Tag Archives: cherry

A.E. Cross Barley Wine Barrel Aged – Last Best Brewing & Distilling

by Mike

From Last Best Brewing & Distilling in Calgary Alberta comes their second ever bottled beer the “A.E. Cross Barley Wine Barrel Aged” the second of their Lineage Series.  This is a 2016 Vintage and has been cellared by the brewery itself until 2018.  The beer pours a deep orange brown colour with an off white head.  For the second release they split the beer into two versions one unoaked and then this one that was barrel aged for 10 Months in Alberta Rye Whiskey Barrels.  The aroma consists of mild oak, dark fruits, stone fruit, brown sugar, caramel, toffee and rye.  The flavour is of oak, dark fruits, cherry, toffee, caramel, grapefruit rind, honey, resin, rye spice, rye whiskey, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 11.8% with an IBU of 45.  This is a borderline American Barelywine and really enjoyable.  I hope they make more of this in the future.

Commercial Description:  With our 2nd lineage release, we pay homage to a prairie legend with our riff on a classic style. The Alfred Ernest Goss Barley Wine uses locally sourced barley wheat, and rye as a fitting tribute to the founder of Calgary Brewing & Malting and the embodiment of the Last Best West.  We split this release into two: one unoaked and one aged for 10 months in 100% Alberta rye whiskey barrels Layered with subtle, integrated oak and a developing rye spiciness, this beer is characterized by its sweet caramel and barley malt base alcohol warmth, hints of dark fruit and a touch of light malted wheat Serve it at cellar temperature and age for years to come.

Barrel Aged Hermannator – Vancouver Island Brewing

by Mike

From Vancouver Island Brewing in Victoria comes their “Barrel Aged Hermannator”.  The beer pours a deep brown colour with a red tinged head.  The aroma consists of dark fruits, red wine, oak, anise, toffee, caramel, bready malts and sweetness.   The flavour is of red wine, dark fruits, cherry, caramel, chocolate, toffee, earth, citrus rind and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 8.5% with an IBU of 25.  This was a very interesting beer but it had little left of what Hermannator was sadly.  I hope in future versions of Barrel Aged Hermannator they let the original beer shine thought a little more.

Commercial Description:  Our original Brewmaster Hermann Hoerterer designed Hermannator as a seasonal gift to friends & family in 1987. It soon became our flagship brew, the most anticipated beer of the year. 2017 marks the 30th anniversary of Hermannator. To celebrate we’ve aged Hermannator in red wine barrels, leaving it with beautiful notes of red wine, sherry, and plum that will only get better with time.  Hermannator Ice Bock is a well loved and established beer. By aging it in red wine barrels the plum and sherry notes are added upon to create a wholly different experience. Fruitier, brighter, and dangerously easy to drink. The additional 2 months of barrel aging leaves an aggressive red wine note that is sure to age beautifully for those that can resist drinking it all right away.

You Gonna Eat That?- Twin Sails Brewing

by Mike

From Twin Sails Brewing in Port Moody comes their “You Gonna Eat That?” a Black Forest Cake stout.  The beer pours a deep brown colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of chocolate, mild roast, cherry and some sweetness.  The flavour is of cherries, chocolate, mild roast, earth, creamy with a mild bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 8.2%.  I personally really like the pastry stout and this one was defiantly enjoyable.

Woolly Bugger Barley Wine 2017 – Howe Sound Brewing

by Mike

From Squamish BC’s Howe Sound Brewing comes the “Woolly Bugger Barley Wine” 2017 Vintage. After a few years of moving to a 650ml bottle Howe Sound Brewing has opted to move to a 750ml bottle for this beer.  The beer pours a deep reddish brown colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists dark fruits, almost cherry, caramel, some hops bitterness and a sweet finish.  The flavour is of dark fruits, cherry, resin, citrus rind, toffee, caramel, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.7%

Chocolate Cherry Porter – Tin Whistle Brewing

by Mike

From Penticton BC’s Tin Whistle Brewing comes their “Chocolate Cherry Porter”. The beer pours a  dark brown colour with a brown head. The aroma consists of cherry, roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, toffee and sweetness. The flavour is of chocolate, roasted malts, cherry, toffee, caramel, earth, bitterness, coffee with a sweet finish. The alcohol content comes in at 5.5%. Once again this beer seems to have changed up a bit from last year. This beer would go amazingly as a winter time dessert. Maybe add some ice cream. 

Commercial Description:Deliciuos dark beer made from fresh cherries and cacao. It’s combined with rich chocolate barley and subtle hopping. It’s a new limited edition winter beer especially for the Christmas season.