Town Hall Barrel Aged Week 2018

Got a late start, but on my way over. Can anyone get me a head count?

 

Showed up and 10:00am and got everything but the single barrel.

 

I ended up getting spot #49 in line at 9:15. The single barrel was gone at spot #28. Looks like I know where I'm going for dinner tomorrow night.

Next year I'll have to remember to either get there earlier, or sleep in longer.

 

Yeah i was #61. Left once I saw there were only 50 growlers of the single barrel.
I'll go a couple times this week and grab some flights instead.

 

Twisted Trace Star Barrel is...underwhelming. I prefer BA beers to be on the balanced side. I don't want the barrel taking over the beer. The barrel is virtually absent in this beer.

 

Shoot.

Me too.

Exactly.

Wait what?

 

Maybe go in & try it for yourself

 

I'm saying I want little barrel, but this beer had almost none.

 

Gotcha, the way you wrote it was preparing the reader for “way too much barrel”. I’ll give it a taste myself if it’s still flowing on Wednesday.

 

Anybody know the lineup at the Edina location?

 

Here is a Town Hall Facebook posting:
"Our other locations (including Town Hall Station) will usually have a barrel aged encore in the weeks following Barrel Aged Week at The Brewery. From Feb. 18-24 they will only be available at our Brewery location."

 

That Star Barrel was masterful to my palate. A perfect blend of rich tobacco and malt, bitter hops, and bourbon! The difference between the Star and blended version? The blend seemed sweeter and richer in malt character, with more dark fruit and cherry notes, taking away some of the bitterness and bourbon presence. Both are excellent beers, with Star Barrel meeting my high expectations for Town Hall. As always, your experience may differ.

 

Star Barrel was the one mini-growler I wasn't able to get on Sunday. Hope it's still on when I head down there for a late lunch today.

For what Untappd is worth, it sounds like the Kentucky Truffle has been the surprise hit of the season.

 

That’s not too surprising. It sounds like it’s basically Six Hour Tour with a different adjunct. I’m hoping everything is still on tonight.

 

Sounds like winner to me!

 

Quick thoughts from lunch today...had a chance to try all 9 of the BA week beers (except the Nitro Truffle):

ET Wee: Tasty, similar to prior years.

Star Barrel Twisted Trace: Solid. More subtle all around than the regular version and nicely integrated flavors, but not necessarily better.

Twisted Trace: Nice, fairly similar to prior years. It might just be my palate that has changed over the years, but this used to be more of a standout for me.

Project 3106: Great this year. Not quite up to the stellar first year, but clearly better than last 2 years. Nice surprise, and one I would gladly revisit.

VIne's Eye: Great beer. Biggest surprise of the day for me. Sorta like a high-end honey ale with a really interesting and lingering finish from the barrel. I would give this one to my non-BA friends and family as a gateway beer.

Barley Vine: Okay, but the flavors did not seem well integrated. Didn't quite know what it wanted to be, and so nothing really shined.

Frosted Vine: Interesting, very dry. Not my favorite, but for someone who enjoys drier wines and bitter chocolate, this might really hit the spot.

Strawberry Stave: Meh, not really my thing. The flavor was almost artificial (not that I think the adjuncts were), and overall it was not remarkable.

Kentucky Truffle: Didn't live up to the promise of the description. It was "just okay" in all aspects, and not something I would go back for more of.

Hoping to make it back on Saturday to try Foolish Angel and Czar Jack (two of my perennial favorites)!

 

Now.... that's a lunch!

 

I’m doing lunch completely wrong.

 

Tried 9 of the offerings tonight...

Best of my batch was the ET Wee. Hadn't had it before and was very impressed.

Kentucky Truffle was really good, but not up to either 6 Hr Tour or Tennessee Dessert

Strawberry Stave was surprisingly not sweet. Sort of an unripened berry taste. But not bad.

I may be in the minority, but I preferred the smoothness of the regular Twisted Trace to the Star Barrel.

Can't wait to pick up my Czar Jacks and Buffalo Bock. Probably my favorite beer event of the year.