Black Barleywine Ale Aged in Nocino Barrels, Apple Brandy Barrels, and Bourbon Barrels

Our newest barrel-aged release features casks from some of our favorite Oregon distillers, including Clear Creek and Stone Barn Brandyworks. Three barleywines of different ages make up the majority of the blend–some were held in apple brandy casks, while others rested in specialty Bourbon and walnut liqueur barrels.

We loved the idea of creating a late summer release that evokes the coming fall, and the blend of dark beer, with brandy and nocino artifacts does just that.

A blend of beers aged in three different spirit barrels can create a ton of complexity but also poses a chal-lenge: how do you retain the nuance of each of the threads when blending beers together? We strove to achieve a delicate balance between the expression of the spirits; this meant leaning into some softer beers and a quieter Bourbon expression overall. We found ourselves tinkering with individual casks in the blend more than usual, in order to maintain that depth of spirit flavor. To complement the base barleywines, we layered in darker beer that was smooth and velvety, chocolatey but roast-free. Even the stout that we did use as part of blending lends more chocolate and oak than traditional roast to the finished blend. Cheers!