I had the opportunity to visit the Guinness Open Gate Brewery right outside of Baltimore, MD for the release of their Stock Ale Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels. Guinness released this beer nationally on Friday, November 15th and it will be only available for a limited time, which means you should stock up on this now.
With 10% abv, this is a sipping beer I found is best enjoyed slowly to savor its unique and complex flavors. I tasted chocolate, raisins, and a hint of cherry. Others at the Open Gate Brewery tasted coffee, vanilla, and berries. This brew is going to be perfect to sip after a large Thanksgiving or other holiday meal.
“One of the really cool things about brewing a stock ale is that you actually get to brew two completely separate beers with unique traits and their own identities, and then blend them together to create a beer that takes on some of both, but also has a life of its own,” Sean Brennan, Guinness’ Senior Brewer the Open Gate Brewery, said. “When you consider all of the flavors coming from the wood of the barrels thanks to Bulleit’s subtle spice and oaky richness, there’s a lot of powerful influences to take note of and process in the final beer. As we say, it’s one to sip.”
Sean also talked about how excited the brewers were to use wet barrels of Bulleit Bourbon in the brewing process, as opposed to other barrel aging processes, which usually use barrels that have already been dried. Guinness and Bulleit Bourbon are both part of Diageo, an international alcoholic beverage company.
Guinness Stock Ale Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels can be found on tap at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore as well as on shelves at specialty beer stores across the U.S. in 4-packs of 11.2oz bottles for a limited time.
