Summit Brewing Co. Presents: Dueling Barrels With Dark Horse Bar & Eatery
Psssst. Hey. What are you doing Wednesday, June 27? Wanna join us at Dark Horse Bar & Eatery for two super-fresh and super-rare barrel-aged Summit beers?
DUELING BARRELS AT DARK HORSE
Every once in a while we get a bee in our bonnet and feel like drinkin’ a big, barrel-aged Summit beer over at Dark Horse. Truth be told, we feel the itch coming on once again — only this time, it’s twice as bad.
The only remedy, it turns out, is more beer. Two times more. Specifically: Summit Banjaxed Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels, and Summit Great Northern Porter Aged in Jamaican Rum Barrels.
SUMMIT BARREL-AGED BANJAXED
Do you remember Summit Banjaxed, the Irish-Style Brown Ale we brewed and served this past winter exclusively on nitro? Well, that beer is gone and retired for now, but we did hold back a small amount for barrel aging. (You’re welcome, Mom.)
Combining a blend of pale and caramel malts with U.S. and New Zealand hops to create a full and balanced beer with aromas of caramel, stone fruit and blackcurrants, this limited batch was aged in rye whiskey barrels, gathering notes of caramel, stone fruit, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye and black cherries. Weighing in at 8.7% ABV and 40 IBU, your first chance to taste it is — you guessed it — June 27th at Dark Horse, 4 p.m.
SUMMIT GREAT NORTHERN PORTER AGED IN JAMAICAN RUM BARRELS
If you’re a Summit enthusiast, which you likely are since you’re reading this little weblog, you’ve been enjoying Summit Great Northern Porter for years. Did you know it was the second beer Summit ever brewed, debuting way back in 1987? And did you also know it’s the first beer Summit ever won an award for, taking First Place in the “Porters” category at the 1987 Great American Beer Festival®? Yeah, you probably knew that, too.
Here’s something new for you, Smarty Pants: This rummed-up version of our classic porter will feature a light, slightly rum-boozy body with flavors and aromas of oak, dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco, vanilla and raisin. Perhaps the best part, though, is that you’ll be able to enjoy all that at 5.95% ABV — meaning you don’t have to worry about getting the spins.
Don’t miss your chance to get this liquid across your lips, also coming up at 4 p.m. June 27th, only at Dark Horse.
THE TASTING
If you make it to the tasting, please let us know what you think of the beer. We may have a few more barrel-aged beers up our sleeves, and your feedback will help guide us throughout our future barrel-aging projects — perhaps with brandy barrels or tequila barrels or scotch or gin. We just don’t even know; we kinda want to do ‘em all.
One other thing: Please remember to eat some food while you’re at Dark Horse. Their food, which is excellent, has been known to make people say “Holy shit” on more than one occasion.
BONUS: Enjoy these two dueling barrels of Summit Barrel-Aged Beer alongside other killer Summit brews, including Extra Pale Ale, Sága, Oatmeal Stout, Dakota Soul, Skip Rock, Lazy Sipper and Keller Pils.
WHY WE’RE PLAYING WITH LIQUOR BARRELS
“Summit has its roots in traditional German lagers and British ales, and throughout history these beers were traditionally finished in wood barrels,” says Head Brewer Damian McConn. “Stainless steel is a relatively new material, considering the long history of brewing. Getting into wood takes us back to the traditional roots of the brewers before us, and we can do it slowly and carefully while we focus on quality and flavor.”
Like we hinted above, a few more special barrel-aged beers may or may not become available at Dark Horse Bar & Eatery later in 2018, so make sure to follow Dark Horse and Summit Brewing Co. for updates.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Working with Dark Horse Bar & Eatery represents a great opportunity to partner with an established retailer to push interesting flavors in food and drink. “There’s a strong local connection there,” says McConn, “and Paddy [Whelan, owner of Dark Horse] is a strong supporter of Summit. He’s working hard to carve out a reputation for creativity and quality, and we’re happy to be part of it.”
