Tag: barrel aged

Posted on

Review – Miehana Madness from Bottle Logic

I have been quite dismissive of hard seltzers on this blog for what I think are good reasons but one outlier has been on my mind, Bottle Logic Brewing and their barrel-aged versions.

I made a beeline one Saturday to finally try one and settled on…

Miehana Madness part of their Lightning in a Bottle series of cocktail-inspired spirit barrel-aged hard seltzers. It is a rum barrel-aged seltzer in honor of famed Anaheim tiki bar Strong Water that has “layers of juicy orange, lush coconut, a zing of pineapple and lime, and the familiar warmth of rum. With a light, cocktail-like mouthfeel and intentionally low carbonation…”

There is coconut and orange and very much a rum texture to this. Fairly slick on the tongue and not seltzer bubbly at all. abv is well hidden. Some vanilla sneaks in at the end. 

Posted on

To Remember

The Bruery has another real big beer on the way aged in an uncommon barrel.  The Madeira Affair is exactly that, a “Madeira barrel-aged imperial stout that will float in at the way high 18.1% ABV.”

“This imperial stout, imbued with the spirit of the Madeira Islands, erupts with aromas of dark red berries, oak, and chocolate.Embark on a flavor expedition with notes of jammy fruit, dark chocolate, and vanilla, leading to a robust, bold, and dry finish.”

Posted on

Batch 51

Add this beautifully packaged beer to your treasure hunter list…

La Trappe for their Oak Aged Batch 51 has matured their Quadrupel for 18 months on very fancy Pineau des Charentes Rouge Cognac barrels. Sounds quite luxurious.

Posted on

Featured Review – Lough Gill Barrel-Aged Beer # 1 – Trinity

Back to Lough Gill based in Sligo, Ireland and the second of three big beers on three different barrel types…

On to Trinity! The Bourbon barrel-aged oatmeal stout. The bourbon comes through in the aroma and it was a particularly heady latte head on this variant. As with Spear, the biggest flavor component is a maple syrup note. Here though is a balancing caramel note. Trinity finishes a bit thin and very sweet. I am hoping that the last beer will cut down on that.

Posted on

The Lair

I have been following craft beer long enough to have been through the high IBU wars and the high ABV battles so it is with a bit of nostalgia for tgat time that I post about New Holland Brewing’s Dragon’s Milk, Triple Mash a riff on their Dragon’s Milk line that I only just heard about recently.  It is a “rich 18.7% ABV Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout” that is released early in the beer calendar year.  And I like seeing that breweries are still going big.

Posted on

From Outside the U.S. – Part 1 – Duvel and Brazil

I am a big fan of Duvel’s barrel-aged program.  And the next one is a very unique choice.   Going the historical route with Brazilian cachaça from Brazil. Sorta like a rum relative.

Duvel snagged over 400 oak cachaça barrels for their cellars and after 8 months of aging achieved what they say is Duvel but with a “lively fruit punch, which then expands festively with notes of oak, dried nuts and vanilla.”  

If I do see the Duvel Barrel Aged, The Brasil Rum Edition. You know I will pick it up.

Posted on

Barrels upon Barrels

The Bruery has a trifecta of bigggg beers coming out.  Let’s go low (but still high) to really high.

14.7% – Fireproof will be an imperial stout (Bayonet) aged in Port barrels that previously held Balcones Distilling Hechicheros single malt Whiskey barrels.

17.7% – Demon Water will be an imperial stout aged in Newport Craft Distilling Thomas Tew Rum barrels.

19.7% – The Malt Mill will be an imperial stout (Black Tuesday) aged in Westward Whiskey barrels.

Posted on

The Birthday Beer 2023

I zagged to a classic this year and picked up a bottle (glass to you young folk) of Curieux from Allagash. Labeled as a golden ale but really a blend of barrel-aged Tripel with fresh Tripel.

Since I have had a couple Cur-8’s that Allagash did with Crowns & Hops, I had bit of a head start on re-visiting this classic of the beer canon. Pours a muddy orange color. Orange and a tiny touch of bourbon oak on the nose. Belgian yeast esters in effect in the taste department with a mini-mix of clove and banana show up. That bit of spice really ties it together. Does not taste over 10% at all.

Posted on

Wheat 34

Wheatwine, stop if you have heard this before, doesn’t have its own space in the bottle shop cooler.  But when you can find one, it usually is a special release and one to try.  Such is the case with Karl Strauss and their 34th anniversary release.

Here are the details from the brewery, “To kick it up a notch for our anniversary, we aged ours in Chardonnay barrels with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc grape peels. Aromas of freshly baked bread and caramel dance with hints of oak from the barrels and subtle herbaceous notes from the grape peels. It’s full-bodied, with a luscious mouthfeel and a smooth finish.”