Wine for beer lovers? Layton's Chance is giving it a try
Like many revolutionary ideas, the latest innovation at Layton’s Chance Vineyards and Winery was born out of a simple question: “Why not?”
Winemaker and owner William Layton unveiled his newest offering this fall. “Imposter” is aptly named, as it is a wine cleverly masquerading as a beer, right down to the keg, tap and foamy head.
Made with the winery’s own Vidal Blanc grapes, Layton adds the requisite hops and barley to give the beer-flavored wine a look, smell and taste lager-lovers will recognize along with a tart fruitiness reminiscent of its actual wine heritage.
“We have a winery license. We can’t make beer here,” Layton explained. “But why can’t we make a wine that tastes like a beer?”
William Layton credits his wife, co-owner and General Manager Jennifer Layton, for coming up with the idea for Imposter. Following one of the winery’s many festivals, Jennifer Layton wondered aloud whether they could offer something for non-wine drinkers who prefer beer. She pointed to the Milton-based Dogfish Head brewery, which offers a white ale containing juice from Pinot Noir grapes, as an example of what is possible.
“They make a wine-flavored beer, so why couldn’t we do the opposite?” William Layton reasoned.
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After consulting others in the industry, the Laytons moved forward with their first batch of Imposter, which is available only in the winery’s tasting room. With the tartness and acidity derived from the Vidal Blanc grapes, it resembles the recently trendy sour beer that many craft brewers have been experimenting with in recent years.
William Layton said he chose Vidal Blanc over some of his vineyard’s other grapes because of its boldness and fruit-forward qualities. Other grapes, like their Traminette, would have been too floral and would not match the background profile he wanted.
“Everybody tastes something different,” William Layton said. “With the hops-barley combination, I think it really stands out. I wanted to give it a lot of body and flavor.”
This is relatively uncharted territory. When the Laytons examined the industry, they could only find one other winery in the region doing something similar, although the creators only used hops, not barley.
One of the first challenges for the Laytons was bringing down the alcohol content. The first batch was at a 16 percent alcohol level, which is on par with many dessert wines and ports. William Layton managed to get it down to 12 percent, resembling a typical wine but still strong for a beer, which typically contains about 4-6 percent alcohol.
Recent Layton’s Chance visitors Michelle Robinson and Andrew Partyka, of Georgetown, now count themselves as fans. Robinson said Imposter was the perfect compromise for the couple, as she often enjoys beer, and Partyka does not.
“I love beer, and I love wine, so this is the best of both worlds,” Robinson said. “I love it. I wish I could buy a growler of it.”
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Unfortunately for the visitors, Imposter to-go is not in the cards for now. William Layton said the brew is just a way to offer more variety for visitors and he does not plan to bottle the beverage for sale.
“I’m not looking to compete with beer or to change the market,” he said. “I just wanted something that really draws people here.”
Making both beer and wine at one location is challenging and requires a lot of different licenses, permits, materials and equipment. Layton said his training is in wine-making, and he has no interest in pulling his focus from that.
“I don’t want to make a little beer and a little wine and be just OK at both,” he said. “We don’t want to dilute ourselves here.”
The beer-flavored wine is one of a line of craft beverages Layton’s is offering visitors as William Layton looks to experiment with smaller wine batches. On tap next to the Imposter is a spiced apple wine he worked on for the holidays. When that runs out, the keg will be filled with a trial cherry wine.
“This gives me the opportunity to play around with the wine if I want to,” he said. “I can add a little flavor to it, like chocolate, or I can sparkle it.
“It just gives me the opportunity to try some different things.”
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