Topic Archives: Barrel Aged
Wild Heaven & Bulliet Bourbon release 5th collaboration
Wild Heaven Beer and Bulliet Bourbon release 5 Points Doppelbock, the fifth installment of their ongoing barrel-aged series.
Recapping the project, Bulliet Bourbon was always stingy with their barrels in the past. As Tom Bulleit told Beer Street Journal during an Atlanta launch event more than a decade ago, all the distillery’s barrels were sent to Scotland for whisky aging. At the time he seemed almost confused at the notion that America’s breweries would want empty bourbon barrels. That would all change in 2020.
Bulliet did a little quiet research, looking for breweries with not just a robust barrel program, but breweries that really cared about barrel aging. Georgia-based Wild Heaven stood out to the Bulliet team and ultimately the Beer and Bourbon Series was born.
The idea behind this project is simple. Wild Heaven creates a beer and Bulliet overnights freshly emptied (wet) barrels from the distillery 437 Miles South to Avondale Estates, Georgia. Fill the barrels, and wait for the magic to happen. During one of the worst years in human existence, 2020, 95 Shilling Scotch ale kicked off the series. The alcohol by volume in that beer could never have been high enough for us considering the times.
RELATED: WILD HEAVEN’S BULLEIT COLLAB WAS WORTH THE WAIT
As fall descends upon Atlanta, the latest emergence is 5 Points – a German-style Dopplebock, aged in Bulleit Rye barrels. Let’s get straight to the point, this beer- much like this series- just keeps getting better and better. A Doppelbock may be a rarer style in the craft brewing world, but Wild Heaven’s head brewer Josh Franks has created a perfect reminder of how damn good they are. “I think it really turned out quite well,” Franks tells us. You’ll never hear the guy brag, but the smile on his face after a few sips of 5 Points tells us everything.
The fresh barrels from Bulleit really make all the difference world here. Vanilla flavors from the rye bourbon-soaked oak in 5 Points are fresh and bold, almost to the point of decadence. The creamy toffee and raisin flavors notes the dopplebock round out this cool weather sipper. More proof that this duo knows what they are doing.
Wild Heaven 5 Points Dopplebock debuts this week in 16-ounce cans and draft. Wild Heaven and Bulleit are already working on their next project.
Style: Dopplebock (Barrel Aged. Rye Bourbon.)
Availability: 16oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: October 2022
Guinness releases barrel-aged Mint Chocolate Stout
Baltimore, Maryland-based Guinness Open Gate Brewery has a new seasonal imperial stout ahead of the holidays – Guinness Mint Chocolate Stout.
The imperial stout is brewed with dried mint leaves, then conditioned on pure cacao (chocolate), then aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels.
“Chocolate and mint are a classic flavor combination, and the way those flavors interact with the bourbon character leads to something really special. It’s the perfect beer to sip on after a solid meal with family and friends over the holidays,” says Open Gate head brewer Sean Brennan.
Guinness Mint Chocolate Stout also compliments recently returning Gingerbread Stout, also brewed in the Baltimore brewery.
Mint Chocolate Stout is available in 11.2-ounce bottles for a limited time.
Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Mint. Chocolate. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 11.2 oz/4pk Bottles. Limited Release.
Debut: November 2021
10.8% ABV
Maple syrup bourbon barrel Founders Frootwood back for 2nd time
Founders Frootwood debuted in 2017. For the first time since its release, Frootwood returns to the brewery’s taproom this month- nationally in January 2022.
The beer was a big hit amongst the brewery’s barrel-aged beer fans. Frootwood is a cherry ale, aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. As you might recall, one of the Founder’s most requested beers is also aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels – Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS).
A flavor Battle Royale.
From the moment this story hit Beer Street Journal 2017, the readers were worried the beer would have too much cherry. Or even worse, being too sweet or too boozy. The result was actually a “Battle Royale” of flavor. Each sip pulled you three ways. The main contenders are bourbon, cherries, and maple syrup – each fighting for dominance. When you hear someone say a beer is “all over the place,” Frootwood is a great example of just that. We hope the latest release is just the same.
We took a crisp, light-bodied cherry ale and hid it away in oak barrels that held both bourbon and maple syrup. After a lengthy sting, it emerged a changed beer, blanketed in notes of warm vanilla and earthy sweetness. The wood proves itself the star of this beer, adding depth and taming the tart cherry while the maple imposes a velvety texture that lingers for not a moment too long.
Founders Frootwood is a 12-ounce bottle release, as well as draft. Estimated retail $15.99 4/pack.
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer (w/ Cherries. Barrel Aged. Bourbon. Maple Syrup.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: January 2017
Latest Return: November 2021
8% ABV
PIC: Beer Street Journal
Our Mutual Friend releases barrel-aged ‘Gratitude 8’
Denver, Colorado’s Our Mutual Friend Brewing is releasing the 8th edition of their special Gratitude beer this weekend.
This year’s edition is a barrel-aged imperial stout.
The brewery is hosting their annual Gratitude Party on September 18th. Party bundles can be purchased for $65.00, which includes a Gratitude shirt, glass, 1 can of Gratitude 8, and 2 drink tickets to use at the event.
EVENT: OUR MUTUAL FRIEND GRATITUDE 8 PARTY
Our Mutual Friend Gratitude 8 is a brewery-only release in 16-ounce cans.
Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel-Aged. Spirit barrel not specified)
Availability: 16oz Cans. Brewery Only.
Debut: 9/18/21
?? ABV
Dogfish Head Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout will return
When Dogfish Head and Boston Beer merged, it was big news. After the dust settled, we were left wondering what’s next. Will it just be Sam Adams and Dogfish Head, independently but together? The sales team for Dogfish Head grew by more than 400%, and there was talk of seeing the Boston Beer logo on Dogfish Head, and vice versa. All that is just boilerplate business stuff.
Then this surfaced – Dogfish Head Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout.
The combination of those two things might make you a little dizzy. Besides 120 Minute IPA, World Wide Stout is one of Dogfish Head’s strongest beers.
Sam Adams Utopias is a blended strong ale born and blended from a plethora of barrels, hovers around 27% alcohol by volume, and runs around $200 dollars a bottle.
Dogfish Head rested World Wide Stout for 7 months in freshly emptied Utopias barrels. Combining these two beers creates something boozy, rare, and special. If you missed the first release in March of 2020, the brewery has bottled another round.
Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout, a jet-black, rich and roasty beer with balanced notes of espresso, cocoa, sherry and vanilla.
Like we said last year, it’s one hell of a way to intercompany collaborate.
Dogfish Head Utopias Barrel-Aged Utopias World Wide Stout will be available again soon, an actual release date hasn’t been announced yet.
Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel-Aged)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. Limited Release, Delaware Only.
Debut: 3/27/20
Latest Return: Fall 2021
17.3% ABV
1.5 years in the making: Buskey Sherry Barrel-Aged Cider
Virginia-based Buskey Cider is releasing Sherry Barrel-Aged Cider this Friday. It is one of just a handful of barrel-aged offerings by the cidery to date.
The inspiration for this cider starts with co-founder Elle Correll, who spent time in Jerez de la Frontera, part of Spain’s Andalusia region. The city is well-known for its sherry production. According to Buskey, Elle has been wanting to make a sherry barrel cider since they opened.
MORE: BUSKEY CREATES CIDER SOFTSERVE
A barrel-fermented cider -a 100% Virginia-grown blend of Ashmead’s Kernel, Black Twig, and Winesap apples went into an Oloroso Sherry barrel in December of 2019. After 9 months, the cider was bottled and bottle conditioned for over a year.
[This] unique bottled cider is nutty, with a raisin character with a citrusy finish.
Buskey Sherry Barrel-Aged Cider is available for pre-order now, releasing in 500-milliliter bottles on Friday, September 10th.
Style: Hard Cider (Barrel Aged. Oloroso Sherry. )
Availability: 500ml Bottles. Limited Release.
Debut: 9/10/21
?? ABV
Orpheus Brewing’s Stouts All the Way Down gains 16th release
Orpheus Brewing Stouts All the Way Down Vol 16 debuts on September 3rd, a part of the brewery’s “Year 7” Anniversary.
This is the 16th iteration of the brewery’s ongoing Stouts All the Way Down Series started an imperial stout aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels. Which as odd as it sounds now, was very unique upon release (around the brewery’s 5th anniversary. Why? No vanilla, lactose, cereal, or other food. Just a barrel-aged imperial stout -something we basically forgot about.
The series name draws from the mythological idea of a world turtle that supports a flat earth on its back. That turtle rests on a larger turtle, and that turtle on a… you get the idea. The stack of turtles continues indefinitely. It’s a popular example of the regress argument in epistemology. If you want to deep dive into a logical wormhole, read up on the term “infinite regress.”
This particular [Turtle] in the series is an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with honey roasted peanuts and strawberries.
Stouts All the Way Down Volume 16 will Bev available in 12.7oz bottles at the brewery starting September 3rd.
Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Honey Roasted Peanuts. Strawberries. Barrel-Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 12.7oz Bottles. Limited Release
Debut: 9/3/21
13% ABV
MORE: Orpheus Year 7 Releases
