highly prized Wizard Burial Ground as a Winter seasonal treat. On December 6, the Pub will unleash the 2016 cans & draft of this rich, bourbon barrel aged quadrupel, smooth with notes of vanilla, charred oak, and caramel. OnDecember 20, the actual 5th anniversary, the brewery will release a wood-aged sour beer Anniversary Ale in its retail shop, a first for the Brewery as the beer will be offered in a 500ml glass bottle.
“We are launching our new sour beer program in glass bottles versus cans as higher CO2 volumes are part of this old-world style of wood aged beer. The bottle provides champagne bottle-like protection from brewing with these wild yeasts.” Says owner and president, Jason Spaulding, “The anniversary ale will be the first offering out of our new wild & sour program where beer is fermented in foeders (large wooden tanks) and vast numbers of wood casks. Brewing in the Belgian tradition we use multiple wild yeasts & bacteria to create wonderful sour flavor complexity in these beers. The hardest part is the waiting. Many of these beers will age for a year or more.”
Wonderful flavors can also be found in the Vivant kitchen. Voted 2015 Best European Restaurant by Grand Rapids Magazine, the kitchen is taking Belgian and French inspiration to create some creative and delicious dishes. Executive Chef Christopher Weimer leads his team to use the best ingredients to reap the best flavors. This starts with freshness, seasonality, and locality. Vivant is wrapping up the second growing season for the Vivant Garden, a plot of land approximately a mile away from the Pub that provides produce for the ever rotating weekend specials menu. A new pilot brew system being commissioned, dubbed the “chef’s brewery”, will look to cross over many of these same ingredients & flavors to further explore how beer and food can be created to be natural partners.
The Pub will be open its usual hours from Noon-10pm on Sunday December 20th, pouring exclusive & limited beers, serving extra special & creative dishes, and all the while raising funds for the neighborhood’s elementary school. Brewery Vivant has written into the business plan the “business as a force for good” ethos encapsulated in their B-Corporation certification. Vivant will donate $5,000 back to the neighborhood, serving to impact the technology available to Congress Elementary. The brewery is encouraging neighboring businesses & mutual suppliers to join in the efforts to provide cutting edge technology to kids within the neighborhood.
“We see our business as vehicle to do good things within our community” says owner & sustainability director Kris Spaulding, “This partnership allows us to be integrated with the neighborhood in a deeper way than merely making beer (which is important too!). We get to make a broader impact on the future of our whole community through investing in our next generation of leaders.”
This November, Brewery Vivant was awarded Sustainable Business of the Year by the West Michigan Business Forum. Additionally, Kris sits on the national sustainability advisory committee at the Brewer’s Association based in Colorado.
Surprises abound for the anniversary day party, from beers, to food, to special guests. An informal program and the owners’ brief remarks commence at 7pm.
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