Town Hall Barrel Aged “Week” 2023

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by bigdaddypolite, Feb 5, 2023.

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  1. bigdaddypolite

    bigdaddypolite Maven (1,303) Mar 2, 2007 Minnesota
    Trader

    Town Hall is rolling out their annual Barrel Aged celebration once again. Crowlers available for sale on their website (note the final link is a little buried in text form within a paragraph).

    Looks like a great lineup once again. Many of the usual favorites and some new offerings. Double Barrel Czar once again, and also a Double Barrel Trace this year.

    Star Tribune also did a nice article on their BA program.
    https://m.startribune.com/minneapolis-brewery-perfects-and-celebrates-barrel-aged-beer/600248233/
     
    #1 bigdaddypolite, Feb 5, 2023
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  2. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,803) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    You forgot to add that it runs from February 13 through till the 25th.
     
    #2 morimech, Feb 5, 2023
  3. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,686) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Looking forward to a few dinners at Town Hall in February, & not standing outside in February to secure growlers!
     
    #3 maximum12, Feb 5, 2023
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  4. mattmarka1

    mattmarka1 Pooh-Bah (2,384) Jul 8, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anybody else notice the huge ABV jump in all the BA beers? Get your designated drivers ready!
     
    #4 mattmarka1, Feb 6, 2023
    maximum12 likes this.
  5. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,686) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Thanks for the warning. Some of skim because we can barely read... :stuck_out_tongue:
     
    #5 maximum12, Feb 6, 2023
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  6. gudbrande

    gudbrande Pundit (962) Jul 10, 2009 Minnesota
    Society Trader

    Kinda bummed they didn't do Foolish Angel this year, but the lineup looks great. I wish I had checked earlier today as the Butterball and DB Twisted Trace are already sold out.
     
    #6 gudbrande, Feb 6, 2023
  7. JakeJohnson

    JakeJohnson Pundit (897) Jan 30, 2015 Minnesota
    Trader

    I don’t think the abv is significantly higher. They are just accurately reporting it now. In the past, they listed the abv without the contribution of the barrel.
     
    #7 JakeJohnson, Feb 6, 2023
  8. HammsMeASAP

    HammsMeASAP Pundit (931) Jun 14, 2012 Minnesota

    Bought a few crowlers. My first time getting involved in their Barrel Aged Week.

    -Kentucky Truffle
    -Czar Jack
    -Double Barrel Czar Jack
    -Double Barrle Xtra Milk Stout

    1 of each.
     
    #8 HammsMeASAP, Feb 15, 2023
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  9. bigdaddypolite

    bigdaddypolite Maven (1,303) Mar 2, 2007 Minnesota
    Trader

    Sampled some tasters today. They were collectively great, as usual from Town Hall BA Week. They certainly hid their high ABVs well.

    -W.L. Bourbon Butterball: My favorite of the day. Sweet, butterscotch, easy drinking. Really wish I had grabbed a crowler but did not.

    -Pre-Pan Single Barrel Tripel: Probably my second favorite. Very sweet, with bubble-gum characteristics. Nots sure I would have immediately pegged it as a tripel without the description, but certainly makes sense.

    -Mole Barrel: Nice mole BA stout. Did not blow me away, but exactly as good as I expected it might be, with a mild pepper kick.

    -Czar Jack: Enjoyable as always. Did not stand out relative to prior years, but good as expected.

    -Twisted Trace: Seemed just a bit thinner than prior years. Still enjoyable, but this is one of my perennial favorites so maybe not quite up to my high expectations. Also was one of the last I tried, so could have been lost in the mix a bit.

    Also some good news: They had ALL pre-purchased crowlers available to take home, including those that are not available on draft until next week. This was a nice surprise, as some prior years you could not get your growler/crowler until that particular beer was released on draft.

    I will be back again next Thursday to try the new offerings. We are luck to have this event with such great releases every year, at a spot that also happens to have good food!
     
    #9 bigdaddypolite, Feb 16, 2023
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  10. MonDak_Joe1953

    MonDak_Joe1953 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,156) Aug 4, 2017 Minnesota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I picked up four pre-ordered crowler cans on Thursday (2/16):
    - Mole Barrel (10.66% ABV)
    - Kentucky Truffle (13.49% ABV)
    -Wine Barrel Bruin (9.92% ABV)
    - Rye Not Belgian Grand (14.21% ABV).

    I've had the Kentucky Truffle before but the others are new to me. It will be prudent to pick the right time to try to plow through each can (one per session, to be sure).
     
    #10 MonDak_Joe1953, Feb 17, 2023
  11. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,686) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Too bad we missed you! We were there for dinner & ran into a couple of other old beer farts. I'll add my impressions as well:

    Pre-Pan Tripel: my favorite of the night. Great bourbon hit & lots of fruitiness from the Belgian yeast.

    Czar Jack: this tasted like the 'Jack of old. Full & delicious w/plenty of barrel.

    Kentucky Truffle: also returned to its former glory. Thought it was excellent.

    Twisted Trace: I'll second b-daddy. This felt thinner, with a weaker barrel than the others. Once my unrestrained favorite, it finished on the bottom last night.

    Looking forward to sampling more next week!
     
    #11 maximum12, Feb 18, 2023
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  12. gudbrande

    gudbrande Pundit (962) Jul 10, 2009 Minnesota
    Society Trader

    Had the W.L. Bourbon Butterball and the Pre-Pan at Town Hall. Both started out with a good bit of heat from the barrel but mellowed nicely as they warmed. Butterscotch on the W.L. and the candy fruitiness in the Pre-Pan started coming through then.
    Opened the 100% malted rye barrel on Thursday. That was a treat, maybe my favorite. Makes up for no Foolish Angel this year.
     
    #12 gudbrande, Feb 18, 2023
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  13. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Anyone have the full list? Star Tribune was paywall and MTHB site did not have full list.
     
    #13 gatornation, Feb 19, 2023
  14. bigdaddypolite

    bigdaddypolite Maven (1,303) Mar 2, 2007 Minnesota
    Trader

    Weird, looks like they took down the info at the link from the main page. This one still works for me under “Barrel Aged Beer Lineup” though:
    https://linktr.ee/townhallbrewery
     
    #14 bigdaddypolite, Feb 20, 2023
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  15. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    TY!
     
    #15 gatornation, Feb 20, 2023
  16. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,803) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    Had three of them today. As others said, a bit of a down year for Twisted Trace. Probably the best Czar Jack that I have had and the Pre-Pan was surprisingly good. But the highlight for me today is that 1800 IPA was on cask which is my favorite Town Hall beer.
     
    #16 morimech, Feb 20, 2023
  17. Uberdachen

    Uberdachen Devotee (355) Jun 21, 2019 Minnesota
    Trader

    I’ve never had any before to compare against but I only grabbed twisted trace and to think it is supposedly usually better is impressive. It put on the foil and got to business right at puck drop.
     
    #17 Uberdachen, Feb 20, 2023
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  18. JakeJohnson

    JakeJohnson Pundit (897) Jan 30, 2015 Minnesota
    Trader

    Of what I tried this year, this is my personal ranking:
    1. Cherry Orchard MC
    2. DB Czar Jack
    3. Pre-Pan Single Barrel Tripel
    4. Czar Jack
    5. DB Twisted Trace
    6. Kentucky Truffle
    7. Twisted Trace
    8. ET Wee
    9. DB Xtra Milk Stout
    The mixed-ferm beer was the runaway winner for me, but the Double Barrel Czar Jack was incredible. The Brett IPA they did last year was amazing and the release last week was even better. I look forward to what they do with wild beers moving forward. Overall, nothing disappointed in the lineup. Obviously didn’t try some big ones as a result of things selling out and personal style bias.
     
    #18 JakeJohnson, Feb 24, 2023
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  19. bigdaddypolite

    bigdaddypolite Maven (1,303) Mar 2, 2007 Minnesota
    Trader

    I have enjoyed several more releases in crowlers and on tap over the past week. One big takeaway is the impact of trying many tasters in one sitting vs. individual crowlers and also how much variance there can be across formats/situations. Good news: everything was somewhere between good and great this year.

    Double Barrel Czar Jack: This one was fantastic on draft and one of my favorite tasters for sure. From the crowler the taste was nice but the mouthfeel seemed a bit thin. It did not seem thin on draft for me at all.

    Double Barrel Twisted Trace: Once again, I enjoyed this on draft better than from the crowler. Great on draft and very good from the crowler. Same observation with the thin body only from crowler.

    Rye Not Belgian Grand: This one was the opposite of the last two, as it was solid on draft but easily my favorite from the crowler. For some reason the nose and flavor seemed muted in my taster.

    100% Malted Rye: I liked this on draft but didn’t love it. Somewhere in the middle of the pack. Have not tried the crowler yet but hoping for a similar experience with they Rye Not.

    In summary: My favorite MN beer event every year, and once again it did not disappoint!
     
    #19 bigdaddypolite, Feb 26, 2023
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  20. HammsMeASAP

    HammsMeASAP Pundit (931) Jun 14, 2012 Minnesota

    Anyone been there very recently? Curious to see what they still have on tap.
     
    #20 HammsMeASAP, Mar 4, 2023
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