• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

SLEEPING BEAUTIES: BEERS WORTH AGING NOW

Written by KAREN CINPINSKI Posted January 19, 2015 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE

HP_SLEEPINGBEAUTY_728x410

A true test of willpower: waiting months, years, to drink a beer. But some suds benefit from a little aging. They’re like the George Clooneys of beer, evolving and maturing in flavor intensities and taste complexities. As a rule, the best nominees for aging have elevated ABVs and are fortified with rich, dark malts (think: barleywines, Belgian ales, barrel-aged brews, imperials, doubles, and other burly beers), and they’re available en masse now. Find and (eventually) imbibe these local seasonals and new releases ready to hit the pillow for a spell—or however long you can fight the urge to uncap them. Patience is a virtue, people.

 

Sleeping Beauty: Berkley Belgian Style Triple

Style: Abbey Tripel

ABV: 8.9%

This rotating brew from Berkley Beer in Mass is made with local honey and comes already aged in rye whiskey barrels for four months. Let this one rest for a few months and you’ll find that the booze softens, making the beer incredibly smooth. Grab a bottle, lock, and key.

 

Sleeping Beauty: Jack’s Abby Bride Maker

Style: Lager Wine

ABV: 13%

Named to honor the nuptials of several Jack’s Abby Brewing staffers, this is the Mass-based brewery’s second take on a barrel-aged lager wine. Aged in bourbon barrels, the October release’s mega ABV and dark malts make it the perfect candidate for a long nap in the cellar.

 

Sleeping Beauty: Harpoon Tuscan Pool Party

Style: Fruit Beer

ABV: 7.6%

The recent release in Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series, number 52, pays homage to an employee-only trip to Italy that led to collaboration with Birrifi­cio L’Olmaia, a brewery in Montepulciano. Aged on oak spirals and brewed with a balance of juicy hops and sweet Sangiovese and Merlot grape juice, the ale, if matured just a little longer, might grow a mustache.

 

Sleeping Beauty: Backlash Beer Vandal

Style: Double IPA

ABV: 8.5%

This limited release by Mass’s Backlash Beer is in celebration of their third-year anniversary. It’s brewed with three different varieties of hops. The big IPA will likely lose some of its hops-forwardness over time, but the caramel malt will start to shine through.

 

Sleeping Beauty: White Birch Ol’ Cattywhompus

Style: English Barleywine

ABV: 10.5%

Brewed by New Hampshire’s White Birch Brewing, this English barleywine has two key aging ingredients: a high ABV and darker grains. After a couple years, the hops will likely recede and the suds will take on sweeter sherry-like flavors. Don’t get confused, it’s still beer.

KAREN CINPINSKI
Related posts
  • KAREN CINPINSKI
    https://digboston.com/author/karen-cinpinski/
    WOMEN IN BEER: STEREOTYPES, CHALLENGES, AND VISIONS OF THE FUTURE WITH LADIES OF LOCAL BREWING
  • KAREN CINPINSKI
    https://digboston.com/author/karen-cinpinski/
    ROAD AHEAD: BIG UPDATES FROM DOWN THE ROAD BREWERY
  • KAREN CINPINSKI
    https://digboston.com/author/karen-cinpinski/
    TRILLIUM SQUARED: FORT POINT-BASED BREWERY EXPANDING MEANS MORE BEER FOR YOU
  • KAREN CINPINSKI
    https://digboston.com/author/karen-cinpinski/
    CRAFT BEER BARS: DO THEY REALLY EVEN EXIST ANYMORE?

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: abbey tripel, abv, backlash beer vandal, barrel aged, berkley belgian style triple, cellar aging, double ipa, english barleywine, fruit beer, harpoon tuscan pool party, imperials, jack's abby bride maker, lager wine, seasonal, sleeping beauty, white birch ol' cattywhompus

WHAT’S NEW

Inbox: "Reformers Vow To Press For Changes In the Massachusetts Democratic Party"

Inbox: “Reformers Vow To Press For Changes In the Massachusetts Democratic Party”

"Spotted Lanternfly, back_2017-06-16-16.50" by Sam Droege is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0

Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Alert!

Morale Violation: Whistle-Blowers Report Culture Of “Retaliation,” “Nepotism” At Parole Agency

Morale Violation: Whistle-Blowers Report Culture Of “Retaliation,” “Nepotism” At Parole Agency

Inbox: "Black Youth File Racial Profiling Complaint Against Medford Police"

Inbox: “Black Youth File Racial Profiling Complaint Against Medford Police”

Mass One Step Closer To New-Prison Moratorium, But Not There Yet

Mass One Step Closer To New-Prison Moratorium, But Not There Yet

Congrats To Worcester On Coming In At #69 On Best Places To Live List

Congrats To Worcester On Coming In At #69 On Best Places To Live List

Primary Sidebar

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • Morale Violation: Whistle-Blowers Report Culture Of “Retaliation,” “Nepotism” At Parole Agency
  • We Turned the North End Restaurant Lawsuit Against Mayor Wu Into a Musical
  • Do You Want To Work For the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission?
  • Inbox: Red Bull Cliff Diving Returns To Boston Waterfront
  • How Long Can Major Cannabis Cultivators Sustain Massive Indoor Grows In Mass?

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 24.08 – 04/21/22

Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]