Tag Archives: oak barrel

HopAnomaly – Nebraska Brewing

by Mike

From Nebraska Brewing in Papillion Nebraska comes their “HopAnomaly” an Ale aged in Chardonnay Barrels.  The beer pours a cloudy orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of candi sugar, citrus, Chardonnay, oak, some spice and Belgian yeast.  The flavour is of Chardonnay, citrus, tropical fruit, candi sugar, toffee, oak, sweetness, spices, Belgian yeast, hops bitterness and some alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.6% with an IBU of 87.  While I am not a fan of Chardonnay at all this beer really worked well with the wine barrel and was an absolute treat.  I wish I had the ability to get more of this beer or more from the brewery but that is the nature of trading beers.

Commercial Description:  An artful creation which began with our HopAnomaly Belgian-Style IPA, enhanced by a 6 month maturation in French Oak Chardonnay Barrels. This version of Hop God is a fascinating, big, bold Belgian-style Tripel hopped in very high amounts to concentrate citrus, grapefruit and floral aromatics in the nose. The addition of Chardonnay barrel aging adds further dimension and oak tannins to an already wonderfully complex Ale – bringing to mind tropical fruits and peach. We know of nothing that compares – enjoy!

Food pairing as per brewery:  Hors d’ oeuvres = Mushroom Risotto, Cheese = Bleu Cheeses, Gouda, Entrée = Pizza, Gourmet Grilled Burgers, Chimchurri, Roasted Chicken, Desert = Pecan Pie, Lemon Mergane Pie

4TH ANNIVERSARY ALE (Barleywine) – Powell Street Craft Brewery

by Mike

From Powell Street Craft Brewery in East Vancouver comes their “4TH ANNIVERSARY ALE” a barleywine aged in oak barrels with brettanomyces.  They made 4 barrels of this beer and in the end did not blend them so all 4 beers are quite different.  This review is of a bottle of 3 of 4 barrels as I was told this was the funkiest of the 4.  This was bottle 64 of 266.  The beer pours a deep chestnut brown with cloudiness and a tan head.  The aroma consists of big funkiness, dark fruits, toffee, caramel, brown sugar and sweetness.  The flavour is of brett funk, dark fruits, toffee, treacle, brown sugar, roasted malts, oak,  earth, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.4% with an IBU of 44.  I had  this beer on tap at the brewery and also this bottle and being a huge barleywine fan I was very excited about how this beer turned out.  Not only was it a great barleywine but the Brettanomyces really added some amazing character and Brett is not often added to this style for some reason.

Commercial Description:  Our fourth anniversary ale is a Barleywine aged for 18 months in French oak barrels with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis and Brettanomyces Lambicus. A pleasant and distinct funky aroma leads into flavours of dried dark  stone fruits and umami overtones which are then complemented with a dry sherry-like finish.

img_20161217_2311143

Fellowship Nocturnum Galactica – Strange Fellows Brewing

by Mike

From Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver comes their third beer in their fellowship club the “Fellowship Nocturnum Galactica” a Cascadian Dark Ale aged in red wine oak barrels for 1 year with Brettanomyces and dry hopped with Galaxy hops.  The beer pours a deep copper brown colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of barnyard funk, roasted malts,  dark fruit, citrus, red wine and grassy hops.  The flavour is of huge oak, barnyard funk, roasted malts, dark fruity and citrus red wine, leather, earth, bitterness and maybe a hint of soy sauce.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5%.  This is a really well crafted beer although it has transitioned far from its original Black IPA.  I will have to pick up more bottles of this beer as I am a member of the Fellowship.

img_20161029_2218010

Figaro (2013 Project) – Cascade Brewing

by Mike

From Portland Oregon’s Cascade Brewing comes their “Figaro (2013 Project)” a Northwest Style Sour Ale.  This beer was aged in Oak Barrels with White Figs and lemon Peel.  This beer was my very first Cascade Brewing bottle that I was able to purchase in Canada!  The beer pours a cloudy orange with a white head.  The aroma consists of tartness, lemon, lemon peel and maybe some figs.  The flavour is of big tartness with lots of lactic acid, lemon, lemon peel, fig and really quite fruity and sweetness.  This batch of the beer comes in at 10.7% alcohol.  This is an amazing sour ale although drinking a full 750ml bottle gives me some crazy heart burn.  Next time I will have to just share a bottle (any takers?).

Commercial Description:  Strong blond beers were aged in fresh Chardonnay barrels for three months and then additionally aged with dried Adriatic white figs and Spanish lemon peel. Aromas of sweet malts, figs, raisins and citrus zest greet you in the nose. Hints of Chardonnay grapes, lemon peel and sweet figs roll across the palate, leading to crisp lemon sharpness in the finish that will leave a lingering sweetness on the tongue.

IMG_20150426_143026

The Vine – Cascade Brewing

by Mike

From Portland Oregon’s Cascade Brewing comes their “The Vine” a sour ale aged with grape juice from white wine grapes.  The beer pours a cloudy orange with a very little head.  The aroma consists of white wine, sour, vinegar, oak and come citrus peal.  The flavour is of sour, vinegar, oak, grapes and some vanilla.  The alcohol content comes in at 8.85% but is not all that present in the flavour.  This is an amazing sour ale just like everything else that Cascade Brewing is doing.  The difference here is with grapes being added it has an ever so slight wine flavour coming though with the other great flavours.  I am not a wine fan but it can compliment a great beer fore sure!

Commercial Description:  This Northwest Style Sour Ale is a blend of Blond ales that were aged in oak barrels for up to 12 months before cold aging on fresh pressed grapes for an additional three months.

IMG_00001080