Deschutes Not The Stoic released today, 4/28

All I wanna know is what's the difference between this and the original Stoic?

 

It's NOT the Stoic.


...?

 

That's what they said. But the barrel aging is the same. New recipe?

 

Yah I'd like to know what the difference is too. I'd likely buy quite a few if it was not like the stoic. I felt like I couldn't even give the Stoic away as extras but love the brewery and most of their beers.

 

Aged and sequestered in select oak casks. The result – a contemplatively brewed quad created in homage to all those who doubted the original. This unrepentant rendition is definitively Not The Stoic.
Malt: Pilsner, Special B, Crystal Rye
Hops: Czech Saaz
Other: Pomegranate Molasses
Barrel-Aging: 11 months in 15% Pinot Noir and 15% Rye Whiskey Barrels

 

i am really excited about this one. i liked the stoic, although it was not what i was expecting. reminded me of RR damnation, which is very tasty but it was about 4 times the price.

can anyone who tried it drop some tasting notes?

 

I'm sure I'll pick up a bottle. The question is just how many.

 

I've noticed that all of Deschutes big releases start at about $15 and head north. Is it that the brewery sells those sixers (of very good beers) super cheap and makes up for it by ****** beer geeks on the limited release beers?

Mirror Mirror is $8 more than Old Guardian, $3-4 more than Cockeyed Cooper and other barleywines. What gives?And it seems a similar trend applies to Not the Stoic and The Abyss.

 

30% barrel aged beer at 100% barrel aged prices.

 

They are barrel-aged, right? so a bomber $15-$20 is not abnormal.

 

Not sure abou the Uinta, but Old Guardian tastes as cheap as its price, in my (not worth much) opinion.

Now, Abyss/Parabola/BCBS/and so on vs. a $5.99 Stone IRS...that's a bit more challenging re: price-to-quality.

 

Guessing a July release in Texas. Will still be buying it though.

 

Barrel aging is slightly different, if my bottle of 2011 Stoic is to be believed.

As noted above, Not The Stoic is 15% each for the wine and rye barrels (30% total). The original was 16.5% each for the wine and rye barrels (33% total).

As far as the price goes, yes, it's only about 1/3rd barrel-aged, but whatever savings they might make up in having less beer sitting in barrels, they probably use up in the blending trial and error process. In my experience, when a brewery sells a beer that is only partially barrel aged, they do it for the benefit of the beer, not to save money. Often times, the blending is done to counteract the thinness and lack of body that can accompany time spent in barrels. I know Boulevard does this for some of their special edition Smokestack beers: Rye-on-Rye is 67% barrel aged and Imperial Stout is 46% barrel aged. I imagine there is a process the brewery goes through to get the ratio to the point where the beer tastes the best it can.

 

Being poured at Savor 2014 in DC in a week and a half...

 

I can't speak on behalf of any other brewery, but at Boulevard, we blend fresh beer with barrel aged beer to keep the beer true to our intentions, not to save money. We find that barrel aged beer tends to lose body and blending back with fresh beer gives a fuller mouthfeel/body. We also blend fresh beer to balance any spirit/whiskey character infused during aging. We like whiskey, but if we want to just drink whiskey, we'll do that. We like there to be a noticeable whiskey character, but we want the beer to taste like beer with a hint of whiskey, not like a glass of beer with a shot of whiskey dropped in.

 

Yeah I agree, not always is a 100 % barrel aged the way to go. Funny thing is none of the Deschutes seem to be a 100%. I guess when you are trying to produce that much beer to distribute across the country it's "okay" to take a different approach. Blending is certainly art, I'll give them that much.