I continue to be amazed at the effect wood has on beer. It transforms it and creates a whole new creature. I can see why craft brewers are really getting into it. Latest case in point is the latest Sherbrooke Liqour/Alley Kat creation, Single Star, which was aged in a Jack Daniel’s barrel.
The beer started life as Three Bears Oatmeal Stout, Alley Kat’s first Big Bottle single release (which I reviewed here). At the time I enjoyed its chocolate, coffee and cocoa character, just like any good stout should have. So needless to say I was a tad surprised with what I got when I opened a bottle of Single Star.
The beer keeps its opaque black appearance, but in some indescribable way it seems to lack the abyss-like quality of the original stout. It sports a thin tan head that can’t muster much enthusiasm. The aroma has chocolate, rye, wood, and touch of sweet whiskey. I also pick up some dark fruit, vanilla and molasses. There is a hint of roast but it hides far in the background. My nose detects alcohol as well.
It is in the flavour where I really notice the beer’s evolution. The roast is mostly gone. Upfront there is a malt sweetness and a slick oak note. The middle brings in some whiskey and woody tannin. But this beer lives in the finish. There is a complex blend of vanilla, butterscotch, cherry and other dark fruit, some bourbon. And you can’t forget the lingering earthy wood. The roast is a walk-on part with no lines. I get some dark roast bitterness in the linger, but nothing I would describe as roast. The chocolate goes away too.
This isn’t a criticism, just an observation. Why would that be? Maybe it has something to do with the bourbon, as, in my opinion, Ola Dubh, which is aged in scotch barrels, holds its roast better (mind you, coming from a less roasty base beer). The comparison to Ola Dubh is not unwarranted. Nothing matches the character and quality of that series of special beer, but I like that Single Star also tries to work with a darker beer. Most oak-aged beer are lighter bodied. It is good to push the wood a bit.
As mentioned before the theme of the beer may seem esoteric at first, but it does make some sense. Tennessee was a key state during the American Civil War, and the label needed to highlight the Jack Daniel’s connection. Besides it is a dramatic and evocative illustration that is a step above the usual light-hearted cartoons normally used (which are usually entertaining).
The beer is only 6.8%, which is surprisingly low given its contact time with bourbon. But Alley Kat’s Neil tells me Jack Daniel’s rinses their barrels before shipping. Pity. I can only imagine the complexity of the beer if more bourbon made its way into the beer. Regardless this is a fascinating experiment and worth dropping a few bucks to try.
April 25, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Yes an excellent stout, as if the Three Bears wasn’t good enough! For the sake of at least partial comparison, I picked up a bottle of BrewDog’s Paradox Grain(aged in grain whisky casks). Definitely quite good as well, although I’d have to say I preferred the Single Star. A pleasant surprise, I found that Mikkeller’s Black Hole was sort of in the middle-ground between the two, although I thought it was leaning more in the direction of the Silver Star…bit of a vinous quality imho.