Topic Archives: Brandy

Posted in Coming Soon, Headlines, Jester King Brewery

Jester King Reposé, Brewed with Hay

Jester King Repose

Jester King Repose, a farmhouse ale brewed with hay, and hanged in French brandy barrels, is ready to debut.

Repose was inspired by the hay filled barn where Jester King stores their aged hops. In true Jester King fashion, the brewery attempted to recreate the sensory experience of the barn.

How do you make barn beer? Hay. Bales of hay. Jester King added hay bales to the mash tun, and aged hops from burlap bags (seen below).

Stylistically, Jester King Respose resembles a French biere de garde. Brewed in February, 2014, the beer was slowly fermented and barrel aged until it was bottled in January of 2015.

Jester King Repose will debut on Friday, February 24th in 750ml bottles and draft.

Style: Farmhouse Ale (w/ Hay. Barrel Aged. Brandy.)
Availability: 750ml bottles, Draft. 4,500 bottle run.
Release: 2/27/15

8.3% ABV, 12 IBUS

Posted in Don't Miss This, Lost Abbey

Lost Abbey Cuvee De Tomme Is Draft Only in 2014

Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme

Lost Abbey’s Cuvee de Tomme will be draft-only this year. Some packaging restraints have prevented the beer from being released in bottles.

“We had a few packaging constraints near the end of this year so we just didn’t have the means to get Cuvee into bottles” said Tomme Arthur, Co-founder and Chief Operating Owner of The Lost Abbey. “But the good news is we’ll have more kegs and be able to spread the wealth to some territories that have never had it in years past.”

Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme is a blend of Judgement Day (quad with raisins) aged in bourbon, brandy, and red wine barrels with Brettanomyces yeast. Tart cherries also give the beer that little extra complexity. Tommy Arthur came up with the recipe in 1999.

A plus side to this packaging change – there will be more kegs for the brewery’s entire distribution network.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Raisins. CherriesBarrel Aged. Bourbon, Brandy, Red Wine.)
Availability: Draft only (For 2014.)

11% ABV 

Posted in Don't Miss This, New Releases, Westbrook Brewing Co

Westbrook Raver’s Extra Ripe Old Ale Released

Westbrook Raver's Extra Ripe Old Ale

Westbrook Brewing Company (Mt. Pleasant, SC) just released Raver’s Extra Ripe Old Ale. The beer is an old ale, aged 50% bourbon barrels, 25% in red wine barrels, and 25% brandy barrels.

Dust off those glowsticks and get ready to rave once again etith this ripe and funky old ale spiked with brettanomyces and aged for one year in a blend of bourbon, apple brandy, and red wine barrels. Yep!

Westbrook Raver’s Extra Ripe Old Ale is available at the brewery only on draft and 22oz bombers.

Style: Old Ale (Barrel Aged. Brandy, Wine Barrels, Bourbon Barrels)
Availability: 22oz Bombers, Draft. Brewery only, no distribution.

8.2% ABV

Posted in Coming Soon, Firestone Walker Brewing, Headlines

Firestone Walker XVII: The 2014 Blend

Firestone Walker XVIII

Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Anniversary Ale is wildly popular among beer fans. If you ask me, it’s because the brewery pays extremely close attention to the blending process.

Firestone Walker XVIII is a barrel aged blend of nine different beers, blended by not only the brewery, but 14 winemakers. The group is paired off, each making their own blends from the component beers. The choice blends are presented to the group to be blind tasted. Most votes becomes Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale.

The final blend (what you’re waiting to see) includes two collaboration beers Firestone Walker created with Three Floyds (Ol’ Leghorn) and Flying Dog (Hydra Cuvée).

Firestone Walker XVII is: 

  • Parabola  – Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout, aged in Bourbon Barrels. 38% of Final Blend
  • Helldorado – Blonde Barleywine, Aged in bourbon and brandy Barrels. 16% of Final Blend
  • Bravo – Imperial Brown Ale, aged in bourbon & brandy barrels. 16% of Final Blend
  • Stickee Monkee  – Quadrupel, aged in bourbon & Whiskey Barrels. 14% of Final Blend
  • Velvet Merkin – Oatmeal stout, aged in bourbon barrels. 5% of Final Blend
  • Hydra Cuvée – Hoppy Dark Ale, collaboration with Flying Dog, aged bourbon barrels. 4% of Final Blend.
  • Wookey Jack – Black Rye IPA. 3% of Final Blend
  • Ol’ Leghorn – Blonde Barleywine aged in American Oak Barrels. 3 Floyds collaboration. 2% of Final Blend
  • Double Jack – Imperial IPA. 2% of Final Blend

Firestone Walker is a blend of 227 barrels, and 9 different beers. XVII will be available in 227 barrels, and will be available in 22oz bombers.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged. Bourbon, Whiskey, Brandy.)
Availability: 22oz Bombers. Limited Distribution.
Arrival: November, 2014

13% ABV

Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Coming Soon, Headlines

Cigar City Hunahpu a Step Further: Aged in Two Barrels

Cigar City’s Hunahpu Imperial Stout is a perennial favorite, and a bit of a legend. Hunahpu, a strong imperial stout, is brewed with cocoa nibs, ancho and pasilla chilies, cinnamon, and Madagascar vanilla beans. The next release of it is in March, 2014.

Even more rare, are barrel aged editions of this brew. Now for the first time a “double barrel” edition will surface. Hunahpu was/is aged in both rum and brandy barrels (each a separate version of the barrel aged Hunahpu series) and blended together.

The result is sure to be rare (released in lottery or the brewery’s El Catador Club) and definitely mega trade bait. The brewery will announce details closer to release.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ CinnamonVanilla beansChili PeppersCacao Nibs. Barrel Aged. Rum, Brandy)

Availability: 750 ml bottles
Arrival: TBA. Brewery only

11% ABV 

Posted in Westbrook Brewing Co

Westbrook Barrel Aged Mexican Cake Triple Release

Mexican-Cake-Revised-11-0024

What are you doing Friday July 12th at 3pm? The correct answer is heading to Westbrook Brewing Co. for a triple release of their Barrel Aged Mexican Cake. For sale in bottles will be three different versions of their sexy stout Mexican Cake: Apple Brandy Barrel Aged, Jack Daniels Barrel Aged, and Cabernet Barrel Aged.

They will not be going to distributors and they will not be kegged so this is your only chance to get them. They go on sale at 3 with a limit of 4 bottles per person per visit. Bottles will be $20 + tax.

Style: Imperial Stout (aged in Apple Brandy Barrels, Jack Daniels Barrels, and Cabernet Barrels)
Availability: 22oz bottles
Arrival: July 12 2013

10.5%+ ABV

Posted in Beer News, Cigar City Brewing, New Releases

Cigar City Is Releasing Brandy Barrel Hunahpu. Here’s How You Get One

When you make a rare offering, releasing it (when there is high demand) is complicated. There are countless breweries that have tried various methods to make it far to everyone. Cigar City’s Brandy Barrel Hunahpu (their imperial stout aged with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, and chilies, aged in brandy barrels) is no exception. So you want a bottle if this badass offering from sweaty Tampa, Florida? Here’s how Cigar City is doing it.

We’ve received a lot of feedback regarding our methodology behind the release of Brandy Barrel-aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout.We’ve tried several different ways with different levels of success with each one.

Now one of the last methods we’re going to employ is random chance! We will randomly draw names from a hat for the opportunity to purchase ONE bottle of Brandy Barrel-aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stoutat our Spruce Street brewery’s tasting room. We have set aside NINE cases (108 bottles) just for this. We will have SIX total drawings over the next week or so, with 18 winners from each drawing.

To get your name into that hat for the first drawing taking place TOMORROW, you must follow these steps:

– Send an email to [email protected] TODAY between 5:30pm EST and 6:00pm EST. Any emails sent before or after will be disqualified. We use time.gov for our timestamp so you better as well if you want to get it right!
– In the subject line, include your full name AS IT APPEARS ON YOUR IDENTIFICATION.
– The body of the email should remain blank.

Tomorrow we will perform the drawing. We will also film the drawing and upload it to YouTube. 

If you are selected you will also receive an email notifying you as such. 

Some of the six drawings will happen with lots of notice, some will happen with virtually no notice. Better keep an eye on our Facebook for now!

You are only allowed ONE entry per drawing period. If you are lucky enough to win this time around, you will not be eligible to win future drawings. Whatever name you enter in the drawing MUST be the name of the person that is present to purchase the bottle at the brewery. The bottle must then be purchased from the brewery no later than 28 days from the date the drawing takes place. Photo ID is required. 21 and up only.

Good luck!