Beer of the Week: Bière Luxe BA-PB

From the Beer Writer: I can admit it…I am a beer hoarder. That’s not to say I’m selfish and keep a bunch of beer all for myself rather than sharing. To the contrary, I love to share beer, whether everyday or special in nature. The reason I have hundreds upon hundreds of bottles and cans cellared in fridges, closets and other domestic depositories is my obsession with aging beer. This is particularly true of barrel-aged beers, which transform over time, losing their punchiness (and admittedly some of their flavor and other attributes) as they transition into smooth, silky sippers. And in the case of some beers that benefit from secondary fermentation as they are left to mature, all-new flavors and aromas develop. Of course, if you never have any of these beers fresh, you’ll never know what’s different or interesting about them when you enjoy them down the line. So, I always recommend at least a taster of a barrel-aged beer before banishing it to some dark, cool corner of your domicile. That advice will come in handy with this week’s featured beer, Bière Luxe BA-PB. No, this beer has nothing to do with Pacific Beach. That hyphenated acronym refers to this Belgian-style golden strong ale (BGS) from Morena’s Deft Brewing having been aged in peach brandy barrels. The result is a boozy beer with a bouquet blending stone-fruit zest with wine-grape mustiness, and a flavor profile with yeast-borne florality so pronounced it manages to hold its own against bold oakiness and notes of dried cherry, fig and, of course, peach. It’s a layered creation fit for indulgence and analysis right now, but being such a brawny behemoth of a beer, it’s also a brilliant candidate for a lengthy cellar slumber. When awakened years down the road, it’s likely much of this beer’s peachiness will have subsided along with its already softened carbonation, leaving the beer with a texture similar to the peach brandy leached from the barrel that housed it. Will it be better? It’s impossible to say, but there’s a good chance this BGS will be worthy of yet another acronym: OMG!

From the Brewer: “‘Bière Luxe BA-PB’ is a Belgian-inspired golden strong ale that we are very proud of. The base beer presents the kind of aromatic, phenolic, spicy character that makes Belgian-style beer-lovers salivate, yet it’s nicely balanced with subtle fruit and malt flavors. However, for this extra special offering we wanted to add and highlight one of our favorite fruit flavors, and in our opinion there is no fruit that complements this style of ale better than peach. So we aged this golden strong for about a year in a peach brandy barrel. The final product picked up some nice oak notes, but it really does highlight that succulent peach aroma and taste. This ale is a perfect dessert or end-of-day ‘sipper’ with its dry finish and welcome alcohol ‘warmth’ at 10.8% ABV (*alcohol-by-volume). Personally, not only do I really enjoy this beer as-is, but I’m storing some away as I think this one will become even more fun, interesting and delicious as it ages further. I can’t wait.”–Mo Nuspl, Owner & Brewmaster, Deft Brewing