Tag Archives: bourbon barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Wild Sinister Kid – Double Blackberry & Cabernet Grapes

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Wild Ale aged in red wine and bourbon barrels. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Abbey, Special B and Carafa III. Adjuncts – Blackberry, Cabernet Grapes, Belgian Candi Syrup and Turbinado Sugar

Brewer Description: (from website) Sinister Kid is named after the unofficial mascot of our Congress Street brewery: a long-forgotten, dismembered doll unearthed in construction rubble. We dusted off Sinister Kid and breathed new life into her, installing a new pipe leg and a wire arm. We quickly found a new use for her evil appearance: keeping an ever-present, protective watch over the first floor of our Fort Point restaurant and brewery.

This year, we’ve crafted what we consider to be our most complex variations of Sinister Kid to date. We took the base Belgian Strong Ale recipe, fermented it with our native New England yeast culture for two years in both bourbon and wine barrels, then transferred the beer to our oak foeders to condition on a variety of fruit. The six resulting blends are intricate expressions of wild yeast, time, and fruit all coming together harmoniously in the bottle.

Three of the 2019 Wild Sinister Kid blends were conditioned upon twice the amount of fruit as their counterparts to achieve a truly elegant and fruit-forward final blend. Consisting of 50% bourbon barrel-aged beer and 50% wine barrel-aged beer, Wild Sinister Kid: Double Blackberry Cabernet presents a deep plum color in the glass. Intense blackberry aromas wash over the palate immediately followed by notes of fig, raisin, and cherry. Mildly warming, with a touch of sweetness and rounded acidity, this beer is elegantly balanced and refined.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 19th September 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark reddish purple colour with a one finger brownish purple head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, blackberry, nail polish, oak.
Taste: Tart, sour, blackberry, mixed berries, grapes, grape skin, lightly vinous, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were enjoyable, and the 10% ABV was well hidden.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Wild Sinister Kid – Double Sour Cherry & Malbec Grapes

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Wild Ale aged in red wine and bourbon barrels. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Abbey, Special B and Carafa III. Adjuncts – Sour Cherries, Malbec Grapes, Belgian Candi Syrup and Turbinado Sugar

Brewer Description: (from website) Sinister Kid is named after the unofficial mascot of our Congress Street brewery: a long-forgotten, dismembered doll unearthed in construction rubble. We dusted off Sinister Kid and breathed new life into her, installing a new pipe leg and a wire arm. We quickly found a new use for her evil appearance: keeping an ever-present, protective watch over the first floor of our Fort Point restaurant and brewery.

This year, we’ve crafted what we consider to be our most complex variations of Sinister Kid to date. We took the base Belgian Strong Ale recipe, fermented it with our native New England yeast culture for two years in both bourbon and wine barrels, then transferred the beer to our oak foeders to condition on a variety of fruit. The six resulting blends are intricate expressions of wild yeast, time, and fruit all coming together harmoniously in the bottle.

Three of the 2019 Wild Sinister Kid blends were conditioned upon twice the amount of fruit as their counterparts to achieve a truly elegant and fruit-forward final blend. Consisting of 50% bourbon barrel-aged beer and 50% wine barrel-aged beer, Wild Sinister Kid: Double Cherry Malbec pours a gorgeous ruby brown in the glass. Ripe with abundant red fruit aromas, layered notes of juicy cherry, fresh plum, and raspberry juice jump from the glass. Offering a moderate acidity balanced by a silky mouthfeel, we’re proud to share this luscious beer with you.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 15th August 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.
Appearance: Maroon coloured with a one finger beige head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, oak, vanilla, red wine grape.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, oak, cinnamon, with notes of plum, and maybe bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although I was disappointed that the bourbon and wine barrels weren’t obvious to me, the aroma and flavours worked and it was enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Wild Sinister Kid – Black Currant & Pinot Noir Grapes

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Wild Ale aged in red wine and bourbon barrels. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Abbey, Special B and Carafa III. Adjuncts – Black Currants, Pinot Noir Grapes, Belgian Candi Syrup and Turbinado Sugar.

Brewer Description: (from website) Sinister Kid is named after the unofficial mascot of our Congress Street brewery: a long-forgotten, dismembered doll unearthed in construction rubble. We dusted off Sinister Kid and breathed new life into her, installing a new pipe leg and a wire arm. We quickly found a new use for her evil appearance: keeping an ever-present, protective watch over the first floor of our Fort Point restaurant and brewery.

This year, we’ve crafted what we consider to be our most complex variations of Sinister Kid to date. We took the base Belgian Strong Ale recipe, fermented it with our native New England yeast culture for two years in both bourbon and wine barrels, then transferred the beer to our oak foeders to condition on a variety of fruit. The six resulting blends are intricate expressions of wild yeast, time, and fruit all coming together harmoniously in the bottle.

Wild Sinister Kid: Black Currant Pinot Noir is a blend consisting of 60% bourbon barrel-aged beer and 40% wine barrel-aged beer conditioned on black currants and pinot noir grapes. Pouring an enticing garnet color, aromas of fresh-pressed grapes, mixed red berries, black currants, and a hint of herbaceousness are immediately apparent. Soft on the palate, with a medium body, Wild Sinister Kid: Black Currant Pinot Noir boasts a refined acidity that welcomes the next sip.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th September 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.
Appearance: A dark burgundy colour with a thin purple head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Black currant, oak, mixed berries, lightly vinous, and mild vanilla.
Taste: Tart, light sour, black currant, vinous, red wine, bourbon, oak, with a slight vanilla note.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation, and a light but enjoyable booziness throughout.
Overall: Enjoyable complexity. Good balance of fruit and barrels, with the black currant complementing the wine and bourbon barrels well.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Penyllan Brewery, Porter - Baltic

Penyllan The Mistress Bourbon

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Brewery: Penyllan Brewery
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: At Penyllan we focus on brewing small batches of beer, aged slowly on wood with our house culture of wild yeast. We are inspired by the changing seasons and the wealth of ingredients available to us on our beautiful island

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The Mistress is inspired by the strong and dark baltic porters that, for centuries, has been brewed and consumed by people around the Baltic Sea. Among them the inhabitants of the island where our brewery is. Brewed traditionally with a mix of domesticated and wild yeast and then put to rest in freshly emptied bourbon barrels for a full four years.

Black and viscous with a small tan head. Aroma is dominated by tobacco, leather, dried fruit, smoke, and warm asphalt. Mellow carbonation and slick mouthfeel with complex flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, burned sugar and black cherries. The bourbon character is well integrated and manifests as vanilla, wood and a hint of warming alcohol. Long mouth coating aftertaste with sticky caramel sweetness and lingering roasted bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottle 432 of 858, 2015 vintage, with a best before date of May 2030. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin tanned head that dissipated quickly but left some sparse but spotty lacing.
Aroma: Leather, roasted malts, dark fruit, plum, prunes, bourbon, with light notes of chocolate.
Taste: Sweet, roasty, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit, plum, oak, bourbon, vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Flavours were nice and complex in little sips, but the sweetness was too intense for me to drink too much at a time. Was hoping for more roasty bitterness to help balance out the sweetness.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Stout - Imperial, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Hak Mo Sheung Double Chocolate

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 45 IBUs. Intense, chocolatey, cellar worthy

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Double chocolate Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2020 release, with a best before date of 1st July 2025. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a one finger mocha brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, bourbon, dried dark fruit, vanilla, oak, with notes of roasted malts.
Taste: Rich milk chocolate, cocoa, bourbon, dark fruit, vanilla, oak, boozy.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable Imperial Stout with lots of rich chocolate and bourbon notes.