Garden Grove's Synthesis (Photo courtesy Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery)
Background: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery sat back unruffled as breweries added Oreos to their suds and hopped aboard the hazy IPA train. These beverage mavericks tend to fly under the radar — they’ve been open since 2015 — and diverge from trends, instead drawing inspiration from locally sourced, high-quality ingredients and creating weirdly sensational sips such as their crisp Give 'em Helles Lager, the effervescent honey wine Foxy Flora, dry ciders, and wines that blend steel and barrel aging, all undistributed. Co-owner and head brewer and winemaker Michael Brandt, a Virginia State University graduate, says that along with co-owner Ryan Mitchell, “we do it all.”
Notable Sip: Synthesis is a fusion of barleywine, white tawny port and mead Brandt describes as “a melting-pot product of cultures.” Featuring Virginia-grown vidal blanc and chardonnay grapes, it’s aged in wine barrels for 14 months with orange blossom and wildflower honey. Although high in ABV (16 percent), Synthesis is seductively smooth, presenting notes of oak, apricot and fig, along with subtle hints of honey.
Poured and Paired: Think of Synthesis as an aperitif or digestif. If going for the former, reach for aged, grass-fed cheddar or Manchego cheese. Got a sweet tooth? Nutty desserts, such as almond biscotti, baklava or pecan pie, are ideal companions.
