Hendrick Verspecht

Hendrick Verspecht from cuVer Brewing Co. is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon with guest host Peter Lopez sitting in for Herlinda Heras again today. Hendrick’s first time on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of September 16, 2021, just before cuVer opened. He was also on BHH on May 5, 2022. Now they are preparing to celebrate their second anniversary, on October 7, 2023.

They begin by tasting the award-winning cuVer signature Pepperwood Saison Ale.

Peter is a busy entrepreneur who runs Juncture Taproom and is a partner in Santa Rosa Pizzeria. Today he has brought some sandwiches from Santa Rosa Pizzeria. They are all named after something iconic in Santa Rosa. This panino is called Taylor Mountain. Another is Pierre’s French Dip.

cuVer is pronounced “koo-VAY.” (Cuver is the infinitive ‘to ferment,’ its past participle cuvée, ‘fermented.’ -ed.) When the Cushing family and the Verspecht family formed the partnership, they took the first letters of their two names and made cuVer. Hendrick tells that the French expresson “cuver son vin” literally means to ferment one’s wine, but idiomatically it means to sleep off a hangover.

The Pepperwood Saison Ale was the first recipe that Hendrick ever made. It is a Belgian farmhouse ale flavored with California Bay Laurel and Meyer lemon peel. Those are ingredients are not available in Belgium so this is a real California Belgian version.

cuVer will be celebrating their second anniversary on October 7, 2023. Peter Lopez’ restaurant was one of their first customers. The anniversary celebration will feature a food truck, Lila’s Streetside Eats, and will go from 12 noon to 8 pm on October 7. They will also have a darts and cornhole tournament. They have a darts league every Tuesday night. The party will feature a competition where you can play to win cuVer merch.

They are located in Windsor at 7704 Bell Road. They are down the street from Barley and Bine. They are closed Monday and Wednesday. The other days, Tuesday and Thursday open from 5-8pm, Friday and Saturday 12 noon to 8pm and Sunday from 1-6pm.

The next beer they taste is a Belgian quadruple, which is even stronger then the Belgian Tripel.

Hendrick tells the story of how his father wanted Belgian beers after they moved to California, and he started home brewing, for themselves as much as for others. Hendrick also gives credit to Anderson Valley Brewing and North Coast Brewing and Russian River Brewing Co., who also make Belgian styles.