Pipeworks (2021)

Aww man, they sounded excellent until I got to the lactose part!

 

HATE THE LACTOSE!!
But, okay - #1 has lactose, which is not totally unexpected for a milk stout. #2 is the barleywine, and it doesn't look like that has it. I suppose #3 will have some since it is a cuvee of both.
A good excuse to just get the barleywine and cuvee, since I am all STOUTED UP already.

 

I assumed with the pandemic keeping the majority of neckbeards at home they would have moved their PWs Friends with Benefits membership (FwB) to PW’s In-house Cellar membership (InCel).

 

Milke Stout = Lactose....not gonna find a milk stout recipe without it.

 

Hearing fantastic things about these two new BAs from PW. I grabbed one of each. May have to go back for another one of each.

 

...there's 3 new barrel aged beers?

 

I'm glad to see PW's BA program is back, and Phantom Unicorn was very good. But is it just me or is it very odd, maybe downright suspicious, that these were canned ~9 mos. ago and held until now? I'm holding off on these 3 at least until I hear more reviews from you all.

 

Pretty sus

 

Maybe they wanted to hold onto them for a while to be absolutely sure no problems would emerge. Maybe it was part of their agreement with Binny's to avoid lower sales on 15% stouts during spring and summer months, or to avoid conflict with marketing other collaborations that Binny's wanted to promote. I'm not worried. Haven't tried the others, but the barleywine (#2) is nice.

 

I purchased all three, so maybe I’ll drink them back-to-back tonight and write you guys some poetry.

 

Only two available at Binny's that I saw. Those are the two I'm talking about.

 

I recalled reading this happening with a Binny's collaboration in the past and sure enough, I'm not going crazy. Well, at least not full on. @flat_lander & @Jinx989 were discussing this on the Binny's collaboration with Destihl around this post. jinx989 mentioned it was due to a delay with labels so perhaps a similar situation on the PW cans. And those were sold ~11 months after packaging.

 

I was pretty underwhelmed by the barleywine. Not even in the same league as SJ and Orin IMO.

 

I grabbed the non-adjunct stout and the BW but haven’t had a chance to go pick them up yet. Based on the reviews it was ~$20 down the drain

 

I didn’t care for the milk stout (#1), but thought the BW (#2) was decent enough. I agree it was nowhere near straight jacket level though. Haven’t gotten to the third yet.

 

cracked #2 first, which is the barleywine. I won’t compare it to Orin, because that is a strong ale. Geez.

Kept it out of the fridge for 40 minutes. Poured it into prop days cup.

initial nose is old world candy factory. All burnt sugar, toffee, bright notes - almost like fruit / banana, and then bourbon and wood. Maybe some bread pudding or panna cotta. This is a very complex and entertaining nose to me. If it stayed in that upper register, I would not have enjoyed it, but it is anchored by some dark fruits, raisins, and rich malt.

ooooo weeee this is an interesting beer. Man. There is a certain flavor that follows off the nose that continues to remind me of fancy desserts. Creme brûlée, while your great-uncle who doesn’t speak English laughs a hearty laugh at a joke you didn’t understand and a wave of spiced glogg spiked with rum and raisins wafts from across the table. It is neither thick nor thin, but starts out smooth / light and then lingers for a long time until it almost feels gritty. Dangerous at 13%! As anyone who has shared a drink with me recently knows, I’m a sucker for old things, and this bears those hallmarks of age. Rounded, subtle, integrated, and nuanced. Each sip is bringing me for a ride - there are three distinct segments to its flavor, which is one of the most delightful things a beer can do for me.

I’m only halfway through, and this is a real treat. a charming, shapeshifting beer that feels perfect for the holidays. Cheers!

 

So sus...