James Kohler (left) fondly observes Matt Tarpey (right) pouring yeast into an oak wine barrel. (Photo by Stephanie Breijo)
"I feel like I’m watching the birth of my child right now.” James Kohler’s eyes are fixed on The Veil’s head brewer, Matt Tarpey, as cream-colored yeast glugs into a weathered oak wine barrel.
“We move fast,” Tarpey says, laughing.
He’s not kidding; it was only two or three months prior that Kohler, a co-owner of Brenner Pass — opening this month — approached Tarpey to collaborate on House Beer: the official beer of the new Scott’s Addition restaurant, and one specifically designed to complement Executive Chef and co-owner Brittanny Anderson’s alpine menu.
“I finally worked up the nerve to ask him,” Kohler jokes. “I was so nervous I couldn’t stop talking about it. But I got a little liquid courage in me, and I popped the question.”
“I said yes,” Tarpey says, looking over.
“He said yes, and now it’s the big day,” Kohler says with a laugh.
Kohler and Tarpey weren’t high school sweethearts, but it is where they met. Though the two weren’t close friends at Deep Creek High, they would go on to develop startlingly similar tastes and careers: Kohler a specialist in craft cocktails, beer and fortified wines, eventually heading the beverage program at Saison, and Tarpey an avid brewer whose trajectory began at O’Connor Brewing Co. in Norfolk and shot him all the way to the world-renowned Brasserie Cantillon in Belgium. Both would eventually move to Richmond, where Kohler served as one of Tarpey’s sounding boards before The Veil Brewing Co. opened its doors in the spring of 2016. That season, Kohler joined the team creating Brenner Pass.
The defining factor of alpine cuisine is, of course, its namesake. The Alps form one of the tallest mountain ranges in the world, and one of the most diverse: The peaks and valleys span eight countries, including Italy, Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland, all contributing dishes and culinary traditions to the region, and all major influences on the menu of Brenner Pass. In colder months, many villages perched along the mountainside traditionally rely on heartier fare — potatoes, cured meats, hard cheese, polenta, artful breads. “I think when you’re eating those traditional foods of the Alps, it’s important to kind of cut through that fat,” says Anderson, “and to get a bubbly dryness on your mouth.” The choice was clear: the semi-dry bite of a farmhouse saison — earthy, husky and fruity, as well as authentic to the region — would lend itself to the menu, and become the only local beer you’ll find in the restaurant at 3200 Rockbridge St.
Kohler walked a fine line planning Brenner’s beverages: How could he stay true to alpine beer, while still paying respect to the beer-centric Scott’s Addition? The answer was somewhere in between. Tarpey was his first choice for collaboration, and together they developed House Beer, an easy drinker at 4 percent ABV, with a twist: Tarpey would barrel-age the saison to lend it extra character. “I thought it’d be something a little different, something that’s a bit of an experiment for us,” he says. “I think the most important thing is connecting with like-minded individuals and wanting to push each other and create something really special.”
Here on brew day, that’s what both sides of the family are trying to do. The grain becomes malt and steeps, converting starches to fermentable sugars. With a whir, a pump separates the wort — a sugary extracted liquid — which then boils in a gleaming kettle nearby. The boil pasteurizes the wort and evaporates some of its water, and Ekuanot (née Equinox) hops find their way into the mix here, adding flavor and bitterness. Once it reaches nearly 220 degrees, its foam undulates — the “hot break” stage — and it’s ready for a heat exchanger, which cools the brew before it’s added to oak barrels. Tarpey grabs the saison farm yeast, which smells like banana yogurt, and in it goes. In another week they’ll test the beer’s ABV, then let it sit another week to condition. They look on it proudly, and nod.
“I think [collaboration] works great,” Kohler says. “I think it helps everybody grow, and everybody learns. It’s good for everybody. I like to see this stuff, especially in a world where it can feel really competitive sometimes.”
