Tag Archives: Bourbon Barrel

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Town Hall Brewery Barrel-Aged Week Preview

In an ever-shifting beer market, few constants remain. Thankfully one of those constants resides in the Seven Corners area of Minneapolis. Town Hall Brewery has been delighting the local beer fanatics with their barrel aged offerings for nearly two decades now.
Back in 2000, Town Hall’s head brewer called down to the Jack Daniels distillery inquiring as to whether or not a barrel may be available for purchase. The distillery obliged and sold it to Hoops for the cool sum of $45 (plus $75 shipping). My how things have changed since then. Not only are used barrels significantly more expensive, but the beers they are aged in have exploded, becoming one of the more sought after styles.

That beer was the first Czar Jack, the now iconic barrel aged stout, that went on to win a gold medal at the 2001 GABF. This medal was far from their last.

I was fortunate enough to be allowed a sneak peak into this year’s offerings and I can tell you that Head Brewer, Mike Hoops’ passion is still there after all these years. I was able to get a minute with Mike after the preview and tour. I had to ask him, what drives him to keep up such high standards? After all, coming out of the gate with a GABF gold medal sets the bar awfully high. He confided in me, that while he loves the year-round offerings of the brewery, he gets particularly excited to work with these barrel aged beers. That passion shows, not only in the final product but the way he and his team showcased it for those of us in attendance. Each beer was carefully discussed, from the new custom glassware that these beers will be served in this year (specially designed for barrel aged beers, and yes, they are as cool as you imagine), to the sourcing of the honey for the incredible Eye Wine Red and White.

These are nuanced, complex beers, no two are the same. While the base beers are essentially unchanged from year to year, those barrels have a story and a character of their own. We were treated to the following beers.

Buffalo bock – Big barrel aged Weizenbock, huge banana, toasted caramel, marshmallow, vanilla notes.

Foolish Angel – Belgian Quad aged in bourbon barrels. MONSTROUS fig flavor.

Eye of The Storm – Red and White. The red is a Minnesota Honey Ale aged in French oak red wine barrels. You get waves of honey on the nose and a nice balance of grape acidity and sweetness from the honey. The white is crisp and dry, a bit softer.

Barrel Aged Week is one of the best beer events anywhere. Full details below.

The week begins at 10 am on Sunday, February 19th, with the pre-sale for this year’s selection of 750mL mini-growlers of barrel-aged beer.

On Tuesday, February 21st, Town Hall hosts their annual Barrel Dinner! This coursed meal is paired with our barrel-aged beers and presented by Brewmaster Mike Hoops and Chef Matt Lepisto. Reservations fill up fast, so make yours today!
Friday, February 21st | 7 pm | $99 per person (includes food, drinks, tax, and gratuity)

Barrel Aged Week Release Schedule 2017:

Sunday, February 19th | 10 am
750ml Growler Pre-Sale | If you’re looking to take home this year’s barrel-aged releases, this is your chance! Tickets go on sale at 10 am; beers can be picked up once they are released on tap.

Monday, February 20th | 5 pm
Foolish Red | Belgian-style Quadrupel aged in French oak red wine barrels.
Foolish Angel | Belgian-style Quadrupel aged in bourbon barrels.
Single Barrel Reserve Foolish Angel | A very special single-barrel offering.

Tuesday, February 21st | 5 pm
Manhattan Reserve | Belgian-style Grand Cru with red tart cherries, aged in bourbon barrels.

Wednesday, February 22nd | 5 pm
Twisted Trace | American Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels.
E.T. Wee | Scottish-style Wee Heavy aged in bourbon barrels.

Thursday, February 23rd | 5 pm
Eye Wine Red | Minnesota Honey Ale aged in French oak red wine barrels.
Eye Wine White | Minnesota Honey Ale aged in American chardonnay barrels.
Le Baltique | Baltic Porter aged in French oak red wine barrels.

Friday, February 24th | 5 pm
Project 3106 | Belgian-style Strong Brown Ale with kumquat and chocolate, aged in bourbon barrels.
Buffalo Bock | German-style Weizenbock aged in bourbon barrels.

Saturday, February 25th | 11 am
Czar Jack | The granddaddy of them all. Russian Imperial Stout aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels.

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Barrel Aged Week at Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

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barrel aged dice rollToday (Monday) kicks off Barrel Aged Week at Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery. The annual week long celebration is a treat for anyone that loves beer aged in barrels.

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery has been aging beer in wooden barrels since a phone call brought a barrel of Jack Daniels to the brewery in 2000. An Imperial Stout was brewed, then aged in that barrel of Old #7 and the next year it took home a Gold Medal from GABF in the Experimental Category.

As time went on more barrels were acquired, more awards were won, and Town Hall’s barrel-aged beer releases morphed into a whole week of beers in 2009. Wildly successful in both awards and popularity, every year Minnesota beer fans have lined up early the week before barrel aged week to reserve growlers of the limited beer. That is still the case. However, this year there will be some opportunities to get your hands on some of the beer if you didn’t have your Sunday morning free to stand out in the cold. At every release there will be chances (limited of course) to roll a few dice and win a chance to purchase a growler of barrel aged beer release of the day.

Buffalo Trace
Good things come to those that wait.

Also new this year are 750ml growlers, and flights of 3 beers, at 5oz each. It can be tough to tackle these beers alone. Smaller servings in both on-sale and off-sale format make it easier to approach these big beers.

Listen to Head Brewer Mike Hoops talk about the history of Barrel Aged Week at Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, as well as this year’s beers and pairings on the latest MN BeerCast.


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Reviewbicle: Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout

'10 and '12 CW BBS
’10 and ’12 CW BBS

We’re glad to be back for our second month! This is really a great reason for us to start digging in our cellars and finding beer we’ve been saving for one reason or another. The debates over what to open are almost as fun as what we actually drink and, in this case, spilled into the tasting itself (no pun intended). This week we delve into an offering from our beer-loving neighbors to the East, Central-Waters Bourbon Barrel Stout. We have again decided to go with a ’10 and ’12 vintage for this review, which should highlight the development for us. So, without further ado:

 

CENTRAL WATERS BOURBON BARREL STOUT

Appearance (’12): The pour results in a healthy amount of light ivory head, which quickly dissipates and leaves some signs of lacing. There is very little transparency in this one; when held to the light, the color is a Black/Brown body and reveals some red edges.
Appearance (’10): The pour results in an almost indiscernible difference from the ’12 and the main difference that occurs here is in the color. The ’10 has noticeably more transparency, resulting in a lighter brown body and greater red coloring at the edges of the glass. Not sure what might cause this difference, perhaps recipe variation?

Aroma (’12): Vanilla and brown sugar are forefront and are followed by the dark fruit of raisins. The nose finishes with a bourbon smell and even a slight, but sharp, burn.
Aroma (’10): Bready grains kick things off here, with notably less vanilla sweetness; however, there is actually more dark fruit aroma present after the vanilla gave way. The bourbon burn experienced with the ’12 is still there, but not quite as sharp.

Taste/Mouthfeel (’12): Opens up with sweet flavors of vanilla, raisins and plums, but not in an overwhelming way. The sweetness has some real depth and restraint, and it isn’t cloyingly so. The sweet is entirely surpassed by bourbon and an accompanying burn. The bourbon is backed up to by some grains, which give a dark chocolate and decidedly dry finish. There is a lingering burn, as if you had just sipped some bourbon, which we suspect is tamed by the sweet dryness of the malts. The carbonation, while not visually apparent, was more evident in mouthfeel and gave a cleaner finish to the flavors. The body on the ’12 was less viscous as well and between the carbonation and viscosity, it didn’t allow flavors to linger quite as long as in the ’10.
Taste/Mouthfeel (’10): This one starts sweet as well, but more subdued, with little detectable vanilla and a shorter period of fruit flavor. The transition from fruit to bourbon is a lot smoother here, with less distance between the two extremes of the flavors as they meld. The bourbon never reaches the “in-your-face” flavor of the ’12 and has little detectable burn. The dry, chocolate flavor returns at the end, which makes it the flavor that lingers. In contrast to the ’12, a fuller body and less carbonation gives this beer the ability to linger and fade off gradually.

Overall Comparison (’12 and ‘10): Our discussion about this tasting led us to realize some important factors to consider when aging beer. Jon and I differ as to our preference between the ’10 and ’12. Jon favors the aggressive bourbon and barrel flavors present in the ’12, as he likes the assertiveness and contrast with the sweetness that defines the early part of the ‘12’s flavor. However, I prefer the monochromatic subtlety which defines the transition of flavors in the ’10. It should also be noted that Jon is a more versed and avid bourbon/whiskey/scotch drinker than myself. I do enjoy these beverages as much as the next person, but almost invariably order them on the rocks. There is also the factor that I don’t really enjoy these drinks until after the first few sips, as my palette adjusts to the burn that accompanies them. Jon likes his straight-up, and seems to relish in its’ intensity.

This leads to an important question which you should ask yourself before deciding on aging barrel-aged beers, specifically bourbon barrels: will I enjoy it more now or later? Jon and I both liked each beer, that should not be misconstrued, but we favored them at different ages. Jon will continue to age his CW BBS, but may have a few more fresh before putting them away. My plan is to continue my drink one and cellar three regimen, and most likely age them longer than Jon will.

This is what makes cellaring great: being able to evaluate and strategize your cellar contents and tailor it to your palate’s preferences. Although, that could just the beer geek in me talking too…

Cheers!