Zeke's Belly Up Imperial Stout
Like a good belly rub, it'll put you in the happy place
By: Brad Hargrave
Published: 11/8/2010
Last November, Chris, the owner of Mile High Wine and Spirits, rescued our current shop dog, a Weimaraner named Zeke. About the same time that he came into our lives, we got the idea to brew a beer exclusively for Mile High. Now we are celebrating the one year anniversary of Zeke's adoption with the release of a special beer one year in the making: Zeke's Belly Up Imperial Stout.
We sell a lot of Bourbon at Mile High and our best seller is Buffalo Trace Bourbon. We sell enough of it that we no longer buy regular bottles like most stores do. Instead, the Buffalo Trace distillery sends us samples from 5 different barrels. We pick the barrel that we like the best, they set it aside for us, bottle the contents, then send all of the bottles exclusively to us. Most Bourbon is blended, several barrels are mixed together to form a consistent product, but not ours, it is a one of a kind, unblended, single barrel Bourbon. But we don't just get the bottles, they also send us the barrel it was aged in. And that is where our story begins.
We received our first single barrel batch of Buffalo Trace and our first Bourbon barrel last November. As they brought the barrel into the store, Steve, our Wine Buyer, said I should get a brewery to fill it with beer. Genius! Our friend Jeff Griffith, the Brewmaster at Golden City Brewery, quickly agreed to fill it with his Imperial Stout. Unfortunately, Jeff only brews that beer once a year, in February, so we had to wait.
February finally rolled around and Jeff brewed a big batch of his Imperial Stout. He filled up our Bourbon barrel then sold the remaining beer on tap at the brewery. The beer sat in that barrel for 6 months, quietly penetrating deeper and deeper into the barrel, absorbing more and more of the Bourbon, gaining greater and greater complexity. I stopped by the brewery every few months to pull a sample from the barrel and see how things were going. In August, after 6 months of aging, Jeff and I decided it was time. The beer was moved from the barrel to a keg where it stayed until November when we were ready to bottle it. The wait finally over, I got to take home a bottle and give it a try.On to the Tasting Notes:
Zeke's Stout pours a dark, inky black. The mocha colored head dissipates, leaving a thin ring of fine bubbles along the perimeter of my snifter glass.
Intense aromas waft from the glass. Prune is the most prominent aroma with accents of vanilla bean, tobacco, oak, and bourbon.
My first sip is flush with heady bourbon notes. But as the beer warms and my palate calibrates, I begin to experience a bounty of flavors. Milk chocolate, vanilla, anise, tobacco, charred oak, and the warming familiarity of Kentucky Bourbon. The finish displays the same bitter qualities of a cup of freshly roasted espresso, lending balance to an otherwise malt heavy brew.
The mouthfeel is spot on: low enough carbonation to allow for a creamy, velvety texture, but enough bubbles to carry this thick stout across the tongue before it becomes too overbearing.
I can't say enough about the superb job done by Jeff and his colleagues at the second largest brewery in Golden. There is no mistaking the distinct effect of six months of bourbon barrel aging on this beer. Bourbon shows up early and often. But it is not overdone, thanks to a large compliment of secondary flavors and ideal carbonation. I'll be throwing half a case in my cellar for sure.Food Pairing:
Serve Zeke's Belly Up Imperial Stout at 55 degrees in a brandy snifter or large wine glass alongside a flour-less chocolate cake, a fine cigar, or just let it be the star and serve it as dessert.
Cellaring:
Like a fine wine, this Stout can improve with age if kept at the proper conditions. We recommend that you store your beer in a cool area, away from direct light, sources of heat and in a constant temperature environment. Imperial Stouts should be aged at 55-60F. Higher temperatures and you'll risk shortening the lifespan of your beer, lower and you'll induce chill haze. Keep your beer away from the light as it can wreak havoc on your delicate brews. I'm sure everyone has heard of the term "skunky". This is often a sign of a "light struck" beer.
Zeke's Stout is unfiltered and unpasteurized. If you are going to age a few bottles, please be sure to keep them cool or you will risk bacterial growth that could lead to a sour bottle. Keep it around 55F and this shouldn't be a problem.
Ideally, you'll want to buy at least two bottles. One of them you'll want to drink immediately so you'll have a comparison with which to judge the aged one. Maybe take some notes if you want. The other beer should be cellared for at least a year or however long your patience allows.
For more on cellaring beer and general beer knowledge, please visit BeerAdvocate.com.
Cheers,
Brad