Chatham Brewing LLC
Chatham, NY
Strong Ale but has hop bitterness bordering on Imperial IPA. Well balanced with prominent malt backbone. Aged in a bourbon cask for four months.
ABV: 8.5
ABW: 6.8
COLOR: 18
BITTERNESS: 55
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1079
AVAILABLE: NY
Bourbon predominates in this IPA, but that doesn’t mean the hops don’t make an appearance. On the contrary, once you get past the big, bourbon hit to your nose (not a bad thing), aromas of resin-y pine and just-baked bread are revealed. The flavors follow suit, with hints of maple syrup joining the predominantly bourbon notes, and the sweetness imparted from the booze playing a larger role than the piney hops. This beer might have originally been an IPA, but the bourbon barrel has influenced it into something completely different.
“Brewed in the British tradition” and “aged in Bourbon barrels.” Following these clues, I start to explore this unfiltered chestnut-colored beer. Oak and bourbon lead in the nose, then, unexpectedly, strawberries begin to emerge. More bourbon adds flavor and a sense of strength in the mouth, with tangy, drying oak pushing aside juicy red berries. The swallow is warming, as is the dry, initially berry-fruity finish, then tangy oak, creamy vanilla and a solid bitterness wrap things up. Overall, a sweet, full-bodied brew that may not be delicate but certainly delivers all you’d expect.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
Wed Jul 3rd, 2013
The Young Turks and Old Lions of Breweries
Once a year the whole world of craft brewers, and I do mean the whole world, gathers together for four days of catching up, digesting new ideas, staying up way...
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