Happy September! A brewery last seen in our beer club in August 2018, Barrel Brothers from Windsor, CA makes their return! Over a year ago, I mentioned Barrel Brothers as one of the breweries in Northern California on the rise in terms of recognition and consistency in their beers. Now, we get to revisit them over a year later and see how successfully they have progressed.
Cheers!
Brendon Pineda
Beer Aficionado
Barrel Brothers “POG Punch”
Windsor, CA
Style: Kettle sour brewed with passionfruit, orange and guava
Hops & Grain: N/A
Serving Temp: 38° – 45° F
Kettle sours differ from traditional sours due in part to being fermented in stainless steel tanks as opposed to being barrel-aged. An unstoppable, drinkable kettle sour is packing a 1-2 “punch” of tropical guava and candied citrus. This one is not too sour and is way too refreshing. This beer will change non-sour beer drinkers minds!
Barrel Brothers “Marmalade"
Windsor, CA
Style: Barrel-aged Amber sour ale with apricot
Hops & Grain: N/A
Serving Temp: 38° – 45° F
An amber sour ale aged no less than 12 months in neutral oak barrels, then “smothered” with 1lb per gallon (60lbs per barrel) of apricot. This one definitely caters to the sour drinkers and may scare off the non-sour beer drinkers. Yes, it’s tart, but that’s not all that’s going on here. This beer is complex, with a nice balance between barrel influence, fruit and acid.
Barrel Brothers “The Monday’s”
Windsor, CA
Style: Premium Malt Liquor
Hops & Grain: N/A
Serving Temp: 35° – 42° F
Malt liquor – a malt-based beverage including some amounts of adjuncts, fermented to moderate to high strength alcohol content. Adjuncts are any source of fermentable sugar in beer which is not malted barley (examples: rice, corn, corn sugar). Adjuncts are generally cheaper than malt which allow a brewer to increase alcohol while keeping costs low.
Clocking in at 9.5% so you can clock out! Let’s be honest, this is just a fun beer - how complex can a malt liquor be? However, don’t fear, this one is surprisingly refreshing and most likely won’t bring back any bad memories from college. Share with a friend (or yourself), sit back and forget all the work you’ve been putting off all week.
