Town Hall Brewery’s 2024 Barrel Aged Weeks Preview
Town Hall Brewery’s 2024 Barrel Aged Weeks event is here. This festival of barrel-aged excellence begins Monday, Feb. 12th and goes through Sunday Feb. 24th. Town Hall Brewery’s Barrel Aged Weeks event is an exceptional rollout of barrel-aged beers. As this event has evolved over the years, so have the offerings. Just like the playlist from a Bruce Springsteen concert, Town Hall Brewery has a so many hits in their catalog.
If you have been coming to Town Hall Brewery for Barrel Aged Week since its inception in 2000, you will notice that not all of your favorite Barrel Aged beers are on the menu. There are a couple of reasons for this. If Town Hall had all of our favorite barrel-aged beers on tap from the days of yore, they would need to change their venue to US Bank Stadium. Second, as Mike and Derek always say, the beers let us know when they are ready. They have meticulously rotated through barrel-aged inventory over the years. They are creating liquid magic, and not Tollhouse cookies that can be make quickly in a short amounts of time.
This year, Barrel Aged Weeks will showcase 14 different beers. The styles range from Imperial Stout to mixed-culture selections. In some cases, you can taste the same beer that has aged for different durations of time. This is called a tasting experience and is a great way to educate your palate on how barrel-aging can change a beer.
Barrel-Aged Brunch Preview
The beers that Town Hall Brewery releases for Barrel Aged Weeks are loved, cared for, and fussed about under the watchful eyes of Mike Hoops and Derek Brown. On Feb. 3rd, I got to hear these two wonderful people give a barrel-aged TED talk for the ages to an eager and thirsty group of beer enthusiasts. Mike and Derek love what they do and that passion is evident in each sip of beer that flows from the Town Hall Brewery tap lines.
I appreciated being in the room with other Town Hall zealots because they all asked such great questions. I just sat back and enjoyed the conversation. The excitement in the room is another reason why Town Hall Brewery stands the test of time. Town Hall has created such a fervent following of fans who appreciate the process and products that are highlighted during Barrel Aged Weeks. It was a wonderful moment when one of the patrons thanked Mike and Derek for doing what they do because it was such a gift to the local beer community. The humble smiles on Mike and Derek’s faces were evidence that they were both truly touched by the sentiment.
In addition to a wonderful Q & A, the brunch preview featured 3 beers that will be featured this year: Double Barrel 100% Malted Rye Barrel, Double Barrel Xtra Milk Stout, and Orchard Pear MC. Two of the three beers are new (Malted Rye Barrel and the Orchard Pear MC), and the Xtra Milk stout is one of my absolute favorites.
Double Barrel 100% Malted Rye Barrel 15.4% ABV
I am far from a home brewer, although I have dabbled in the hobby. I do know that grains like rye are notoriously tricky to brew with. If a beer recipe calls for more than 30% of the overall grain bill, rye will coagulate and become sticky. This causes the mash to stick. A stuck mash prevents the water to be able to rinse the sugars from the grains in a timely manner. This is also a major logistical pain for the brewer. I think that the trials and tribulations of wrangling the rye were worth it because this beer tastes fantastic. The spicy notes of rye are playing hide and go seek between the sweet and tangy notes in the beer. This is instantly a top-tier barrel offering.
Double Barrel Xtra Milk Stout 14.5% Abv
When beer evokes a specific and memory, that is special. The Double Barrel Xtra Milk Stout reminds me of one my most distinct childhood Christmas memories: the chocolate orange. I have some spectacular memories from the Christmases of my youth. There was the year I got the Ewok Village Playset stands out clearly because I thought I was in heaven. Then there was the year I got the King’s Castle LEGO set. However, as clear as day, one memory I have is the excitement of enjoying my first chocolate orange. I am sure I was 6 or 7 years old. Since then, the combination of good chocolate with the bright and bitter punch of an orange peel remains seared in my sensory memory.
This beer is the liquid embodiment of that wonderful taste memory. In fact, after sipping on this beer, I would have gladly donned my footie pajamas and crawled around on the beige carpet of my childhood living room to endure the rug burns if it meant I got to relive Christmas as a kid. The rich chocolate notes in the beer are mesmerizing. The citrus notes cut the sweetness and all of this is presenting in a velvety texture that will hypnotize your palate into a state of wonderment. The barrel character of toasted oak and fig really make this a fine sipper.
Orchard Pear Mixed culture 6.3% ABV
When it comes to fruits that boast big flavors, the pear is not one of them. Pear is subtle. In cooking, a pear is often a vehicle for other flavors. Yet, in this beer, thanks to the tartness, effervescence and slight acidity, the sweetness from the pear comes through brilliantly. I was prepared to not love this beer as much as I do. So many lackluster and lazy sour beers are clotting up the craft beer market right now. It is sad, because I will only even attempt to drink a mixed fermentation beer from a handful of places if I am without my trusty bag of Tums. Yet, the Orchard Pear is light, bright, and addictive. No Tums necessary for this beer; just have a safe word ready.
After sampling beers that are so different, it is tough to name a favorite. Maybe that is the biggest positive about the Town Hall Brewery Barrel Aged Weeks. It is about the journey and not the destination. While so many craft breweries are chasing trends and troweling out mediocre product, Town Hall Brewery sticks to their hallmarks of passion and quality. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Cheers!
For a full list of releases, visit Town Hall’s Facebook for details.