December Beer Releases: Early December Set to be bottled December 6, 2013 Our GABF gold medal-winning Deceit has been aged in an oak cognac barrel for a year and half. An extremely limited batch of bottle-conditioned bottles will be released sometime this month. This beer will only be available in bottles in the Funkwerks taproom. Cognac Barrel Aged Deceit 9.5% ABV For 18 months our award winning Belgian-style golden ale Deceit was aged in a single oak cognac barrel before being bottle conditioned. This beer pours a pure golden color with aromas of apricot and spice. Notes of caramel and vanilla from the cognac combine with a light malty sweetness from our base beer and are balanced by oak tannins that lead to a dry finish. Saturday, December 14th Funkwerks will be releasing an experimental favorite, our Belgian-style Quad, this time aged in oak bourbon barrels! This beer will be available on draft and in bottles in the taproom as well as various bars, restaurants and liquor stores across Colorado, Nebraska, and Arizona. Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad 11.5% ABV Our Belgian-style Quadrupel, which was inspired by the Trappist breweries of Belgium, sat in oak bourbon barrels for 8 months to allow the unique flavors of oak and bourbon from the barrels to meld with our base beer. A spicy oak aroma leads to flavors of caramel and malt balanced by fruit notes from our house yeast strain. Hints of bourbon and a slight alcohol warmth lead to a dry finish that makes this the perfect beer to enjoy on a cold winter evening. Taproom Prices: Half Glass- $4.50 750ml Bottle- $15.00 Mid December Set to be bottled December 13, 2013 Tropic King is a top seller in the taproom, and with the added complexity this beer will acquire from being aged in peach whiskey barrels, the limited batch is sure to sell quickly in the taproom! This beer will only be available in bottles in the Funkwerks taproom, and will be available on draft in the taproom and select Fort Collins accounts. Peach Whiskey Barrel Aged Tropic King 8.3% ABV Our Imperial Saison was brewed with New Zealand Rakau hops, giving this taproom favorite aromas of passion fruit, mango, and peach. After aging Tropic King in peach whiskey barrels with various wild organisms for a year, these tropical fruit characteristics are now balanced by spicy vanilla notes from the barrels and the earthy dryness of Brettanomyces. Taproom Prices: Half Glass- $4.50 Full Glass- $7.50 750ml Bottle- $15.00 Late December Set to be bottled December 27, 2013 Funkwerks will be releasing our first ever 100% Brettanomyces fermented ale, Brett Trois, as part of our small batch experimental series. This beer will only be available in bottles in the Funkwerks taproom, and will be available on draft in the taproom and select Fort Collins accounts. Brett Trois 6.7% ABV Say “hello” to Funkwerks’ first Brettanomyces-only fermentation! This light and refreshing brew demonstrates the funky flavors produced by the Belgian Brettanomyces strain used. A fruity bubblegum aroma is followed by a crisp citrus flavor. We used a large amount of Galaxy, Rakau, and Crystal hops toward the end of the boil and for the dry hop addition. These hops contribute tropical fruit flavors and aromas such as passion fruit, papaya, and mango while also imparting gentle citrus notes. The mouth tingling effervescence, with a tart pineapple finish and biscuit backbone, exemplifies characteristics common to this Brettanomyces strain. Taproom Prices: Half Glass- $3.00 Full Glass- $4.50 750ml Bottle- $12.00
While I am not a fan of barrel aged saisons, their Monarch Saison, which was was 50% Exile King barrel aged and 50% Tropic King was probably my favorite beer from them. So I will definitely be giving this barrel aged Tropic King a try.
Its been in all the local Fort Collins stores like Wilburs, 287, and I would have to assume Supermarket as well.
I know the brett influence in that one was minimal, but might be interesting to check that one out again now that it has some age on it. I really enjoyed that beer, though preferred it when it as the Bastogne recipe, where the cinnamon presence wasn't as pronounced (not even sure it was even used in it).
The only beer from them I liked better was King w/ Apricots. Only Saison I've had that was better than that was Saison Du Fermeir, a lot of friends who tried it thought the same thing too, really hope that becomes a seasonal.
That Tropic King w/Apricots was great. Wish I could have tried it more than once. Like the idea of it being a seasonal.
