Tender Greens’ Eric Hulme cooks up some craft beers of his own

Salad-slinging, home-brew-loving chef Eric Hulme of Tender Greens Hollywood is back to bringing farmers market ingredients to local craft beer with his new collaboration with Orange County’s Cismontane Brewing.

Following last year’s team-up with El Segundo Brewing Co. on a cherry saison, Hulme is introducing the Belgian Apple Pie Dubbel, which adds freshly juiced apples, vanilla beans and spices to a classic Belgian-style brew.

The 7.8% alcohol dubbel is now pouring at all of Tender Greens’ California restaurants, from San Diego to the Bay Area, and a goblet will cost you about 6 bucks. You can also score a glass of the brew at the Cismontane tasting room while supplies last.

Hulme, a passionate home brewer, says he feels as comfortable in the brew house as in the kitchen, and he relishes every opportunity he gets to brew with the pros -- even if it means 12-hour days of lugging 50-pound sacks of grain or climbing into stainless steel brewing vessels to scrub them. “[Brewing] is so much like cooking; it’s about sanitation, time and temperature control,” he said over a glass of the ale.

Tender Greens is opening a downtown Burbank location this summer that will be headed by Hulme, and the new outpost will feature five taps (up from Hollywood’s four) of craft beer that will focus on fresh, local brews that pair well with the Tender Greens fare.

Speaking of food pairings, the Belgian Apple Pie Dubbel is a versatile food beer that will be at home alongside many of the dishes at the fast casual restaurants. Hulme suggests “anything with bacon,” or something that features grilled fruit.

“I try to be the force within Tender Greens that pushes craft beer forward,” he says before launching into his wish list for future collaboration brews. He has some intriguing ideas, and some of them are already in preliminary planning stages with local craft breweries.

Hollywood Tender Greens, 6290 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 382-0380.

Cismontane Brewing Co., 29851 Aventura, Suite D, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 888-2739.