Holiday Gift Set
I am incredibly excited about our giftset we will begin offering on Friday, 11/27/2020. We posted pictures on Instagram and Facebook this morning and the interest we have had has been amazing so far! I wanted to describe these beers to you, offer some pairing ideas for the holiday, and let you know the price.
First, the price for the set is $29.99. However, we will have it on sale starting Black Friday and for the following week for $24.99. We will also be running a sale on Saturn Ascends variants. They sell for $18 a piece but we will be selling all 3 (Mexican Hot Chocolate, Bourbon Aged Coffee Bean, and Vanilla Bean) for $39.99 for the set.
On to the beers:
Starting in 2018 and finishing in 2019 we ran an employee brewing competition. Our employees at the time worked with me to develop a recipe. We brewed each recipe on our pilot system and had a plan to have a tournament, bracket-style voting for each beer with our guests. The biggest struggle we had with this contest is that some of the beer sold out, meaning we would have to brew another batch between rounds. As time went on, Brad (our COO) and I decided that it would be better to just have the winners of each round be awarded the chance to brew their recipes on our big system with me. The winners were:
Katie Bird – Beauregarde's Final Course - A lemon blueberry wheat ale (we hope to brew this late spring, 2021)
Michael Schuler – Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ale - A beer designed to mimic an oatmeal raisin cookie, made with real raisins, free-trade Madagascar vanilla beans, and an insanely awesome cinnamon from India
Rachael Fasciotto – Chai This – A chai tea inspired beer (we hope to brew this late winter / early spring, 2021)
Michelle Schauer – Twig and Berries – A hazel nut, cherry stout designed to be served with an ounce of bourbon in it.
Last year for the holidays Michael and Michelle brewed their beers on our brewhouse. I decided during fermentation that I was going to fill a barrel up with each of these and let them sit until the 2020 holiday season. We had hoped to launch them the day before Thanksgiving. Allowing people to sample them and even bring a growler to their Thanksgiving celebration and we hoped to release this same giftset with a glass. Like most things this year, 2020 got in the way. Regardless, I am very pleased with the way these beers turned out.
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ale (10.87% Alc/Vol)
…is very heavy in bourbon in the nose. There are notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, dark fruit, and vanilla. The palate is surprisingly light and dry, really bringing out the cinnamon. The bourbon is not as strong as the aroma lets on in the flavor. It would pair well with most holiday favorites, in particularly yams and a honey baked ham.
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Twig and Berries (10.6% Alc/Vol)
…is a dessert beer. The aroma is nothing but chocolate hazelnut spread. The flavor is slightly sweet bringing out notes of bourbon, chocolate, and oak. In the finish, the sweetness of the cherry comes out (I really picked up the cherry exhaling through my nose after I took a sip). The palate is thicker but it isn’t overly sweet or syrupy. It will pair well with almost any holiday treat, especially Ferrero Rocher® Chocolates. With that said, I would avoid pumpkin pie (my all time favorite) while drinking this beer. I do not think the clove and allspice will work well with the cherry and hazelnut.
If you made it through this entire post, I appreciate it. I know I am a bit of a nerd and can be overly passionate when discussing beer. This gift set will be available for carry-out, curbside, and delivery starting Friday. You can order it on our website and secure your set starting around 11AM for pick-up when we open. As always, I appreciate all of your support and understanding through this rough time. We hope to welcome you all back to our taproom soon.
Cheers,
Andy Reynolds CEO / Head Brewer