Stocking Stuffers!

The sun is out, Honey Wit & Summer Knights Kolsch are flowing from our taps, flowers are blooming, farmers markets are humming, and we are brewing for the winter. Yes, I know Oregon has just emerged from a long raining winter; it is almost demonic to think about the next. However in our brewery we must plan and brew ahead; sometimes a month, sometimes six, sometimes a few years.

In preparation for a new winter beer we have received a shipment of freshly emptied brandy barrels. These beauties were born of American oak, first filled by a bourbon distiller, then moved on to age brandy, and now will find their final use in our brewery.

The seed thought for this beer came from testing a traditional English Christmas pudding recipe last year, Figgy Pudding, for our food specials. This pudding is actually more of a steamed cake; baked with spices, studded with figs, and then finished off by dunking in brandy. To me, that seemed like the perfect winter beer to sip while relaxing by the fire or spending time with family. It was too late in the season last year to brew a beer from this inspiration but this year we are on target.

Figgy Pudding, the beer, is brewed somewhere between an English Old Ale & Barley wine, 9.5%-11%alc/vol. We will age the beer in our newly acquired brandy barrels with figs, then gently spice at blending. The plan is to serve the beer on draft, and bottle a limited amount of 750ml Belgian bottles, in late November/early December. These will be bottle conditioned and the perfect size to fit into stockings hanging above the fire place.

“Now, bring us some figgy pudding!” the carolers demand! I’m pretty certain this beer is what they were talking about.

Happy Holidays!

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    Brewer's Brain