Earlier last year, Alementary Brewing Co. in Hackensack, NJ hosted the folks from Les Vergers Boiron—a French producer specializing in frozen fruit purées. The purées contain no added sugar, utilize peak-season fruit and are used around the world for pastries, ice cream, sauces and, yes, beer.
Since, Alementary has exclusively employed Les Vergers Boiron for fruited beers such as a kalamansi lime-spiked gose dubbed Island Life and a raspberry witbier that goes by the name of Literary Trope. Additionally, Alementary has developed a seasonally rotating sour exclusive to their tap room, utilizing a different Boiron purée depending on the season. Through these beers, Alementary has continued to push the New Jersey craft beer scene forward by putting an emphasis on science and experimentation in their brewing process.
Immensely popular in the restaurant industry, Boiron has long been a provider to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The nation’s premier cooking school uses Boiron products for an array of things, including throughout their brewing program. Through Boiron, Alementary teamed up with CIA Head Brewer, Hutch Kugeman as well as Beverage Professor John Fischer to develop a beer-centric externship available to CIA students. This gives students with an interest in brewing beer an opportunity to work hands-on in a full-production brewery. 
To announce the new educational collaboration, CIA and Alementary have developed a celebratory beer using products from the company that brought them together—Les Vergers Boiron. Both Alementary and Kugeman developed French saisons using the fruits, aptly named “Gift In Kind.” Kugeman opted to brew a darker saison, while Alementary went for a lighter style, but both beers are connected in that they use the same yeast strain—malt local to the Hudson Valley. Alementary’s saison sports a backing of mirabelle plums, apricot and quince, while the CIA beer is laden with blackberry, pomegranate and fig.
“The goal is to get people excited and invigorated about the craft beer world as an extension of fine dining and creativity that is harnessed at CIA. Hopefully bringing into the industry people with new ideas,” Michael DeNobile, a brewer at Alementary and CIA graduate, told me.
As of May 12, the collaboratively-brewed beers are available to purchase at Alementary Brewing Co. in Hackensack, NJ. Only 10 thousand cans were made, so get there fast! The beer is expected to be available in the Alementary tap room as well as at CIA starting May 19. Additionally, Gift In Kind will be available at Morristown’s Jockey Hollow. For New Jersey craft beer fans, this is a release you won’t want to miss.
About the Author/s
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
