They've put many types of beer (imperial stouts, barleywines, various Belgians etc) into many types of barrel (whisky, bourbon, aquavit etc) with many types of adjuncts (coffee, chocolate, cardamom, etc), yet one release last year still stood apart from most. In the main, that's because white stouts – in which a brewer attempts to recreate the experience of a stout without the colour, like a reverse black IPA – are a rarity as it is, let alone bourbon barrel-aged versions.
While I missed out on tasting the 2021 release, it did garner plenty of hype online and picked up a few nominations in our Best New Beers poll too. They've aimed to recreate the Bourbon Barrel-Aged White Stout experience again in 2022, albeit producing more this time around. Thanks to the addition of coffee and vanilla alongside beer's standard four ingredients and the time in barrels, it's clear they're aiming for the sweeter end of the stout spectrum, and for me that delivers an experience close to a cup of café con leche, or arguably even sweeter and richer than that: a serving of crème caramel in liquid form.
Also returning at the same time is their much-loved Double West Coast IPA, which remains in the same vein – and packaging – as when it was last unleashed, so we may as well refer you here.
James Smith
Published March 2, 2022 2022-03-02 00:00:00