Author: Mike Karnowski

Whiskey Barrel Aged Barley Wine (for Lou Reed)

New beer release: Whiskey Barrel aged Traditional Barleywine (for Lou Reed) 13%. An old school 6 hour boil English barleywine rested in American whiskey barrels.
Maris Otter malt and a bit of caramel wheat is all this needs to deliver waves of creme brûlée, New Orleans pralines and whiskey cordial candy. Aging potential 3-5 years.
280758249_3136919953188707_3172713040749765961_n

Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas)

Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas) 5.6%. A blend of two year old sour barrels fermented with 100% wild culture from the Asheville air aged on a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

The light oak and gentle funk blend with a complex fruit character. The perfect beer for a charcuterie or cheese plate. A beautiful showcase of our local micro flora at an affordable price.

278006785_3110051012542268_8930542556241723219_n

Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (for Phil Lynott)

Aging Imperial Stout in barrels goes back to the 1700s but aging in whiskey barrels is a truly American take. In my opinion a barrel is really the only “adjunct” needed for a beautiful imperial stout. It gives notes of vanilla and coconut that compliment the complex roast malt character. 13% ABV

275835286_3095685493978820_1806661608879885282_n 275805259_3095685500645486_4292056500401837007_n

 

Traditional Barley Wine (for Christopher Hitchens)

A showcase of the finest English Maris Otter malt, concentrated with a six hour boil. Traditional East Kent Goldings hops hang on for dear life against the waves of intense malt and caramel. Fruity yeast and hop character in the aroma are reminiscent of strawberries and port wine. The flavor keeps those fruit notes but brings in sticky caramel without being cloying in the least. A gorgeous example of a barleywine without any adornments.
While this is beautiful right now, this is a beer to age like a fine Bordeaux. It will easily age for a decade and buying a case and drinking one every winter for the next 12 years would be my recommendation. 11.4% ABV270310082_3043764855837551_5811981536132432896_n

Double Stout Release: Traditional Imperial Stout (for Alan Watts) and Me and the Devil#4 (for John Fian)

265367545_3030892150458155_1850854216256626692_n
Traditional Imperial Stout (for Alan Watts) brewed with the finest English Maris Otter,brown and black malts and traditional East Kent Goldings hops. This is what Imperial Stout tasted like when it was still being sent to Russia in the mid 1800s.
Deep flavors of bittersweet chocolate and coffee that finishes with a firm bitterness that will fade with age. A stout for adult palates unlike the sickly sweet glop gloop stouts that dominate the market today.
Me and the Devil #4 (for John Fian) while we respect tradition there is a place for gilding the lily of a stout with natural raw adjuncts. We start with a complex non-lactose imperial stout and add Ghirardelli cocoa powder in the mash and aged on a massive 13# of coconut per barrel. Never any “natural” extracts or flavorings. Even our curmudgeon brewer admits it’s delicious!

Bodhisattva (for Walter Becker)

Bodhisattva (for Walter Becker) 6.3% ABV. A collaboration with Saint Somewhere brewery, we started with a classic traditional saison and aged it on Buddha hand citrus fruit.
The lemony citrus blends perfectly with the spicy yeast character. Finishes bone dry and is immensely drinkable/poundable. 100% local malt from Riverbend malting. Brettanomyces was added at bottling which will allow the continued evolution over time and a bit of funk would be amazing in this beer. Buy a few bottles and sample over the next year or two.

241657190_2966466113567426_4294199915890647227_n

Tokyo Style Gose (for Toshiro Mifune)

Tokyo Style Gose (for Toshiro Mifune) 4.7% ABV. Gose is a sour ale traditionally brewed with salt and coriander. We put a Japanese twist on it by using local white miso for the salt and pickled ginger for the coriander. Local Riverbend barley and wheat.
Pours very pale with a rocky head, delicate ginger aroma that is more reminiscent of sushi than ginger ale. Clean, bright acidity with just a touch of umami from the miso.

236828964_2952040335010004_4711520574712908775_n

Evolution of IPA 1840-2000 Box Set

The Evolution of IPA (1840-1994) box set of six historical IPAs recreated from the actual brewers logs. Complete with a pamphlet detailing historical/brewing/tasting notes.
This set will accompany an upcoming streaming lecture by beer historians Ron Pattinson and Mitch Steele. This epic lecture will include an in depth interview with Vinnie Cilurzo and will cover the entire history of IPA from the 1700s to 2021.
209377197_2916256018588436_5417337135748829018_n
Original IPA (circa 1840) aged in oak barrels for 14 months with Brettanomyces.
Whitbread IPA (circa 1902) pre-WW1 IPA. The classic example of an English IPA
Whitbread IPA (circa 1918) post-WW1. The beginning of the decline of IPA.
Boddingtons IPA (circa 1946) post-WW2. The end of IPA as it was known.
West Coast IPA(circa 1974) the rebirth of IPA with the start of craft beer.
West Coast US DIPA (circa 1994) the birth of the double IPA
Complete historical, brewing and tasting notes
$50 limited to 400 cases.

Original IPA circa 1840 (for Laika)

Original IPA circa 1840 (for Laika) 7.5%. This is one of only a few beers that we repeat every year and it’s one of our most intense and challenging beers.
Brewed with 100% Maris Otter malt and a huge amounts of East Kent Goldings hops (160 calculated ibus). Fermented with Burton yeast then aged in oak barrels for 14 months with Brettanomyces. Dry hopped with more EKG and bottle conditioned.
Big gingerbread/sandalwood funk in the nose blends with dried apricot notes from the hops. The flavor is wild, hop resins and funk. Absolutely nothing like a modern IPA but it has gained a bit of a cult following over the years.
Only 400 bottles available as another 400 are destined for a secret mega-project we will be announcing soon.

196474145_2900569383490433_5821608203769054420_n

Petite Blueberry Sour (for Albert King)

Petite Blueberry Sour (for Albert King) 5.9% ABV. Fermented with 100% wild culture from the Asheville air and aged on the second use fruit from our barrel aged Blueberry Sour.
While not as jammy and complex as our Blueberry Sour, this still has loads of fruit and yeast character. Perfect for upcoming summer bbqs or get togethers.

176558222_2872171732996865_2991158615504915584_n