Ale with Peppers added & Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Although many find only pain in this beer, chile pepper connoisseurs, daredevils and masochists proclaim it a fine, intense and enlightening experience. Never intended for the timid, Punishment is the capsaicin-throttled spawn of the beer behemoth Double Bastard Ale. Months of aging in Kentucky bourbon barrels intensify this beast of a beer’s already massive flavors, while the unceremonious addition of chile peppers (jalapeno, serrano, Fresno and more) morphs it into a truly punishing beer.

Punishment was first concocted in 2010, when Greg Koch annihilated a barrel-aged batch of Double Bastard Ale by adding his estate-grown chile peppers. In this year’s brew, the flavors of Double Bastard Ale have been further enhanced by the bourbon barrel aging. The addition of chile peppers to the beer adds lingering flavors in the finish of subtle tropical fruit and some layers of heat that meld with the toffee, caramel malt and hop flavors.