10 Barrel Aged Beers You Should Try at BABB
Back to feed- Posted: 1/7/2017
- Categories: Craft Beer
What is Barrel Aged Beer?
Got it? Awesome.
Now that you’re in the know, let’s talk about a few of the incredible barrel aged beers we’ll have to sample (and, well, we’re going to have over 100 this year, so this really is just a few).
Here are 10 Barrel Aged Beers you absolutely have to try at this year’s Barrel Aged Beer Bash!
“One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout, each aged in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso and dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at the stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark.” – Bell’s Brewery
Urban Artifact – Thoroughbred Kentucky Mule Variant
“This beer takes it’s inspiration from the cocktail of the same name. The cocktail, though is inspired from the Moscow Mule. Using a nice helping of ginger beer and lime, the Moscow Mule is refreshing, clean and delicious. It’s Kentucky Mule variant swaps out the boring vodka for the full character of bourbon. This personality-rich cocktail then inspires this bottle. The beer features lime and ginger added to the base beer.” – The Gnarly Gnome
Epic Brewing – Big Bad Baptista
“Big Bad Baptista is inspired by traditional Mexican coffee, Café de Olla, which is served with cinnamon and piloncillo, an unrefined sugar. The Cinnamon adds another layer of complexity and accentuates the earthy character of Mexican Coffee, but more importantly, it captures the essence of a place and its culture.” – Epic Brewing
Taft’s Ale House – Louisa Bramble
“The beer comes in around 5.3% ABV and 5 IBUs. But the real story is the complex, but extremely tart punch that she hits your in the face with. This beer is pretty nuts. It’s 100% Oak fermented, built off a house strain of wild bacteria and yeast. It’s fermented in the brewery’s Italian oak foeder, without the assistance of any of the traditional lager or ale yeasts that you’re more familiar with. To finish the beer, she spends around 4 months in Chardonnay white oak casks from the Napa Valley. What you’re left with is a dry, tart, beer that has a touch of citrus, lemon and grapes.” – The Gnarly Gnome
Fifty West Brewing Company – Death Valley Shootout
“This Imperial Stout was named after a gun battle that took place at George Remus’ Cincinnati estate, Death Valley Farms. The beer was brewed with maple syrup and brown sugar and has an intense baker’s chocolate flavor and aroma with hints of vanilla, wood and tobacco.” – Untappd
Listermann Brewing – BA Pineapple Upsidedown Aftermath
This one’s a total unkown for us, and you know what? That makes it all the more exciting. Be sure to let us know what you think?
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – BA Narwhal
“Barrel-Aged Narwhal is our deliciously dark Imperial Stout aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels. Barrel aging is a strange science; it mellows some characteristics of the original beer while intensifying others. Narwhal’s aggressive roastiness has calmed, but the rich, chocolate-like malt backbone is brought to the fore. Black as midnight, this intense stout is complex with notes of cocoa and espresso balanced with hints of vanilla and toasted coconut from the oak casks. Nearly as rare as it’s nautical namesake, try Barrel-Aged Narwhal while you can because like the creature itself, it will soon dive into the depths and leave nary a trace behind.” – Untappd
Merchant du Vin Lindemans – Spontanbasil
“In a world of myriad new beers – nowadays made with almost any ingredient – this innovative release must be a first: lambic fermented with fresh basil! Lindemans SpontanBasil will be available in ridiculously limited quantities in some US states in February 2016. To produce SpontanBasil, fresh whole basil leaves are added to a batch of one-to-two year old lambic that has been aged on oak. The beautiful flavor and aroma of fresh basil marry perfectly with the sour, tart flavors of lambic. After racking and filling bottles, SpontanBasil gains natural, soft carbonation via bottle-conditioning: the yeast produces CO2 in the corked bottle. SpontanBasil shows a golden color with a hint of green highlights. The body is fairly light; entry and finish are a delightful marriage of real lambic complexity – appetizing sourness – with a beautifully aromatic, delightful, fresh aroma found in kitchens around the world, from Italy to Thailand: fresh basil. ABV: 6.0%” – All About Beer
Jackie O’s Brewery – BA Oil of Aphrodite (Bourbon Barrel Aged Variant)
“Oil of Aphrodite is an American double stout brewed with Integration Acres black walnuts and Belgian candied syrup. English, German, American and Belgian malts are accompanied by Pacific Northwest hop to create a sweet and rich spring board for deep nuttiness. Lay this beer down for a while and share with friends and loved ones.” – Jackie O’s Brewery
MadTree Brewing – Strawberry Levanto
“Ale aged one year in various white wine barrels with strawberries, lemon peel, Brettanomyces, and Lactobacillus.” – RateBeer
