Oak Aged

Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois returns Friday

Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois — the brewery’s farmhouse beer brewed with Texas grown Blanc du Bois grapes, returns seasonally on January 6th.

This creation first debuted in 2014, the brainchild of Adrienne Ballou, Jester King’s barrel program lead. To create Jester Continue Reading →

Funky. Odell Elephunk, a wild IPA debuts

Odell Elephunk, an imperial “wild” IPA is hitting shelves now.

The brewery touts this newbie as “a perfect balance between sweet and tart.” Per the Odell’s sales sheet, the base India pale ale has been aged in oak barrels with wild yeast.

Pungent tropical Continue Reading →

Posted in Creature Comforts, Coming Soon, Jester King Brewery

Creature Comforts Curious 10 to debut on sold out tour

Creature Comforts Curious 10 will be available on a special brewery tour on January 21st.

This 10th iteration in the Curious Series partners Creature Comforts once again with Austin, Texas based Jester King Brewery. ((Last summer, the duo released another collaboration, Mutualism.) This mixed fermentation beer is made with grits from local Dayspring Farms, and grape skins from Yonah Mountain Vineyards (Cleveland, GA).

Creature Comforts Curious 10 underwent four separate fermentations in oak barrels over the past 18 months.

The beer pours with a transparent rose hue and quickly dissipating white foam. The aroma and flavor are that of a delicate floral and the beer softly expresses strawberry, hibiscus, nectarine, pear, and lemon with a crisp, light mouthfeel and very clean finish.

Creature Comforts Curious 10 will be available in 16.9 ounce bottles, on a now sold-out tour.

Style: American Wild Ale (w/ Grits, Grape Skins. Oak Aged.)
Availability: 16.9oz Bottles. Extremely Limited.
Debut: 1/21/17

6.1% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Southern Tier Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

Southern Tier 2X Oak’d IPA kicks off the new year

Southern Tier 2X Oak’d IPA is now hitting shelves, giving you an oaky way to start the new year.

A few years ago, the Lakewood, New York based brewery had an oaky rendition of their year-round Unearthly IPA, known as Oak Aged Unearthly. By our best estimates, that beer was retired over two years ago. Next year, the oak is coming back, with a syrupy friend.

Southern Tier 2X Oak’d IPA is is now apart of the brewery’s lineup as the new year gets underway. It too is an imperial India pale ale aged on French oak chips, featuring Centennial, Chinook, and Cascade hops, four malts, plus a new ingredient – New York maple syrup. The resulting beer full of citrus and pine up front, with a touch of maple sweetness in the finish.

…Roasted malts bring a deep amber hue that’s matched by drums of maple syrup, which are added to help boost fermentation & provide a clean, earthy component with a slight residual sweetness.

Expect Southern Tier 2X Oak’d IPA in 12 ounce bottles and draft starting in January, 2017.

Style: Imperial IPA (w/ Maple Syrup. Oak Aged.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Winter-Spring Seasonal.
Debut: January, 2017

8.2% ABV, 65 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Seasonal Return, Jester King Brewery

Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois returns Friday

Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois — the brewery’s farmhouse beer brewed with Texas grown Blanc du Bois grapes, returns seasonally on January 6th.

This creation first debuted in 2014, the brainchild of Adrienne Ballou, Jester King’s barrel program lead. To create Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois, Ballou simulated orange wine fermentation techniques. During this process, the grape skins, seeds, and stems are left in the wine during primary fermentation. (As opposed to separating the skins prior to fermenting.)

Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois is fermented and matured in oak barrels with wild yeast and souring bacteria. After fermentation, it was refermented with the Blanc du Bois grapes.

Batch 2 of Jester King Bière de Blanc du Bois will be available at the brewery starting January 6th, 2017.

Style: American Wild Ales (w/ Grapes. Oak Aged.)
Availability: 500ml bottles. 1,800 available. $20
Return: 1/6/17

6.7% ABV

Pics via Jester King

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, Headlines

From the foeder: New Belgium French Oak Saison

New Belgium French Oak Saison is slated for bottles in the near future.

The Fort Collins, Colorado location is home to one of the largest wood cellars in America. You can thank New Belgium’s brewmaster Peter Bouckaert for that vision, and his past work with Belgium’s renown sour producer, Rodenbach. The brewery’s foeders are responsible for American sour favorites like La Folie and Tart Lychee.

Soon, New Belgium French Oak Saison will emerge from the wood as well. The base farmhouse ale is a sour blend that been foeder matured for 14 to 19 months.

French Oak Saison is our unique take on the original 18th Century saisons brewed along the Belgian and French countryside. The dry and refreshing tartness created by oak barrel maturation. Amusez-vous bien!

New Belgium French Oak Saison will be a 22 ounce bottle and draft release.

Style: American Wild/Sour Ale (Oak Aged)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: TBA

7.5% ABV

Overhead view of New Belgium’s wood cellar. Image: New Belgium

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Odell Brewing, New Releases

Funky. Odell Elephunk, a wild IPA debuts

Odell Elephunk, an imperial “wild” IPA is hitting shelves now.

The brewery touts this newbie as “a perfect balance between sweet and tart.” Per the Odell’s sales sheet, the base India pale ale has been aged in oak barrels with wild yeast.

Pungent tropical fruit aromas burst forward while oak-aged traits of vanilla, brown sugar and cedar create a slightly sweet contrast to the tart flavor.

Odell Elephunk is available in limited quantities in 12 ounce bottles and draft.

Style: American Wild Ale (Oak Aged)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. No draft.
Debut: December, 2016

9.9% ABV

Ed note: Removed draft availability. Bottles only. 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Seasonal Return, Upland Beer

Upland Brewing Teddy Bear Kisses returns this winter

Upland Brewing Teddy Bear Kisses, a Russian Imperial Stout aged on fair trade cacao nibs, returns this winter. Clocking in at 10%, this high ABV winter seasonal is oak aged on cocoa nibs for four weeks, giving it a slightly sweet and bold chocolate flavor with dark caramel and vanilla notes.

“Teddy Bear Kisses is aged for four weeks on cacao nibs to provide an intense chocolate flavor and aroma, like sipping on cup of hot cocoa. A roasty bitterness balanced by moderate sweetness provides incredible drinkability for this style.” -Matt Wisely, Innovation Lead

This seasonal release, Teddy Bear Kisses, hits shelves starting this week in 4-packs and draft within Upland Brewing distribution.

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (Oak Aged. Chocolate.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. Draft.
Release: December 2016

10% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Jester King Brewery

Wicked Weed Red Atrial, a Jester King collaboration sells out

Wicked Weed Red Atrial sounds like a legendary collaboration. It’s took about an hour to sell out.

Jester King Atrial Rubicite is one of the brewery’s most sought after fruited sour ales. Jester King adds Washington raspberries to the oak matured sour beer, and allowed to re-ferment to boast dryness.

Wicked Weed Red Angel is a red sour ale – the red coming from 1.5 pounds of raspberries per gallon. Easily one of the best in the series.

Wicked Weed Red Atrial is a 50/50 blend of Red Angel and Atrial Rubicite, taken a step further. Each brewery independently aged their base beer on 5 pounds per gallon of raspberries, then combined the two beers onto 4 pounds per gallon of fresh raspberries to re-ferment in puncheons for an additional two months.

Blenders and cellarmen from Wicked Weed and Jester King were tasting their most prestigious raspberry sour ales side by side, and the inevitable idea of a blend quickly emerged. Red Angel was combined in a snifter with Atrial Rubicite and the stunned silence of each taster confirm that this is a beer to bring to the people. This combination is more than the sum of its beautiful parts. Experience raspberry sour alchemy in Red Atrial.

Wicked Weed Red Atrial was a 500 milliliter bottle release, available at the Funkatorium in Asheville on November 26th.

Style: American Sour/Wild Ale (w/ Raspberries. Oak Aged)
Availability: 500ml Bottles

Debut: 11/26/16

6.4% ABV

 

by Reid Ramsay