Beer Release: Autumn Is Officially Here and All We Can Taste Is Salted Caramel Goodness
AUTUMN MEANS MORE THAN JUST THE RETURN OF PUMPKIN SPICED-EVERYTHING. In the craft beer community it signifies the beginning of a long season of comfort beers, spanning from the beginning of fall through early Spring. These are generally big, dark, sometimes spiced, and often barrel-aged. Gleeful fans of the category revel in the cornucopia of creations brewers concoct every year. Some brews return year-after year to adoring fans salivating the remainder of the calendar, while others are highly sought after one-offs. Our specialty barrel-aged series, 4Seasons, actually happens to be both. Releasing on the appropriate Solstice or Equinox, the program is quarterly, although each of these unique brews carries its own flavor thanks to the master blending skills of our brewing team and the use of unique adjuncts to impart unforgettable flavor combinations.
4Seasons Autumn brings an exciting flavor combination to our program in the form of a beautifully crafted Bourbon Barrel-Aged Salted Chocolate Imperial Oatmeal Stout. Ain't that a mouth-full? It sure is. And we don't just mean the pronunciation.
It's dinner AND desert with every sip.
Jet-black, full-bodied & creamy, with a rich caramel sweetness balanced by a salty finish & oaky undertones. The malt and caramel melanoidens are accompanied by burnt sugar, chocolate, and roasted coffee flavors, with dark fruit dancing in the background reminiscent of over-ripe figs and cherries. Sound decadent? It is.
This was one of those recipes that was really fun to put together. Doing trials for salted caramel may sound like a dream come true, but it's actually really difficult to find a product that can simulate those flavors without dumping 100 lbs of halloween candy into the brew. The take-home is that scalability is often the limiting factor when using adjuncts, but in this case I think we knocked it out of the park.
Chris Baker, Director of Brewing Operations - Mother Earth
Like others before it in the series, it can be hard to find. As product rolls out in the coming weeks, look to our Beer Finder for locations near you. For more info on this release and for archived 4Seasons vintages visit our program page.
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