WHAT’S IN BARREL?

Every so often we update you all on the many different beers conditioning away in the steel tanks of our Ellon brewhouse – but we figured it was time to take the longer view and focus instead on the contents of our epic BrewDog barrel store. The many casks therein have a huge influence on the final flavour of the beers, and with the latest barrel-aged special launching today, it’s an opportune moment to peer into the cryptic depths of our barrels!

Abstrakt AB:20

You can buy AB:20 here

First on the list, we have a beer that has recently left that timber embrace. Our latest Abstrakt release launches today, and is now live in our online shop! AB:20 is inspired by one specific thing – tiramisu. Yes, the classic Italian dessert has been recreated in liquid form via the imagination of our brewery team. We brewed a rich, caramel-heavy coffee infused oatmeal milk barley wine and have blended it with rum-aged Paradox to encapsulate this iconic dish.

So at once there is a big hit of coffee which runs in parallel to the sweet caramel flavours from the malt, before the vanilla and oaky flavours from the rum arrive on the finish – along with a boozy warmth. The overall experience is bittersweet, rich and opulent – the perfect summation of one of the world’s classic after-dinner experiences. AB:20 is online now and will launch on draft tonight in UK BrewDog bars from 6pm!

Dog E

You can buy Dog E here

Another beer that recently departed our barrel store for a higher calling is Dog E. Whilst bottles remain in our online shop, this beer is also joining with AB:20 to break cover on draft tonight! Look for yet more toasty oak, alongside warming chilli spice and the twin pillars of cacao and coffee to buttress everything in suitably epic fashion.

Barrel Aged Albino Squid Assassin

One of the next releases to hit our online shop and BrewDog bars is a very special iteration of a red rye IPA that made such an impact towards the end of last year. Following the brew of Albino Squid Assassin, we sequestered some of the beer in rye whiskey casks – and it will be out very soon. Our Equity Punks had first dibs on the barrel-aged version at our #PunkAGM2016; and the feedback was very positive indeed. Check out the evolution of our ten-armed terror shortly!

Paradox Islay

Also forthcoming is the welcome return of one of our most eagerly-awaited series. Yes, Paradox is back. And to reintroduce it in the best possible way we have revisited one of the all-time classics – we have aged the beer in Islay whisky casks. So the deep, dark resonance of our Paradox will be layered by the peaty, smoky notes from one of the world’s most unique flavours – the whiskies of Scotland’s most famous island of distilleries.

Beavertown Collaboration

We also have a series of collaboration beers in barrel at the moment – and one of the most recently-installed was our pairing with London’s finest, Beavertown. Riffing on their modern classic Smog Rocket we have an imperial smoked porter currently enveloped in Islay, bourbon and rye casks. A beer inspired by the industrial history of London, we are currently augmenting that history with a series of amazing flavours from three of the most distinctive whiskies anywhere.

Deschutes Collaboration

Another collab still in barrel is a ‘big bad imperial porter’ brewed with one of the most adventurous craft breweries in the US – the fantastic Deschutes from Oregon. It is almost a year since the guys from the States travelled the long distance from Bend to Ellon and brewed with us, and ever since our co-creation has been taking on flavour in bourbon, Speyside and Islay whisky casks. Once blended, this is going to be an immense beer, in every respect.

B Nektar Collaboration

Last up for the oak-aged alliances, we have another special beer in cask, gaining flavour and evolving as you read this. B Nektar is a stunning meadery (and sometime brewery) in northern Detroit and we welcomed the team to Ellon to produce an historic beer together. Given their expertise, it had to be honey-related, so we combined their key ingredient with one of ours (malt) and produced a braggott - a Celtic-era olde ale brewed with honey. Currently in barrel, watch out for this one.

Riptide Bourbon & Chilli

Finally, one of our own maturing quietly in oak is a very special brew of our near-legendary Riptide. Since blasting onto the scene from Fraserburgh (and being voted the world’s best imperial stout at the 2007 World Beer Awards) we have dipped our toes into the swirling waters every so often. Our barrel store currently has a bourbon cask with a brew of Riptide ageing on chilli – there’s just something about the mix of oaky vanilla, bitter chocolate malt and warming spice that work. But this particular Riptide won't come ashore for some time yet…

Don’t forget, Abstrakt AB:20 and Dog E are available in our online shop now, and both launch on draft in our BrewDog bars at 6pm tonight (Thursday, 28th April). Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried them, and which of the barrels above you would want to take a sample of, if you could!