Private Press Brewing Third Press

Third Press

 

Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz, California, United States 🇺🇸

Brewed at/by: Faction Brewing
  Strong Ale - American Series Out of Production
Score
7.85
ABV: 15.0% IBU: - Ticks: 7
Blend of barrel aged stouts, barleywines, and honey Munichwine.

Third Press is Private Press’s third anniversary blend and is inspired by the convergence of barrel-aged stouts and barleywine-style ales. The blend started with a barrel that held Second Press for an additional 12 months, and then I added three barrels of stout to solidify a rich milk chocolate and espresso base. I wove in a barrel of honey munichwine and a barrel of barleywine, creating tones of cola spice, raisin, and burnt sugar. Finally, I filled a fresh Smooth Ambler barrel with the Third Press blend to be used next year in Fourth Press.

Second Press (barrel #238) aged 12 months in Venus Rye barrels
Hubbard (barrel #246) aged 20 months in Rum barrels and 9 months in Old Elk barrels
Kirk (barrel #255) aged 12 months in Blanton's barrels and 9 months in 18-Year Elijah Craig barrels
Duke (barrel #256) aged 22 months in Sauternes/Madeira barrels and 9 months in 1-Year Elijah Craig barrels
Mahavishnu (barrel #277) aged 13 months in Heaven Hill barrels
Axelrod (barrel #278) aged 10 months in Wild Turkey barrels
Tags

2023 Release
 

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9.8
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9.5 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle. Pours inky black, small beige head, good lacing. Aroma is dark sugars, bourbon, toffee, werthers, cocoa, vanilla. Flavor is sweet, light plus bitter, well integrated flavors. Full body, creamy mouthfeel. As good as it gets.

Tried from Bottle on 08 Oct 2025 at 23:58


8.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9

Sample during "Farm Fest 2025 (Friday VIP)" on 07/04/2025. Flat black pour with a medium light tan head that recedes steadily to an outer ring. Sparse patches of lace. The aroma consists of bourbon, chocolate, malt and fruit. Full-bodied with an oaky bourbon character and flavors of vanilla, chocolate fudge, caramel malt and spiced fruit. The finish is oaky vanilla and bourbon. Very good overall.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Jul 2025 at 19:15


7.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 8

Bottle shared by Yaniv, thanks! Pours near black with a dark brown head that dissipates quickly to the edgees. Aroma has strong bitter roasted malts with some caramel and a strong barrel presence. Flavor has more caramel and toffee with growing dark grains and chocolate with a strong barrel backbone.

Tried from Bottle on 22 Feb 2025 at 21:47


8.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Rated at Hitas Beer Lounge - Platinum Edition. Malty, slightly roasty with some chocolate, cocoa, hints of vanilla, wood, oak, bourbon and hints of honey. Quite balanced OMT.

Tried on 06 Dec 2024 at 09:12


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Poured from a 500 ml bottle. Aroma is malt forward with lots of dark caramel, toffee and chocolate notes with lighter roast. Medium light alcohol notes and light bourbon notes with hints of oak. Pours jet black with a medium small, thick,k mocha head that recedes quickly to the edges where it lingers. No lacing and long legs. Flavor is very sweet with lots of chocolate, dark caramel, toffee and much lighter roast notes. Lighter burnt sugar notes. Medium bitterness and medium alcohol warmth. Medium light bourbon notes and faint oak notes. Mouthfeel is full bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth. Overall, a solid barleywine stout hybrid. Really nice complex malt profile with balanced alcohol notes. Barrel character is really nice.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Nov 2023 at 03:55


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle sample at a tasting at Max's place. Thanks Ariel. Black, opaque. Dark chocolate, vanilla, wood, bourbon, caramel, a bit of fruitiness, sweet, quite full-bodied, alcohol, a bit boozy.

Tried from Bottle on 30 Sep 2023 at 18:46


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Taster at de Garde 10th Anniversary party. Near black pour with a thin tan head. Aroma is chocolate and vanilla, molaases, roasty malts, figs, bourbon. Taste is carried in aon a dense body, sweeet and warm, chocolate, oak, whiskey, brown sugar, prunes. Very warming.

Tried on 12 May 2023 at 18:58