Eat, Drink, Savor: The Swank Farms Experience now includes its own line of liquid gold

Swank Farms is known locally for its farmer’s market and the Swank Farms Experience, its annual corn maze and pumpkin patch event. Owner Dick Swank and two wine and beer experts have added a line of craft beers.

He joined up with Jared Gill, who has been homebrewing from his garage for around 10 years, and Amy Gill, assistant winemaker at Calera Winery. 

“We have known Dick a long time, and we went to school with his kids,” Jared said. “My brother-in-law is a seed salesman that Dick buys from every year. Dick was telling him he wanted to find someone to make beer with, and we connected that way.”

Swank, owner of Swank Farms in Hollister, had wanted to add something new to the already popular attractions and events and join just a handful of other San Benito County craft brewers.

“I wanted to try something new with the venue, and if I was making a mistake, I figured beer brewing was about the cheapest mistake I could make,” he said. “They gave me a beer to try, and that is all it took. 

The beer Jared gave him was one of his Keller beers, and Dick thought it was excellent.

The Gills shifted from brewing in their garage to brewing on site at Swank Farms. The beer is currently available for weddings and parties, held at the farm’s new Bonnie’s Barn venue, and it will be for sale at the usual Swank Farms events coming up in Fall.

“I started off making experimental beers just as craft beers were taking off in this area,” Jared said. “I really liked off-the-wall German beers like Keller beers that are best served fresh, which you didn’t see on the shelf. I wanted to learn how to make them so I could have them when I wanted them.”

Swank plans to release a beer dedicated to a special Octoberfest event this year, tentatively planned for late September.

Early taste testing

I did a tasting with Swank and the Gills a month ago at Bonnie’s Barn, just as they were releasing the first beers. The mood was relaxed, the bottles unlabeled, and the names of the beer were undecided.

With the beers not available to the general public at that time, I was not sure what to expect from the tasting. I can happily say that there was not a wrong note in any of the five beers we had that day and I look forward to seeing how this brewery grows as they get greater commercial exposure.

When I went back last week to follow up on their progress, the beers all had names — but were also all gone. Jared told me that private events at Bonnie’s Barn recently had been exhausting his supply.

With a solid calendar of weddings and parties booked over the next few months and the Swank Farm’s annual events starting very soon, the Gills will be busy meeting demand. However, they are optimistic about producing enough beer to make it available to a wider audience at local taprooms and in cans. 

The beers of Swank Farms Experience

Smokin’ Joe’s Plum Cream Ale (4.5%) – Jared had made cream fruit ales before, with mangos and apricots, but a sudden bounty of plums inspired him to make this beer. “We had this plum tree in a wine barrel, and it was not doing well,” he said. “Up to this point, it had never produced a plum. When we replanted it, we poured a beer into the hole, and after that, the tree just took off.” The beer starts with a bit of sharpness, with a restrained flush of plum coming halfway through the sip. It just appears, then fades in the finish. Unlike more assertive fruit beers, the subtleness of the plum and the way it melts into the rest of the flavors means you won’t get tired of it if you order more than one. It can be enjoyed on its own or with lightly spiced foods.

European Vacation Belgian Pale Ale (5.3%) – The Gills were once stuck in a Belgian airport for seven hours with Amy drinking Hoegaardens and Jared drinking Leffes. “I decided to try reproducing (Belgians) because I love making beer just for the experience,” he said. The aroma is pure peaches and fruit with a hint of toast. This one has everything I like about ales — it’s eminently drinkable, perfectly smooth and light with just a little bit of bitterness, ending on a slight banana note. It would be a great party beer and would go with just about any kind of food. As I drank it I was thinking about a serious meat and veggie combo pizza.

Highland Scottish Ale (5.4%) – “This one of my favorite styles,” Jared said. “The idea is to get this into a glass as quickly as you can after you’ve finished fermenting it.” Heavier and more complex than the other beers, Jared adds a sprinkle of black malt which brings out a dark tone that enhances the caramel notes. This is a beer that lives to wage a battle for your taste buds against rich foods, like a hearty stew, rather than be sipped on its own. Corned beef and cabbage might be able to take it on. Fresh hot apple pie is not out of the question either.

Meraki Lager Kellerbier (5.4%) – I picked up a hint of lemon, perhaps vanilla in this brew inspired by the Bavarian region of Germany. It has a slight tartness and a hook in the aftertaste lingers as if saying “I am not quite done with you yet.” Amy called this brew an “every day, all day” beer and I agree — this beer almost sparkles. Jared notes there’s a lager in Bavaria that’s aged in oak. “What I do is use a fairly standard recipe, and I have medium toast French Oak cubes that I drop into the fermenter so as it is lagering, it is also picking up the oak,” he said.

Pancho Villa Belgium Tequila Tripel (9.7%) – I have a fondness for Belgian ales, and they knocked it out of the park with this one. Aged in oak for nine months with a bit of tequila added, this is an elegant and very special beer. It is slightly acidic and slightly citrusy, with the tequila more subtext than main narrative. It flows along with a clean ale aftertaste and reminds me quite a bit of my favorite beer, Orval Trappist Ale. To me, this was the standout beer, and I look forward to having it again. It is almost too good to pair with food. I would hold it to nibbles such as prosciutto, smoked cheese and figs.