These three favorites came back for our beer dinner last night and there is still a little bit left for today. Get down to 3705 early though, there are probably about 15 pours left of Stickeen but you can never be too sure.
Stickeen - Double Dry-Hopped NE DIPA - 8.3%
This is our biggest, juiciest, softest IPA yet. We used especially dank, odiferous hop varieties for an unapologetically intense aromatic experience. The grist is composed of American two-row, malted white wheat, rolled oats, and carafoam for a grainy, cereal sweetness to support the fruit flavors from intense hopping with a total of over four pounds per barrel of Simcoe, Idaho 7, and Eureka.
Vermont ale yeast softens everything up with its peachy bubble gum and cotton candy fermentation character, but the palate is all syrupy pine sap, dank earthy musk, and a long chew on grapefruit skin. Worthy of celebrating near-fatal unplanned overnights on glacial ascents with adventure dogs.
Gorgeous George - Belgian-Style Quadrupel - 9.5%
We love and revere the Belgian brewing tradition, even as today's most popular styles (IPA, pale lager, and stout) hew towards German and English origins. You can count on catching classic takes on Belgian styles here at Cinderlands, just as you did with our witbier and saison over the past few months. The Quadrupel, or Belgian dark strong ale, is the most potent of the monastic beers, though the recipe is fairly straightforward. We start with a grist comprised mostly of floor-malted pilsner, then layer in the bready notes of light Munich, the deep raisiny tones of Special B, and the vinous sweetness of CaraRuby. We ferment with a famous trappist strain known for its bright, fruity esters, delicate spice, and crisp finish. Expect a beer full of the aromas of brown sugar, bubblegum, and puréed raisins. On the palate, there's fig, tobacco, and mild clove. This beer is decidedly sweet on balance, but with above-average effervescence and a dangerously dry finish for its strength. Copper-brown in color and perfectly bright with a mousse-like off-white head. This is a big beer, not quite inconspicuous like a set of car keys. We suggest not losing your chance to try one.
Stellar Peak - Double Dry-Hopped Sour NE IPA - 6.0%
Acid brings a new dimension to the typical flavors encountered in a new-fangled IPA. While brewers seek to absorb as much fruity flavor and aroma as possible into hazy IPAs and support those oil-derived aromas with enough residual extract and grain texture to make them sing, inviting the sharp tang of lactic acid to the party presents an interesting opportunity. We love New Zealand hop varieties largely because of how fruity and weird they can be. Two of our favorites, Motueka and Nelson Sauvin, present huge flavors reminiscent of key lime/vanilla and sauvignon blanc, respectively. Both of these absolutely begging for acidity to really pop, so we kettle soured our standard NE IPA wort and made it so. Fermentation occurred by way of Vermont Ale yeast and we laid on the hops heavy with a combined total of nearly four pounds per barrel of Motueka and Nelson Sauvin, including a hearty dose of the highly concentrated lupulin powder from Ekuanot. This is an intense, bright beer that opens up exciting new paths for future acid-forward, hoppy beers. More coming your way soon.
