Hey, you’ll never believe it, but researchers have once again figured out the best diet ever. This time, for sure, fewer carbs and more fat will lead to a healthier weight. Even assuming that this correct (which I do), the operating definition of “health” is what irks me. Health research always seems to solve for body shapes that are more pleasing to the eye and assume the quantity of years on earth is greater than the quality of years on earth. I’d argue that since — SPOILER ALERT — life always ends in death, “health” while living should be more tied to enjoyment. Is this just my elaborate argument to justify drinking beer regularly? Of course, but someone has to stand up for the virtues of beer in this anti-carb era. Over time will it turn your midsection into a funny new shape and quicken the failure of an organ? Sure, it’s possible. But what did the two beers I had playing bocce on a random Wednesday add to my life? Quantify that, health nerds. Here are five treatments to know this week. Send your own medical breakthroughs to [email protected] for possible inclusion next week.
Guinness aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels will turn frowns upside down
Brewed in Dublin, but aged in Baltimore, the transatlantic teamwork of Guinness earns its Stout Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels a nod among notable beers released. The brewer’s latest experimental beer to come out of its new American home features its Dublin-brewed Antwerpen Stout aged for eight months in Bulleit Bourbon barrels at the Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House in Baltimore.
For the better part of 200 years, all Guinness – no matter which beer or where in the world – was stored, and shipped in barrels. The new brewery intends to recapture the tradition of Guinness brewers maturing beer in wood barrels through its ongoing release of barrel-aged beers. Located just 10 miles from downtown Baltimore, the grounds of the new brewery couldn’t be a more fitting home for barrel-aging beers – the location originally served as the Maryland Distilling Company, a post-prohibition distillery opened in 1933.
As part of a worldwide community of Diageo brands, Guinness has access to an incredible supply of barrels from some of the most talented spirit makers in the world, from Bulleit Bourbon to Don Julio Tequila to Zacapa Rum. After establishing a brewery stateside, Guinness chose to partner with fellow Diageo brand, Bulleit, on the first Guinness barrel-aged beer out of Baltimore. The toffee and caramel notes from the barrels were sought out to help balance the bittersweet profile of the Antwerpen Stout. With powerful and full-bodied notes of bittersweet chocolate and aged fruits, the stout spent eight months aging in Bulleit Bourbon barrels, adding a layer of oaky richness and complexity to the beer.
Breakside rounds out 2018 Barrel-Aged Sour Program with Quiescence, found to improve quality of life
Breakside Brewery, known for its innovative, experimental and diverse beers, expanded its barrel-aged sour program to include 500 ml bottles in 2018 and is rounding out the year with an impressively complex and diverse number of brews under its belt. The “Breakside Sour” Series, which introduced the brewery’s wild beers to wider distribution for the first time, is closing 2018 with Quiescence.
“This program allows us to express some of the most challenging, exciting and inspiring styles in brewing today, and we have had a blast releasing these beers to more people over the past year,” said Ben Edmunds, brewmaster for Breakside. “We’re looking forward to creating more beautiful beers in this series, which are challenging and sometimes several years in the making.”
Quiescence is a blend of 13 casks of wood-aged sour beer aged for 12 months in Archery Summit Pinot Noir barrels. Its name, which means a state of inactivity or prelude, reflects the time suspended in the brewery’s barrel house, waiting for release. It features notes of sandalwood, light stonefruit and mild oak in a balanced, mixed-culture sour.
Monday Night Brewing barrel ages its scotch ale, is found to be literal cure to ‘the Mondays’
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Drafty Kilt (BBDK), a slow-sipping variant of Monday Night Brewing’s prized scotch ale, returns just in time for the holiday season.
Hitting Monday Night’s West Midtown brewery on Friday, Nov. 16, BBDK will start populating store shelves and pouring at local watering holes across Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama on Nov. 19.
“Drafty Kilt was one of our original homebrew recipes,” said Jonathan Baker, co-founder of Monday Night Brewing. “It’s full-bodied, slightly smoky and sweet character lends itself perfectly to Kentucky bourbon barrels. Our first batch blew people away, so we decided to make it an annual holiday tradition.”
Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Drafty Kilt won a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, and continues to impress. Part of Monday Night Brewing’s Black Tie series, the beer will be available in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans. But that’s not the only Drafty Kilt variant planned. Cinnamon Cocoa Coffee Drafty Kilt (brewed with locally-roasted Batdorf & Bronson coffee) releases on Nov. 30. Plus, a special brewery-only release of three BBDK variants – Tiramisu, Maple Bacon and Apple Cinnamon – will debut at Monday Night Garage on Dec. 1.
Monday Night’s kickoff party at their West Midtown taproom on Nov. 16 includes fire pits and free s’mores kits. “It’s been cold and dreary this week in Georgia, so we thought it would be a great idea to warm some people up on Friday. Plus, BBDK pairs perfectly with chocolate,” said Baker.
Study shows Ska Brewing brings back Sour Apple Gose to bost all of our moods
Ska Brewing’s Sour Apple Gose returns in cans for a second year. This tart, refreshing beer in Ska’s experimental Mod Project series is now available across their twelve-state distribution footprint while supplies last. The scent of sweet apple blossoms complements the soft honey notes and fresh lemon tartness in this sour beer that gets a zesty boost from the addition of Citra hops. Sour Apple Gose is 5.1% ABV and 11 IBU.
Sour Apple Gose followed Pink Vapor Stew— a sour beer brewed with beets, carrots, ginger and apples— when Ska first rolled out the Mod Project in 2017. The project delivers assorted, seven-barrel-batches of blended and experimental offerings, with varying levels of tartness to complement the blend of local fruits used in producing them.
“I’m excited to bring back my favorite of this series,” says Ska Brewing Sales & Marketing Director Kristen Muraro. “It’s perfect for holiday toasting.”
Sour Apple Gose is available in 12 oz. cans and on draft in select locations in Colorado, Arizona, Southern California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah.
Twin Leaf Brewery adds herbs to IPA, basically makes it a health food
Asheville’s Twin Leaf Brewery released it Rosemary IPA, an 6.4% ABV IPA, brewed with locally-sourced rosemary and a myriad of citrus and herbal hops. This limited-time release is brewed every November to coincide with Thanksgiving and the onset of the holiday season. Twin Leaf’s Rosemary IPA recipe was developed long before the brewery existed. Then an impassioned homebrewer, Tim Weber, now owner and head brewer of Twin Leaf Brewery, wanted to create a beer to complement the flavors of the holiday season. Drawing inspiration from the ingredients in his infamous lemon, rosemary, and thyme smoked Thanksgiving turkey, he designed a beer with strong herbaceousness and complementing citrus notes. A few years later, once Twin Leaf Brewery opened, Weber brought this recipe to the taproom and was impressed with the warm reception it received.
“I brew this beer every year because I like to drink it with Thanksgiving,” Weber laughed. “But other people fell in love with it as well and it became a tradition. I now make it [yearly] not only for visitors to the taproom, but for our annual Thanksgiving dinner that I host at my house for brewery employees, friends and family.”
Crafted with 3 lbs of fresh rosemary sourced from Barnardsville based Rayburn Farms, Twin Leaf’s IPA is dry-hopped with Amarillo, Simcoe and Sorachi Ace. The citrus flavors of the Sorachi Ace cut through what could otherwise be overwhelming herbaceous flavors of rosemary. Due to its yearly warm reception, the Twin Leaf Rosemary IPA has become a seasonal staple of Twin Leaf’s rotating draft list.
Brian Murphy says
OK barrel
Eric Addison says
Brian Murphy Send me some!