Thunder in a Barrel

The aging of beer in wine barrels is a rather popular trend in the beer industry these days. I recently wrote about Victory Brewing Company's White Monkey, which is their Golden Monkey Belgian-style tripel aged in Chardonnay barrels. In this post, I will be comparing Victory's Baltic Thunder (Baltic Porter) with Red Thunder (Baltic Porter aged in red wine barrels). Also, check out Victory Brewing's page on Beer Portfolio.

Victory Brewing Company Baltic Thunder

Victory Brewing Company Red Thunder

Baltic Thunder / 8.5 % ABV / Beer Portfolio

Appearance: Pours black, with some red around the edges when held up to the light. Displays a one finger width light tan head with no lacing present.

Aroma: Smells deeply of dark fruits. Reminds me a lot of plums, which I like to smell, but surprisingly don't like to eat!

Flavor: Chocolate, roasted malts, only a light bitterness. A touch of alcohol lingers in the finish.

Mouthfeel: A little heavier than a medium body, lightly carbonated, very smooth.

Overall: Absolutely delicious. One of my favorite porters.

Victory Brewing Company Baltic Thunder

Red Thunder / 8.5% ABV / Beer Portfolio

Appearance: Deep brown, not quite black, lots of red comes through when held up to the light, two finger off white head, lacing sticks around at the beginning, but fades as the beer sits.

Aroma: Acidic red wine, oak.

Flavor: Chocolate up front, quickly followed by red wine and oak.

Mouthfeel: Quite smooth up front, followed by a slightly bitter, wine-like astringency. Carbonation is present, but it doesn't get in the way.

Overall: Very good. It was an enjoyable variation on the Baltic Thunder. Not something I would want to drink all the time, but I'm glad Victory tried this out! I would love to see more experimentation from them!

Victory Brewing Company Red Thunder

What do you think of Baltic Thunder, Red Thunder or just wine-barrel aged beers in general? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Comments

BJCP: Strong Scotch Ale (9E)

This is the first article in a new series of posts, where I will periodically choose a section from the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines , write about the style, and then drink and publish my tasting notes from some of the commercial examples given by the BJCP. Now, I'm not sure if I will ever actually take the exam to become a beer judge, but I think this will be a fun exercise to learn more about beer! Fair warning, I will not be doing the sections of the BJCP style guidelines in any sort of order. Whichever kinds of beer I am craving is what I will be writing about! Strong Scotch Ales (also known as Wee Heavy) comprise sub-category 9E in the BJCP style guidelines. They range between 6.5% and 10.0% ABV, and have a light copper to dark brown appearance. Obviously, strong scotch ales are all about showcasing the malt. While studying this style, I found it quite interesting that the brewers ferment out the wort at cooler temp...

The Six-Pack Project: New Jersey

Welcome to the Six-Pack Project! The idea of the project is to create a six-pack of beer that would best represent the current beer scene in your respective state. For me, that is obviously New Jersey. The Six-Pack Project was created by Bryan over at the This Is Why I'm Drunk blog. Check out his introduction to the project here ! 10 years ago, beer probably wasn't the first thing that came to your mind when you were thinking about New Jersey. However, times are changing, and it's an exciting time to be a beer drinker in the Garden State. Every year, more and more bars are starting to serve a greater variety in beer. Even more importantly, new breweries haven been opening in NJ each year, and lots more are in planning Today, there is a wide variety of beer brewed here in New Jersey. Choosing six beers to best represent the state was no easy feat, but I was up for it! Hopefully, the following will clue yo...

Beer Digest IV: Weyerbacher Viridis Lupulus and Round Guys Fat Bob XVII

Hey all, thanks for stopping in to this week's Beer Digest. This is the fourth installment, and I am highlighting two beers from two different Pennsylvania breweries, Weyerbacher and Round Guys Brewing. Before I get into the beers, I want to thank Josh from Short on Beer for including me in his video series, "Conversations with Beer Bloggers." Check out our conversation , where we talk about how I got into craft beer and beer blogging! Weyerbacher Brewing Viridis Lupulus IPA 7.5% ABV, 95 IBUs The team over at Weyerbacher Brewing have come up with a new seasonal beer, Viridis Lupulus, and it is an IPA. They plan on releasing Viridis Lupulus in late spring or early summer, and will feature a different lineup of hops for each release. According to Wiktionary , viridis comes from the Latin verb vireo , which translates to "to be verdant, to sprout." Lupulus comes from Humulus lupulus , and is the species name for the common hop. So...

Mould's Beer Blog

Search This Blog