Tag Archives: cellared

En Blanc (Barley Wine) Cellared 10 Months – Steel & Oak Brewing

by Mike

From New Westminster’s Steel & Oak Brewing comes their “En Rouge (Barley Wine)” a Barley Wine aged in Chardonnay Barrels.  This beer was cellared for 10 Months after beeing aquired on November 10, 2016.  The beer pours a deep red almost brown with a tan head.  The aroma consists of dark fruits, mild chardonnay, sweetness and almost a candi sugar finish.  The flavour is of dark fruits, toffee, caramel, roasted malts, coconut, oak, chardonnay and grapes in general, leather, hint of bitterness and a mild lingering alcohol bite.  The alcohol content comes in at 10% with an IBU of 15.  Now that the Chardonnay is stepping back a bit I really enjoy this one not being a wine fan.

Commercial Description: En Blanc and En Rouge are the same 10% abv barley wine fermented with wine yeast, and aged for a year in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon barrels respectively. En Blanc is described as having notes of “vanilla, coconut, apricot, peach, molasses and fruitcake with a touch of citrus,” while En Rouge offers “black currant, dark cherry, leather, tobacco, plum and dates.”

Original review

Boris Russian Imperial Stout Cellared 1+ Year – Strange Fellows Brewing

by Mike

From Strange Fellows Brewing Company in East Vancouver comes their “Boris Russian Imperial Stout” the first ever bottled release from the brewery.  This beer was a collaboration with Brasserie Trois Dames from Switzerland brewed November 2014 and held in bourbon barrels until March 2016.  This bottle I opened in January 2017 which makes it 1 year and 2 months old since its bottling date.  The beer pours a black opaque colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, ash, chocolate, toffee, vanilla and oak.  The flavour is of ash, burnt malts, roasted coffee, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, oak, bitterness and some alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 9.5%.  If you can find a bottle of this beer I would recommend picking it up as it is tasting really good right now.

Commercial Description:  Swift & Silent, owl glides through the dark, his screech believed to portend death & misfortune.  Some revere him as a messenger of the spirit world, an oracle of secret knowledge.  Inspired by owl’s omniscience this barrel-aged stout penetrates the inky depths of the soul, illuminating unseen truths.  A collaboration with Brasserie Trois Dams in Nov 2014, this was one of our very frist brews & has aged in Bourbon barrels ever since, developing a deep, dark, rich smoothness & leathery aroma.

img_20170116_1508210

Olde School Barleywine (Aged 2 years) – Dogfish Head Brewery

by Mike

From Milton, Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery comes their “Olde School Barleywine”.  This bottle was brewed around January 2015 and consumed January 2017  The beer pours a deep chestnut brown colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of dates, figs, brown sugar, toffee, syrup and earth.  The flavour is of dates, figs, dark fruits, brown sugar, toffee, treacle, sweetness, earth, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 15% with an IBU of 85.  At 15% this is a huge beer but it is also very tasty and not as boozy as you would expect.  If you can find this buy a few bottles.

Commercial Description: Fermented with dates and figs, this smooth barleywine has a unique flavor.  The concept for this beer came from an old cellerman’s manual Sam came across (for more on that, check out the video below).  At about 15% ABV, this beer is a great candidate for aging. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. Our recommendation? Grab a few bottles when you find it — enjoy one now, and age the others for a bit. Let us know which you prefer!  For more on the Olde School Barleywine (and our potential Olympic bid… yeah, there really is no connection, but it is in here anyway!), check out our Quick Sip Clip.

Food pairing as per the brewery:  Almond-stuffed dates, pumpernickel, tart cherries, Blue cheese with honey.

img_20170102_2144111

Mad Bruin (Sour Brown Ale) Cellared 4 years – Driftwood Brewing

by Mike

From Driftwood Brewing out of Victoria BC comes their “Mad Bruin Sour Brown Ale” the second release in their Birds of Pray series.  I have cellared this bottle for just over 4 years.  This beer was aged in oak barrels for 16 months.  This beer pours a deep redish brown colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of dark fruits, cherry, oak yeast and sweetness.  The flavour is of cherries, dark fruits, huge oak notes, tartness, vinegar notes, earth and some alcohol.  The tartness seems to have really picked up over the 4 years this beer has been in my cellar.  While I liked this beer when it was first released back in 2012 it has aged very well and has upped its game.  I am sad this is the last bottle I had of this beer.

Commercial description:  This Belgian style, Oud Bruin (Old Brown), was aged in oak barrels for 16 months and then blended with a  young ale for a unique profile of delicate malt, acidity and oak ageing. Mad Bruin will continue to develop more complexity with cellaring.

Original review.

img_20161230_2202347

Braggot (2013 Vintage) – Parallel 49 Brewing (Aged 3 Years)

by Mike

From East Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing comes their “Braggot 2013 Vintage” a beer / mead hybrid aged in oak barrels for 10 months and then cellared for three years.  The beer pours a deep red almost brown with a light brown head.  The aroma consists of honey, treacle, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruits and chocolate.  The flavour is of honey, treacle, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruits, chocolate, oak, earth and some cherries.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.2% with an IBU of 8.5.  While this is a boozy brew you don’t really taste very much alcohol anymore and it reminds me of some of the better barleywines on the market after some aging.  I hope that Parallel 49 Brings this gem back as it is very tasty!

Commercial Description:  A tale as old as time, beer as old as Chaucer:  Braggot is a blend of beer and mead that has been enjoyed as far back as the 12th century.  With malt and honey flavours, this hybrid is aged in oak barrels for 10 months for a slightly sweet and complex aroma.

img_20161018_2027154