Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s (www.saintarnold.com) newest Bishop’s Barrel release is a tart cherry pie in liquid form, and perfect for your next holiday gathering.
The base beer for Bishop’s Barrel No. 19 is the brewery’s famed Christmas Ale, a hearty ale with malty sweetness and spicy hop characteristics. It was aged in chardonnay barrels from Napa, California for 22 months. The spirit of the winter holidays is ushered in with the tart cherries reminiscent of freshly baked cherry pie added to the brew. Three different strains of brettanomyces – lambicus, var drei, and brux – add more complexity and depth to the brew. Finally, it was blended with 10% fresh Christmas Ale to round out the flavor.
“I really believe blending is an art, and creates something that is greater than the sum of its parts,” said Aaron Inkrott, Brewing Operations Manager for Saint Arnold
Bishop’s Barrel No. 19 pours a copper-ruby color. On the nose it is tart cherry, funky with some earth tones, and carries over characteristics from the chardonnay barrels. There is a light acidic taste that is quickly balanced with a cherry/caramel sweetness and it’s dry with a long, wine-like finish. Bishop’s Barrel No. 19 will be available in stores and bars in Texas and Louisiana next week.
The Bishop’s Barrel series began in 2012 with an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. The barrels for this series have been chosen to enhance and complement the characteristics of the underlying beers. The beers may be something brewed regularly or may have been brewed solely for the purpose of putting into a barrel. Aging times can range from a few months to well over a year.
While these beers can be aged, they have done a fair amount of aging in the barrels and are designed to be enjoyed soon after bottling. If you are going to age these beers, it is best done in a refrigerator, not at room temperature. The next Bishop’s Barrel brew will be a Belgian Dubbel with raspberries and brettanomyces in red wine barrels.
Bishop’s Barrel No. 19 Specifications:
Date Brewed: October 6, 2015
Date Barreled: December 16, 2015
Date Bottled: October 26, 2017
Type of Barrel: Chardonnay
Gravity: 1.071
ABV Pre-Barrel: 7.0% ABV
ABV Post-Barrel: 8.9% ABV
IBU: 18
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