Barrel Aged

Victory Red Thunder Returns This Month

Victory Brewing Company will be re-releasing wine barrel aged Red Thunder again this month. The brewery took Baltic Thunder and aged it in red wine barrels. We’re hoping for a wider distribution this time around.

“Flavor?

…The burnished cocoa creaminess of the Baltic-style porter Continue Reading →

Saint Arnold Bishop Barrel #4: August 12th

Those lovers of Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s Bishop Barrel Series can look forward to the forth release this month. Saint Arnold brewer Stephen Rawlings created a weizenbock that aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs. Interestingly, after barrel Continue Reading →

Red Brick Now Barrel Aging New Barleywine

Red Brick Brewing (Atlanta) just shipped 20th Anniversary Imperial Stout. This is the first time the brewery has used Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. After draining 20th Anniversary, the brewery refilled the barrels with a full bodied barleywine, Continue Reading →

Posted in Harpoon Brewing, New Beers

Harpoon Cab-Beret

Harpoon Cab-Beret

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Brash Brewing, Coming Soon

Great Beer Names: Brash Brewing “Biggie Smalls”

Brash Biggie Smalls

Today in great beer names comes Brash Brewing’s Biggie Smalls. Biggie is an imperial brown ale, with split barrel aging. Half of the beer is aged in rum barrels, the other half is aged in whiskey barrels. It’s big too – 11% ABV. Judging by Brash’s release schedule, this should be the follow up to the brewery’s summer saison, Cold Ass Honky.

Style: Imperial Brown Ale (Barrel Aged, Rum & Whiskey)
Availability: 22oz bombers
Arrival: TBA

11% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Seasonal Return, Victory Brewing Company

Victory Red Thunder Returns This Month

Victory Red Thunder

Victory Brewing Company will be re-releasing wine barrel aged Red Thunder again this month. The brewery took Baltic Thunder and aged it in red wine barrels. We’re hoping for a wider distribution this time around.

“Flavor?

…The burnished cocoa creaminess of the Baltic-style porter is accented by the tannic dryness of the wood to produce a rich, fruity final product.

Style: Baltic Porter (Aged in Red Wine)
Availability: 750 ml bottles, Corked & Caged

8.5% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Goose Island Brewing

Goose Island’s “Gillian” Set To Return

Goose Island Gillian

By all best estimates, 2010 was the last time the world saw Goose Island Gillian. This farmhouse ale is brewed with strawberries, white pepper, and honey, then aged in wine barrels. You might know Gillian by another name – Scully. Inspired by amuse bouche, and created to be a “harmonious blend of mouth amusement.” We’re told we should see this mouth pleaser in late 2013.

Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale with White Pepper, Strawberry, and Honey. Inspired by an amuse bouche often prepared by the wife of one of our brewers, Scully brings white pepper, strawberry, and honey to a harmonious blend of “mouth amusement”. The ingredients are added at different stages to a Saison, and fermented with a normal Belgian yeast as well as a Champagne yeast. One of our favorite brews of the past year with many levels of complexity and character.

Style: Saison (w/ Strawberries, White Pepper, Honey. Wine Barrel Aged)
Availability: 765 ml bottles
Arrival: Late 2013

9.1% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Saint Arnold Brewing

Saint Arnold Bishop Barrel #4: August 12th

Saint Arnold Bishop 4

Those lovers of Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s Bishop Barrel Series can look forward to the forth release this month. Saint Arnold brewer Stephen Rawlings created a weizenbock that aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs. Interestingly, after barrel aging this release, the weizen yeast – what gives this beer its flavor character, had all but disappeared. A small amount of fresh weizenbock was blended into the barrel aged batch to fix this.

There are notes of bourbon, chocolate and banana in this beer – something akin to a banana split with chocolate ice cream that perhaps grandpa spiked with a little bourbon.

Unbarrel aged Weizenbock will release alongside the BB4 for back and forth tasting fun. BB4 is only sold at bars and restaurants.

Style: Weizenbock (w/ Cocoa Nibs, Barrel Aged. Bourbon)
Availability: 12oz bottles, On-Premise locations only
Arrival: 8/12/13

 9.9% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Red Brick Brewing

Red Brick Now Barrel Aging New Barleywine

Red Brick Brick Mason Glass

Red Brick Brewing (Atlanta) just shipped 20th Anniversary Imperial Stout. This is the first time the brewery has used Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. After draining 20th Anniversary, the brewery refilled the barrels with a full bodied barleywine, to sit for about 6 months, debuting as a part of the Brick Mason Series in January, 2014.

More to come on this release…

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Goose Island Brewing

Goose Island’s Sour Peach Saison Hits in October

Goose Island Halia

In May, we mentioned a draft only (at the time) newbie from Goose Island (Chicago) – Halia. The Belgian-style farmhouse ale will soon be offered in bottles .

Halia is brewed with peaches and aged in wine barrels with brettanomyces yeast, and it reported to have a nice sour note to compliment the fruit and wine notes. According to Goose Island this will be released in October.

Style: Saison (w/ Peaches, Wine Barrel Aged)
Availability: 25.87 oz bottles
Arrival: October, 2013

?? ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay