Barrel Aged

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad: New Size

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, aka “BBQ” has been a part of the brewery’s Smokestack Series for years. The Kansas City based brewery ages a quadrupel in bourbon barrels with cherries for the release.

Starting in September, this popular Smokestack member is switching over Continue Reading →

Posted in Heavy Seas, Don't Miss This

Heavy Seas 21 Anniversary Ale is slated for December

Heavy Seas 21 Anniversary Ale will be a new entry in the brewery’s Uncharted Waters Series, marking over two decades of craft brewing.

To celebrate the Baltimore, Maryland based brewery’s 21st birthday, Heavy Seas 21 Anniversary Ale will be released. The base beer is an imperial Extra Special Bitter (ESB), brewed with rye malt and local Domino brown sugar, and aged in Sagamore Rye Whiskey barrels.

RELATED: Heavy Seas Great’er Pumpkin

To celebrate our 21st Anniversary, we have created a Rye Imperial ESB brewed with imported UK malt, local Domino brown sugar, a powerful English Ale Yeast, and a blend of herbaceous British hops (to the tune of 65 IBUs). 21 was aged for sixty days in locally sourced, single use Sagamore Rye Whiskey barrels.

21 years is a strong milestone for Heavy Seas. In order to get to where the brewery stands today, founder Hugh Sisson got heavily involved in politics and changed some of Maryland’s restrictive laws. Every beer you drink from Heavy Seas is a testament to Sisson’s desire to bring great beer to Maryland.

Heavy Seas 21 Anniversary Ale will be a 22 ounce bottle and draft release.

Style: ESB (w/ Brown Sugar. Barrel Aged. Rye Whiskey.)
Hops: Chinook, UK Kent Goldings, UK Fuggle
Malts: Marris Otter Malt, Crystal Malt, Caramalt, CaraRye Malt

Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: December, 2016

10.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Innis & Gunn

Innis & Gunn Smoke and Mirrors sent to Trump and Hillary

Innis & Gunn Smoke and Mirrors, a beer for American politics, encourages a straight-talking honesty by adding ingredients that act as a truth serum. The brewery sent both Hillary and Trump bottles of this new truth serum beer to “remind them of the importance of truthful campaigning as they battle it out to become the country’s next President.”

Scotland is no stranger to political uncertainty and relates to those times where honesty becomes a blurry concept. Therefore, Smoke and Mirrors is a beer brewed specifically for the American people during the election of 2016. Founder and Master Brewer, Dougal Gunn Sharp commented,

“Scotland is a straight-talking nation and we’re looking forward to bringing a little part of our Scottish candidness over to the States, along with our most innovative brew to date, Smoke & Mirrors. Our latest beer has been brewed especially for the American people and demonstrates how beer can be so much more than just a drink. Through Smoke & Mirrors, we have the power to open up a more real, more honest world.” 

Innis & Gunn Smoke and Mirrors, uses the Innis & Gunn strong ale base we all know and love, plus the brewery’s “truth serum”. The serum adds licorice root, mullein (a natural herb), and vine essence (yet another herb).

This offering is a limited release, as in probably just Hillary and Trump.

Style: English Strong Ale (w/Licorice Root, Mullein, Vine Essence.)
Availability: 11.2oz bottles, Limited release

7.4% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Boulevard Brewing, New Releases

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad: New Size

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, aka “BBQ” has been a part of the brewery’s Smokestack Series for years. The Kansas City based brewery ages a quadrupel in bourbon barrels with cherries for the release.

Starting in September, this popular Smokestack member is switching over to 12 ounce bottles, and becoming a year-round release.

Based loosely on the Smokestack Series’ The Sixth Glass, this abbey-style quadrupel is separated into a number of oak bourbon barrels where it ages for varying lengths of time, some for up to three years. Cherries are added to make up for the “angel’s share” of beer lost during barrel aging. Selected barrels are then blended for optimum flavor. The resulting beer retains only very subtle cherry characteristics, with toffee and vanilla notes coming to the fore.

The brewery has instituted this new format change for one of the brewery’s most loved beers. You’ll find “BBQ” in 12 ounce bottles, a part of a 4-pack, year-round going forward.

Style: Quadrupel (w/ Cherries. Brown Sugar, Candi Sugar.  Barrel Aged)
Hops: Magnum, Styrian Golding
Malts: Pale Malt, Cara 300, Munich, Malted Wheat

Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. 
Debut: September, 2016

11% ABV, 19 IBUs

Image: Boulevard Brewing

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Boulevard Brewing, New Beers

Boulevard Scotch-on-Scotch

Boulevard Scotch-on-Scotch.  A new limited release coming in 2017.

More information to follow.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Carolina Bauernhaus Ales, New Releases

Carolina Bauernhaus Feral Barrel Blackberry debuts September 16th

Carolina Bauernhaus Feral Barrel Blackberry will debut on September 16th.

The Anderson, South Carolina based brewery released their first bottles in June. Since then bottle releases have been frequent. Carolina Bauernhaus Feral Barrel Blackberry is the brewery’s American wild/sour ale, aged for six months in a mix of wine and bourbon barrels, using native South Carolina yeast, as well as yeast from SouthYeast Labs.

In the six weeks prior to bottling, the beer was aged on a massive amount of locally grown blackberries.

A dark wild ale featuring regional malts and fermented in Cabernet wine barrels with our house blend of native yeasts, and Brettanomyces and soured with our own strain of Lactobacillus isolated by SouthYeast Labs from opuntia fruit in La France, SC. This beer was aged on local blackberries for a dark fruit note balanced by bright acidity and a rich malty body.

Carolina Bauernhaus Feral Barrel Blackberry is a 22 ounce bottle release.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Raspberries. Barrel Aged. Bourbon. Wine Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft. Limited.
Debut: 9/16/16

5.7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Green Flash Brewing, Coming Soon, Don't Miss This

Green Flash Ochre Frumento, the brewery’s booziest ever

Green Flash Ochre Frumento will join the brewery’s Barrelmaster Reserve Series on September 17th. Incidentally, the strongest beer the brewery’s has ever released.

The base of Green Flash Ochre Frumento is a barleywine, that has aged a total of 6 years in both bourbon and brandy barrels. The final alcohol by volume is a whopping 17.5%, which is officially the strongest beer the San Diego based brewery has ever released.

 It pours a deep brown and presents an aroma that is sharp and spirit-barrel forward. Prominent flavors of toffee and caramel envelop the palate, and supporting notes of ripened stone fruits with nutty complexity unfold through the finish.

The first release in the series sold out in hours – Lustrous Frumento with Coffee.

There are only 600 bottles of Green Flash Ochre Frumento available. Find it at the brewery’s Cellar 3 Facility on Saturday, September 17th.

Style: American Strong Ales (Barrel Aged. Bourbon. Brandy.)
Availability: 750m Bottles. Limited

Debut: 9/14/16

17.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Westbrook Brewing Co, Don't Miss This

Westbrook Whiskey Sour Weisse Weisse Baby (start humming)

Westbrook Whiskey Sour Weisse Weisse Baby is now available. A new spin on the brewery’s berliner weisse.

The creation Westbrook Whiskey Sour Weisse Weisse Baby requires lemons. Bourbon barrels. And more lemons (besides the base berliner weisse).

Stop! Commence the sippin’ Westbrook is back with a brand new invention with this not-so-traditional twist on our German-style Berliner Weisse. We take our regular Weisse Weisse Baby base beer and age in in bourbon barrel, then infuse it with fresh lemons before bottling.

Other iterations of Weisse include Lemon Coconut, and upcoming Blueberry. Westbrook Whiskey Sour Weisse Weisse Baby is a 22 ounce bottle release.

Style: Berliner Weisse (w/ Lemons. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: Late August, 2016

4.5% ABV

by Reid Ramsay