… Or should we say “gose?”
If you attended the 2020 version of Boundary Stone’s Battle of the Barrel Aged Beers, you were one of the first to try the inaugural installment of DC Brau’s new Harmonious Funk series. The new line-up of barrel-aged, bottled sours will begin rolling out today, Wednesday, September 23, at the brewery with the release of Harmonious Funk #1, a 5.6% alcohol by volume lager aged in neutral oak for over 16 months. Less than 150 bottles of this elixir exist, so get yours early!
But those sneaky, sneaky brewers weren’t done there. As it turns out, they’re building a sour program right under our noses.
From a press release:
“We have been building up our barrel program over the past several years, experimenting with different styles, wood and barrel origins,” says DC Brau co-founder and CEO Brandon Skall. “Our team has had a lot of fun crafting the new Harmonious Funk series.”
According to Co-founder and Brewmaster Jeff Hancock, Harmonious Funk #1 has a crisp lager character with a light body and a dry, bitter, light acidic finish with layers of complex fruity notes, such as orange, lemon and pineapple, and a faint hint of cherry with light leather and funky barnyard notes. The tart fruit and funky flavors of a traditional farmhouse ale are prominent, but are in harmonious balance with the lager character.
The series release continues through the end of the year with two additional releases. Harmonious Funk #2, a 6.9% ABV Saison with Brett aged for two years in Sauvignon Blanc barrels and dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria just prior to bottling, will be followed by DC Brau’s version of a Grand Cru. Harmonious Funk #3, which has sat in barrels longer than any other beer ever released by the brewery, boasts a firm 8.3% ABV after a three-year residence in a neutral wine barrel.
“Number 3’s woody tannins and horse blanket barnyard funk play well with deep vanilla and toasted oak notes,” says Hancock. “The copious esters of dried fruit permeate with vinous and caramel accents on the nose couple with low acidity and a dry finish to make this a memorable drinking experience.”
The second and third installments join other anticipated barrel-aged releases from DC Brau this fall, including Ghouls’ Night Out (10/20) barrel-aged quad and Wake Up in the Future (11/27) barrel-aged imperial stout, in addition to seasonal favorites like Stone of Arbroath Scotch Ale and Sleeping Standing Up barleywine-style ale.
Harmonious Funk #1, the first in a new series of barrel-aged sours is releasing today at https://t.co/xblDiRXkJG! Less than 150 bottles of this exciting new brew are available for delivery or curbside pickup. pic.twitter.com/sJkWvdKc1i
— DC Brau Brewing (@dcbrau) September 23, 2020
The Harmonious Funk bottles are priced between $10.99 and $13.99, and Number 1 is available online.