The brewery building that David Jensen built himself at Suncoast Organic Farms stands next to the old barn that David and his wife Lisa, along with her father Gary Miller, restored themselves to house the fully organic bakery they founded in 2011. And within eyesight of both is the energy-independent home that David is building by hand.
Witnessing how they’ve transformed an old farm down a rural road on the outskirts of town into a state-of-the-art organic bakery, you get the impression that the Jensens can accomplish anything. And their new brewery follows that trend in excellence.
The Jensens started making beer in 2016 as a hobby, finally offering it for sale a little over two months ago.
“I actually built out the brewery before I knew anything at all about brewing,” David said. “It was just for ourselves initially. Then I started giving it to regular customers of the bakery business so I could get feedback. We now sell the beer but have not really been publicizing until we are ready to bring on our full system.”
David is currently experimenting with eight recipes, saying his current small batch production, brewing 10 gallons at a time, allows him more flexibility in testing and development.
“Just because I have a beer that I really like,” he said, “that doesn’t mean it’s going to sell. So I am brewing a little bit of everything to see what works best.”
One thing that absolutely works best for them is to maintain the goal of producing purely organic beer. The hops come primarily from their two-acre hop yard, which is strictly organic, and they plan to eventually use only their own hops. The water is from a deep well on the property and David is working on a system that will bring it up to the proper brewing temperature using the natural heat of the sun. They even stay organic in dealing with the waste.
“We want to leave a small carbon footprint,” Lisa said. “With the mash, we have a pig farmer we can give it to and we can also till it into the soil. We also make a beer brew bread with some of it. We utilize and repurpose everything we can.”
At the moment they are producing at a fraction of their capacity but then they never intended to get a system as large as the one they have set up.
“We try to buy everything used when we can,” Lisa said. “We got our tanks from a place that went out of business and we paid $3,600 for their entire system. Everything was 20 years old but we could not pass it up. If we had to buy them new, they are 20 grand apiece. Luckily, David knows how to fix everything.”
David modernized the equipment with all new electronics and is planning on starting with a three-and-a-half-barrel output—108 gallons, all strictly organic and off the electrical grid.
While their output is limited at the moment, they are working with the county so they can put more of their system online, allowing greater production. It has taken years for the Jensens to reach a point where they can start selling to the public, but it has not dulled their patience and perseverance.
“When we first started the bakery, we were not trained bakers,” Lisa said. “We worked hard and we taught ourselves. It’s the same with the beer. We tend to adapt pretty quickly and we are learning as we go along.”
The beers of Suncoast Organic Farms Nuthouse Brew
Nuthouse Blonde Ale (5.5%) This beer is made with two of the most popular types of hops, Cascade and Amarillo. “One thing I am starting to understand,” David said, “is that there are people in a younger generation that really want a hop-forward taste. And you have the older generation that wants brown ale, something really easy to drink.” It’s nicely rounded and drinks very well. The hops have indeed been dialed down in this beer, leaving it perfectly crisp and refreshing with a slight note of lemon and butter at the end rather than a hoppy sting.
American Wheat (5.3%) The aroma is striking and fruity, almost like the smell of bubble gum, which is the wheat coming through. Not quite as clear as the blonde ale, it has a complex flavor with an appealing touch of caramel, a little acidity, and a hint of banana. This is a classic beer, perfect for sipping or with food, and was my favorite of the ones I tasted.
Festbier (4.7%) A pilsner malt, using only German malts, which offers a rich mouthfeel and a heavy dry finish. The bitterness surfs into your mouth with your first sip, eases up, then returns in the finish. I would serve this beer with food to help cut the lingering darkness and it would go well with pizza or fish and chips. David said he is still experimenting with the formula for this one and may restructure it to be a little lighter. As is, though, it’s an excellent dinner beer.
Irish Red (4.3%) David uses rye yeast for this one and that mellow rye taste comes through nicely. The aroma is lightly fruity, like a chenin blanc but the taste is thoroughly dry with a moderate body that finishes with just a little sweetness at the end. There are toast notes and the carbonation is sharp, like tiny pinpricks in your mouth. This is a very enjoyable beer, fun to drink on its own and would go great with almost any food.
West Coast Amber (5.3%) “If you do not like hop bitterness,” David said, “this is probably not the beer for you.” Indeed, there is a straight line of bitterness from start to finish in this medium-bodied beer. The aroma is beautifully inviting and the beer is smooth, with a dry finish and an extra kick of hops right at the end. There is a touch of sweetness to balance out the bitterness and some caramel notes as well.
Hazy Days (5.0%) David uses a small universe of hops in this one including Galaxy, Mosaic, and Amarillo resulting in a wealth of different flavors running through the beer. It starts with a slight fruitiness and green tea notes that melt into a light creamy bitterness. David talked at one point about what he called “lawnmower beers,” beer that is just fun to drink when you have things to do. That describes this perfectly. Having a can of this beer with you as you do your weekend chores would turn them into a pleasure rather than work. It’s very approachable and appealing, and my favorite after the American Wheat.
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