Beer of the Week: Bailey’s Ghost

Our Beer of the Week features always run on Fridays, so it’s only once every seven years (OK, yes, because of leap years, it’s actually every six, and maybe even five years, depending on which year you start your count, but this stuff confounds me so please just go with it) that I get to spotlight a beer on Halloween, AKA: today! You’d better believe I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to present something dark, autumnal and perfectly suited for the occasion. Enter this week’s featured beer, Bailey’s Ghost. Brewed by a mountain town’s eponymous brewpub, Julian Beer Co. (JBC), this seasonal brew also has a namesake, referencing the town’s founder, Drury Bailey, who resided in a historic home sharing space on the plot where the 13-year-old brewery-equipped barbecue restaurant currently stands. His spirit is celebrated in this robust 8% alcohol-by-volume porter, as are pumpkins and the baking spices they are typically adorned with; “the human-grade catnip of fall” as I (and likely Starbucks) like to refer to it. But before those earthy, peppery adjuncts find their way into the beer, even before the grain is milled and the hot liquor tank is brought to temp, preparations begin in JBC’s kitchen, where pumpkins are dispatched and loaded into a meat-smoker. After they’ve smoldered and caramelized, they are ready to be incorporated and leave their marks along with water, malt, hops, yeast and the aforementioned spice blend. The result is a hearty dark ale with flavors of chocolate and coffee at its core, which are uplifted mid-palate by a spiciness akin to a PSL (pumpkin-spice latté for those whose only contact with java comes courtesy of coffee beers) and followed by a light, woody smokiness that rounds things out versus taking over. If ever there was a craft concoction built to sustain one over the course of multiple door-rings and non-costumed teenagers begging for unwarranted gratis sweet treats (many of which Bailey’s Ghost would likely pair with), it’s this one!

Bailey’s Ghost is a seasonal smoked pumpkin porter created as a collaboration between our chef and BBQ master, Donald, and the brewery. The squash is sliced and added to our smoker for several hours, then we add the finished squash to our mash while we steep cinnamon and clove in the boiling wort. Julian and the surrounding mountains are really the only place in the county one can find all the seasons, and this beer makes for a festive pairing during our fall apple-picking days.”

Matthew Pittman, Head Brewer, Julian Beer Co.

Julian Beer Co. is located at 2307 Main Street in Julian