The second of the Alley Kat/Sherbrooke/Glenora Distillery collaboration is hitting the shelves sometime today. Glenda Sherbrooke follows in its older brother’s footsteps as a beer aged for 3 months in oak casks formerly containing single malt whiskey from Nova Scotia’s Glenora Distillery. The first version was Alley Kat’s Amber Ale and it found a way to clock in on the heavy side of 12%. If you liked that one, then you might love this one.
The base beer for Glenda is their latest version of Olde Deuteronomy, which is a lovely sipping beer all on its own. I am told that after its time in the barrels, it has finished at 18%
Due to its hefty size, this will not be a cheap beer. The folks at Sherbrooke (read: Jim) say that the extra taxes (due to new provincial rules about beer over 11.9%) will be $4 a bottle alone. So, expect a beer at $10 or $11 a bottle. You may haver over that at first, but consider that Ola Dubh runs around that price. If this beer is as special as it has the potential to be, it may be worth every penny.
Don’t ask me to explain the label, but it clearly comes from the original imagination of Sherbrooke’s Jim. Maybe it is an ironic post-modern deconstruction of gender archetypes that offers a de-constructivist comment on the nature of bounded sensibilities of masculinity in 21st century society. (Okay, maybe I am reading too many social theory books these last few weeks…)
I also hear that this is the last Glen Sherbrooke in the series, making it even more special. However, Alley Kat is toying with continuing the series on their own in the future, so we may be able to anticipate more Alberta-based oak beer in the future.
And, of course, as I am in Halifax I will not be able to sample one for a while. So feel free to post your comments on the beer here. OR if anyone is feeling charitable, they could mail me a bottle out here…(okay, I don’t really expect that, but a guy has to try).
May 20, 2011 at 9:09 AM
Hey Jason:
I think you know that there will be a beer or two waiting for you when you return to Edmonton. Knowing Jim from Sherbrooke, you will have many a beer to try when you get home 🙂
I am waiting for my bottle of Glenda , and then I can do a vertical tasting of Glen and Glenda.
May 20, 2011 at 11:59 AM
I tried this at Alley Kat a couple weeks ago. A fun beer for sure. Don’t operate heavy machinery after though.
May 20, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Through a miscommunication (probably on my part) it turns out that the extra tax hike is not as bad as was feared.
Glenda is only $6.99/341ml
It’s 18.5%
As for the label, when I learned that AK would eventually do the beer on their own, I wasn’t looking to pay for a new label, so instead I had John alter the image. If you’re familiar with Ed Wood and his ‘ahem’ masterpiece “Glen or Glenda” then you’ll have a deeper understanding of how my mind free associates and comes up with things.
May 29, 2011 at 2:32 PM
I tried Glenda on Wed. morning at 10 AM. I couldn’t drive until later in the afternoon. I loved the beer and will be going back for more. I will be taking a few with me on my trip to Montana
May 2, 2012 at 9:52 AM
Great tasting beer. I have hung onto a few to see what aging them does but they have developed a large amount of protein or sediment. Too bad.
May 2, 2012 at 1:47 PM
Joe,
That is unfortunate to here. Although I wonder if the settling has affected the taste of the beer. Does it still taste good? Just like wine, some settling of proteins and yeast can occur as beer ages. It is all a question of how well it holds up.
Jason