Beer of the Week: All In

From the Beer Writer: Packed with residual sugars and fortified with all manner of adjuncts plucked from the confectioner’s pantry, pastry stouts are billed as (and designed to be) “dessert in a glass.” With the way they play to drinkers’ sweet tooths (sweet teeth just sounds odd), often in a nostalgic manner evoking memories of classic desserts or candies, there’s nothing in the beer world that plays more to one’s under-21 inner child. Problem is, kids adhere to a the-sweeter-the-better philosophy (remember Jolt cola?), which doesn’t tend to sync so well with of-age taste buds. But there’s a simple and delicious solution: bourbon barrel-aging. It adds another savory-spicy dimension that also makes it clear you’re drinking an adult beverage. Submitted as an example is All In a (get comfortable for this) bourbon barrel-aged imperial pastry stout with coffee, maple syrup and vanilla from North County’s Belching Beaver Brewery. It’s a mouthful figuratively and literally, and a delicious one at that. The woodiness and vanillins imparted by spirit-soaked oak marry well with maple and vanilla, respectively, while the java imparts enough bitterness to balance things out without being detected. What little whiskey burn there is shows up in the finish, just where it’s needed to help keep the finish lively instead of syrupy.

From the Brewer: “For our eight-year anniversary, we at The Beav wanted to go with a different kind of beer to celebrate another year of making awesome beer for our customers. Our barrel-maestro, Peter Perrecone, hand-picked delicious, first-use Cutwater Spirits bourbon barrels and filled them with a decadent pastry stout brewed with dark malts and brown sugar. The hard part was letting the beer sit undisturbed for a full year, but we managed to keep our hands off it in anticipation of creating this anniversary beer. Our amazing team of brewers and cellar workers then added maple syrup, coffee and vanilla. The result is a beer fit to be served at breakfast. The bourbon character doesn’t overpower the beer with booziness. Instead, it gives you a barrel-aged maple syrup character with amazing coffee aromatics and the thick, decadent stout to round out the whole experience. We wouldn’t fault you if you poured this onto your pancakes on a lazy weekend morning. We at Belching Beaver hope that this beer exceeds your expectations and that you raise a glass of it with your family and friends to celebrate eight amazing years with us. From our family to yours: Cheers!”—Troy Smith, Brewmaster, Belching Beaver Brewery