Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
I do my level best to stay seasonally appropriate. You don’t see mentions of Maibock in January or oodles of Oktoberfest posts in Summer. But, I am making an exception for this…..
…because, well 2020 needs more spirits and I think this one could make some fine fall cocktails since Southern Tier knows it’s way around pumpkin spice.
Cellador Ales is going fancy on Friday November 15th when they release two Jackson Ranch wild ale variants. They are whiskey inspired beers as described by the brewery as, “one aged in a High West Double Rye Single Barrel and the other in a Knob Creek Cask strength Single Barrel.”
Cellador will be making cocktails with the beers that night and if you have had one of them before, you know it will be tasty and interesting.
When it is all haze and 16oz cans, it is sometimes good to see a reliable brewery, like The Bruery, lean into their barrel strength and when they use whiskey barrels with a quad instead of stout. I perk up and start reading the label closely. Probably won’t see this one other than at Bruery locations so a trip to Orange County might be in order.
Whisky and beer are connected but sometimes that connection becomes ever firmer when distillers see the maximizing effect of putting the initials I-P-A on a bottle.
But I would certainly try the latest Experimental Series variant from Glenfiddich because they have gone all in to make a hoppy whisky. They collaborated with a brewer to first create an IPA that they thought would impart hops into the oak casks. Hard work choosing from amongst the beers but the 2nd recipe won out and they then had to figure out how long it needed to season the cask that had formerly held Glenfiddich.
All before putting the whisky in and aging it. The distillery claims that they created a whisky with “unique zesty citrus notes of ripe green apple, William’s pear and spring blossom. Complimented by the subtle tang of fresh hops followed by a long lasting sweetness.”
Barrel-Aged can mean different things. A beer can be in contact with an over used barrel or the barrel’s history might be obscured. Some breweries have barrel experts and others don’t. But if you buy Rolling Thunder from Rogue Ales, you will know that the chain of custody was one entity, Rogue.
Now I don’t get excited by the Voodoo Doughnut beers or Beard Beers but I like the fact that this barrel beer is completely executed by Rogue alone.
Check out the timeline:
From Barrel
“Rogue acquired vintage French WW II era coopering equipment before knowing where to put it and who was going to make the barrels. Longtime employee Nate Lindquist volunteered to be Rogue’s first cooper and spent a year as an apprentice learning the ancient art form of barrel making. Using Oregon White Oak, Nate assembles, raises, toasts, chars, hoops, heads, hoops again, cauterizes, sands and brands each barrel, one at a time all by hand. At full capacity, he makes one barrel a day.”
To Distillery
“The barrels are soaked first with Dead Guy Whiskey, which is distilled from Dead Guy Ale. During a year of aging, the Dead Guy Whiskey imparts its flavor into the oak, getting the barrels ready for the next step in the journey.”
To Brewery
“Eight different types of grains, including oats and Rogue Farms barley are brewed with Rogue Farms hops, brown sugar, sweet dark cherries, vanilla and chocolate to create a bold character that is perfect for aging. The Rolling Thunder barrels that once held Dead Guy Whiskey are filled with Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout and aged in the rich, salty air of Yaquina Bay on the Oregon Coast. After six months in the barrels, the beer is ready for the final step.”
To Bottle
“To complete the journey of barrel to bottle, the imperial stout is poured into 1-liter bottles to be bottle conditioned for another few weeks before being released. Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout can be enjoyed immediately or can be cellared for years to come.”
Craft beer isn’t the only alcoholic beverage that is breaking rules left and right. This quick slide show showcases some real cool whiskey experiments. Who is influencing who can be debated but the fact that Buffalo Trace has a Single Oak Project that looks to understand how the wood of each barrel imparts different flavors is really exciting to see.
Because, you know brewers will be getting their hands on the barrels eventually.
Flaviar is an odd duck of a website and spirits idea that I am not sold on quite yet. The website doesn’t seem geared to people who are picky, more to those who want monthly gift boxes.
Much like Amazon, you can shop for individual spirits without buying a membership, which they also refer to as prime.You can choose auto-selected boxes of whiskey, gin, rum and others or you can self-select what you desire. It arrives to you in science-y looking beakers for tasting.
I appreciate the idea as a tool for exploration but without knowing what it would cost to buy the full bottle, I feel like I could get told any price for one of the tasters. The selection looks strong and unique and different from the mini-bar bottles you could normally buy but at a liquor store you can compare prices.
Filing this under, website to monitor and maybe purchase from later.
Looks like another brewery is into the spirits world as (new to me) Stillwater Spirits has just released it’s third iteration of Moylan’s American Whisky, (no “e”).
It is actually two whiskies:
1. 117.4 proof Double-Barrel Cask Strength Single-Malt Whisky.
2. 86 proof American Single-Malt Whisky.
Here is the description from the brewery/distillery: “Moylan’s Double-Barrel Cask Strength Single-Malt Whisky is aged for at least 4 years in new and used American White Oak barrels and finished in French Oak and Orange Brandy barrels which helps to coax out the rich, sweet luscious character of this amazing whisky. The American Single-Malt Whisky is the same blend of 5 different barrels from our collection of whisky casks. The resulting whiskies have been described as “just simply works of art.”
Better stay on the “Nice” list this year because Deschutes Brewing has three different versions of the Abyss maturing for the cellar geeks in the crowd. There will be the usual Imperial Stout version but this year flanking it will be a Rye Whiskey barrel aged version on one side and a Cognac barrel aged version on the other.
Angel City Brewing and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey threw quite the shindig on Tuesday night. I’m still recovering from it. The theme of the event was Drinking Buddies and it was a beer release party mixed with whiskey and cocktails plus the back-story on the different blends that went into the final barrel-aged Imperial Irish Ale.
My drinking buddy Richard and I sampled the three beers that made up the blend of choice and though we may have liked different components of the beers. I personally thought the dryness and woody-ness of the sherry barrel version was the most intriguing, the Jameson’s came through loud and clear in the end.
Jon Carpenter, the brewmaster gave the rundown on the process and the flavors that each component added after we got a little whiskey lesson from the Jameson rep. It was kinda surreal to see a vey Irish Whiskey juxtaposed against the gritty graffiti and urban L.A. vibe of the brewery but this was a serious party. Plates and glasses whisked away quickly. Plenty of food and gelato and more than plenty of whiskey.
