February is a busy month. Seems like January flies by as people are still recovering from the Holidays and hiding from the cold weather. Then February hits and our calendars fill up. But amidst living a very full life, I was able to have great beers that made my list of the Best Craft Beer for February.
Being in Ohio, February normally means cold weather but we had a few moments of shockingly warm weather. For most of us, it just made us want spring to get here even more than we already did.
Hopefully you February wasn’t as busy as mine and the weather was a bit more predictable. But even if it wasn’t, I hope you had some great craft beer to help make it pass by.
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Here’s the Best Craft Beer I had last month:
Rubus Cacao Aged In Bourbon And Wine Barrels
Brewery: MadTree Brewing – Cincinnati, Ohio
Style: Barrel-Aged Stout
ABV: 7.5% IBU: 12
Description
Rubus Cacao aged in five bourbon barrels and one red wine barrel blended together to create a decadent sipper.
Why it made the list?
Just like a fine wine . . . yes, this one got better with time.
After sitting for 2 years, I finally decided to open this barrel-aged treat and I wish I had more of it to drink in the future.
I’m a huge fan of the base beer, Rubus Cacao, that has great chocolate and raspberry flavor. These flavors do very well through the barrel-aging process.
However, what you will find is there is a ton of red wine flavor in it. The aroma has just enough sweetness from the bourbon to know it is there.
The flavor is rich, decadent but not sugar sweet. It truly is closer to a wine than a stout and even has a very dry finish that you’d expect from a wine.
I’m hoping that they make this one again as it is good enough to turn me into a red wine fan.
Craft Beer Spotlight: MadTree Brewing Rubus Cacao
Gladiator Bestiarius
Brewery: Shipyard Brewing – Portland, Maine
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Porter
ABV: 11.8% IBU: N/A
Description
English style porter aged in Bourbon Barrels
Why it made the list?
Sometimes the story behind a beer is just as good as the beer itself.
In the fall of 2017, my wife was able to travel to Portland, Maine to visit family. Unfortunately, I was not able to join her.
While there, she went to a handful of breweries which made me quite jealous. Lucky for me, she’s amazing and brought beer back to me – this was one of those beers.
While visiting Shipyard Brewing, she had some of the best beer of her trip so she had to bring back a special beer from there and she knows I love barrel-aged beers.
The beauty in this beer is its ability to still be a really great porter while having barrel and bourbon flavors. The aroma is all barrel and bourbon. The flavor starts out strong and then gets smooth and sweet just like a great Imperial Porter.
Now, I just need to find a way to visit Portland myself.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Demogorgon
Brewery: Streetside Brewery – Cincinnati, Ohio
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 13.3% IBU: N/A
Description
Imperial Stout w/ Honey – Served in a firkin with cocoa, cinnamon and habanero peppers.
Why it made the list?
I’ve quickly become a huge fan of firkins so I had to attend the Christian Moerlein firkin event a few weeks ago.
They had 10 unique beers in firkins from a variety of local breweries. One of these was Mexican Hot Chocolate Demogorgon.
You may recall this is the same base beer that was used in the firkin event I did with Streetside where donuts and coffee were added to it. It’s also the same base beer that they bourbon barrel-aged and released as part of their one year anniversary. So this beer has been a highlight of quite a few events.
This variation was amazing has it had a ton of sweetness from the beer itself and cocoa. Then it finished with a nice bite from the peppers. The heat lingered just long enough before is subsided.
There’s something special about the fresh taste of the ingredients out of a firkin. The flavors are much more pronounced and bold. I can’t wait to see what variations they make with Demogorgon in the future.
Silver Nuggets
Brewery: 450 North Brewing – Columbus, Indiana
Style: Triple IPA – New England
ABV: 11% IBU: 65
Description
Silver Nuggets is brewed with copious amounts of Vic Secret, Motueka, and Mosaic hops. Our second release in the Rare Nuggets triple IPA series.
Why it made the list?
I think I’ve hit fan boy status when it comes to 450 North Brewing . . . and I’m ok with that.
I’m a huge New England IPA fan and love seeing how their beer has developed over the past year.
The new Rare Nuggets series is the next evolution in these beers from them and shows they have a lot of great things planned for 2018.
Silver Nuggets has huge aroma and flavor that is primarily over ripe tropical fruits and apricot. There’s mango and papaya flavors from the hops along with a assertive bite in the end.
The appearance was hazy and murky while the 11% ABV was nearly undetectable.
Learn More About Craft Beer: Craft Beer Cocktails
I can’t say I’m too surprised that there are a lot of barrel-aged beers on my list this month. February is a cold month plus they make a great option when you want something to sip on to end a busy day.
Did you break out some great barrel-aged beers last month? If so, let me know about them. As always, you can sound off in the comments below or send me a message.
February had its highs and lows and I am ready for March, more great craft beer and some great beer articles.
