Barrel Aged

December: Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Ten Fidy

Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Ten Fidy is on the horizon – another in the family “Fidy Family” of imperial stouts.

The base beer, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, is one of the most well-known imperial stouts in the beer business. The barrel-aged edition Continue Reading →

Jester King Estival Dichotomous, the taste of summer

Jester King Estival Dichotomous, the brewery’s summer saison returns to the world again today.

Jester King has two seasonal saisons – Hibernal Dichotomous and Estival Dichotomous. Depending on the temperature and season, the brewery changes how the beer is brewed, from fermentation, Continue Reading →

Posted in Boulevard Brewing, Headlines

Boulevard Collaboration No. 6 Barrel Aged Blend with Firestone Walker

Boulevard Collaboration No. 6 Barrel Aged Blend brings California based brewery, Firestone Walker into the mix for this latest series addition. This 750 mililiter release is a blend of two Boulevard and two Firestone Walker beers.

At 45% of the blend, Boulevard’s Bourbon Barrel Quad makes up the largest portion of the beer, followed by Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee at an additional 35%. The last 20% consists of Boulevard Imperial Stout X – Tart Cherry (whiskey barrel-aged), and Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin at 10% each.

Boulevard Collaboration No. 6 Barrel Aged Blend is a limited release on draft and 750ml bottles.

Style: American Strong Ale
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft. Limited release.
Release: November, 2016 

12.5%

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Lexington Brewing and Distilling, New Releases

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale cans: “Hand sized barrels”

Lexington Brewing & Distilling’s Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, the the brewery’s signature beer in a lineup of barrel-aged beer, is now available in cans.

Subtitled “The beer of Bourbon Country” Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale was launched in 2006. The strong ale base is aged at least six weeks in freshly emptied bourbon barrels. The brewery knows what they are doing with bourbon, as they also own their own distillery.

It wasn’t long before the popularity of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale spawned various spinoff releases, like Pumpkin Barrel Ale (on shelves for the 2016 season now).

What you’ll taste. Honestly, we’ve always considered Barrel Ale to be America’s edition of a popular import – Innis & Gunn Original. In a way they similar. The beer is heavy on bourbon and vanilla, but still light on the palate. This beer needed to be in cans a long time ago.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale cans are now shipping in 12 ounce cans/ 6 packs across the brewery’s distribution network.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. 12oz Cans (Soon)
Debut (Cans): Late October/November, 2016

8.2% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Sierra Nevada, New Releases

Sierra Nevada Ginger Bigfoot, reminiscent of a cocktail

Sierra Nevada Ginger Bigfoot, part of the brewery’s Trip in the Woods Series, is hitting shelves nationwide.

As the year winds down Sierra Nevada’s famous barleywine, Bigfoot, hits shelves. Until recently, variants of that beer were rare one-off kegs, or bottles found only at the brewery’s taprooms in California and North Carolina. Now you have a chance to buy your own Sierra Nevada Ginger Bigfoot.

This edition features a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine, with added fresh ginger. The ginger gives this strong ale a bright, zesty character.

This is a special version of our barrel-aged Bigfoot Barleywine Ale with fresh ginger added into the barrels. The resulting kick of ginger mellows Bigfoot’s ferocious hop bite and adds a new level of brightness and complexity. The beer features notes of burnt sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and candied ginger.

Taste: A whiskey ginger cocktail comes to mind. Fans of ginger root will be quite happy with this beer. Sierra Nevada understands the symbiotic nature of base beer to flavors picked up in the barrels. Both flavors are very much intact, accentuated with the bright ginger flavors.

Sierra Nevada Ginger Bigfoot is a 750 milliliter bottle release.

Style: Barleywine (w/ Ginger. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Corked & Caged.
Debut: November, 2016

12.6% ABV

Image: Beer Street Journal 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Sierra Nevada, Headlines

Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Barrel Aged Narwhal goes national

Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Barrel Aged Narwhal is hitting shelves nationally.

Variants of this type are typically only found at Sierra Nevada’s taprooms. This time, you are in luck. Narwhal, the brewery’s imperial stout has been spending some time in bourbon barrels with red and black currants – both types of gooseberries. Red currants are a bit like muscadine grapes in flavor. Black – a bit like concentrated blackberries.

We age this rich, chocolatey Imperial Stout in bourbon barrels with a mix of both red currants and black currants for a pop of sweet and tart flavor. The deep, rich notes of the stout blend well with the berries in barrels to create complex flavors of coca and coconut with a mellow fruit undertone.

The base, which is barrel-aged Narwahl, is a big, boozy imperial stout. The berries muted the boozy aspects of this beer a bit. While we can’t say we are experts on red vs. black currants, this beer seems to be very black currant heavy. The mix of berries, chocolate and bourbon, turn this beer into a something of a cocktail, or dessert. You be the judge.

Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Barrel Aged Narwhal is avaialbe in limited quantities in 750 milliliter bottles.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Red Currants, Black Currants. Barrel Aged. Bourbon. )
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Corked & Caged. D
Debut: November, 2016

9.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines

December: Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Ten Fidy

Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Ten Fidy is on the horizon – another in the family “Fidy Family” of imperial stouts.

The base beer, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, is one of the most well-known imperial stouts in the beer business. The barrel-aged edition of Ten Fidy is highly, highly sought after. As you read this, a coffee laden, Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy is hitting the Colorado and North Carolina tap rooms.

Now, Oskar Blues Rum Barrel Aged Ten Fidy lies on the horizon. No need to talk this one to death. This is all the things you love about Ten Fidy, plus rum. Drool worthy for sure.

19.2 ounce cans for this lovely as well. The brewery has not yet announced this beer.

Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged. Rum.)
Availability: 19.2oz Cans
Debut 12/16/16

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Jester King Brewery, Seasonal Return

Jester King Estival Dichotomous, the taste of summer

Jester King Estival Dichotomous, the brewery’s summer saison returns to the world again today.

Jester King has two seasonal saisons – Hibernal Dichotomous and Estival Dichotomous. Depending on the temperature and season, the brewery changes how the beer is brewed, from fermentation, to available ingredients.

The 2016 edition features grapefruit and tangelo zest, that was added to mature barrel-aged sour beer. Then the beer was blended with citrus zest and young beer that was fermented in stainless steel. The final step – refermenting the blend with marion blackberries.

Estival Dichotomous is an analog for the summer season. It’s a beer that’s evocative of the summer weather and its bounty, particularly the smells of hay resting in the fields late in the season.

Jester King Estival Dichotomous will be released at Jester King Brewery on Friday, November 4th, at 4 pm.

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale (w/ Grapefruit. Tangelo Zest. Blackberries. Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft. 3,000 bottles produced
Latest Release: 11/4/2016

5.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Seasonal Return

Wicked Weed Dark Age, a 12% monster rears its head again

Wicked Weed Dark Age is a big barrel-aged offering from the Asheville, North Carolina brewery. Early 2016 saw the first bottles for this monster, and incidentally, this beer geek pleasing stout was one of the first beers released at WIcked’s downtown brewpub.

There have been a lot of wild and funky beers hitting the market from Wicked Weed lately. This release is a bit of a break from the funk. Dark Age is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. It’s big – 12.7% alcohol by volume.

Humanity’s path out of the Dark Age is one without end. This path carries us away from the mystical to the measurable, from the magical to the mathematical, and is a meticulous tale of progress from madness to method. Yet, we still find wonder in the Magic, and the extraordinary potential in the Mystery. Out of this yearning for the old ways, Dark Age Imperial Stout emerges from the whisky barrel, it’s dark malt complexity and bold, yet balanced, sweetness, softened by its mystical evolution in oak.

Wicked Weed Dark Age is a 12.7 ounce bottle offering. Hitting shelves across the brewery’s entire market now.

Style: Imperial Stout (Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 500ml Bottles
Latest Return: November, 2016

12.7% ABV

Image via Wicked Weed

by Reid Ramsay