Sunday, April 5, 2009

Upcoming Barrel Aged Tasting

I've been noticing a big trend in barrel-aging programs among breweries. Something that really hadn't been done that much some years ago is now being done all the time. And the huge new interest and responding brewery demand in wild-ales helps this trend a lot. Personally the huge imperial stout aged in bourbon barrel is an obvious choice, the perfect combination. Aging some of these wild ales in various wine barrels really expands and changes the definition of what beer can be. Either way, I'm a big fan of aging in barrels. It expands the flavors and adds its own unique level of flavor complexity. So this tasting will feature various barrel-aged beers (no oak chips or "beechwood aging" or anything like that). The front runners include: Russian River Consecration, Angel's Share, Goose Island Juliet, and Brewdog Paradox Smokehead (and perhaps another Paradox). We will see what other Imperial Stouts get thrown in here, it'd be nice to have a Barleywine or IIPA to throw in there too, but i'm looking for the appropriate selection for both. I guess DFH Burton Baton will suffice, and I'm thinking about adding Southern Tier Cuvee #2 although im not a 100% sure of it's barrel-aged authenticity. Hopefully I'll have that final lineup soon. Does anyone know about the Cuvee or any other recommendations?

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