HOUSTON — A favorite beer among Saint Arnold Brewing Co. (www.saintarnold.com) employees, aged to perfection, will be available to beer lovers everywhere (well, Texas and Louisiana) next week. Bishop’s Barrel No. 22 is a Texas honey Saison aged in chardonnay barrels for a year with peaches, apricots, and the wild yeast brettanomyces.
The base beer of Bishop’s Barrel No. 22 was first introduced as Icon Gold – Texas Honey Saison. In 2017, Wood Cellar and Specialty Brewer Colin Klingemann decided to enhance the recipe with peaches and brettanomyces bruxellensis as a holiday gift for employees. The beer was an instant favorite among the brew crew, and Klingemann knew it had to be a part of the Bishop’s Barrel program. He took the holiday recipe and added 900 pounds of apricot purée and aged it for a year in three different types of chardonnay barrels, including some that housed Bishop’s Barrel No. 19. The beer is a tart, yet balanced Saison with up front notes of baked bread, stone fruit, oak, white wine, and funk.
“This is one of the most wine-like beers we’ve ever brewed,” said Klingemann. “It’s really light and balanced on the palate while still offering a variety of flavors.”
The Bishop’s Barrel series began in 2012 with an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. The barrels for this series have been chosen to enhance and complement the characteristics of the underlying beers. The beers may be something brewed regularly or may have been brewed solely for the purpose of putting into a barrel. Aging times can range from a few months to well over a year.
“I always look forward to seeing how our beers interact with the extra wine or spirit in the variety of barrels we’ve used for this series,” said Founder/Brewer Brock Wagner. “This beer demonstrates the artistry of blending wood, fruit, and wild yeast to achieve the balanced flavor we were seeking.”
Bishop’s Barrel No. 22 will be available in Texas and Louisiana next week in 12 oz bottles in stores and on draft at select bars and restaurants.
Bishop’s Barrel No. 22 specifics:
Brewed: September 8, 2017
Barreled: November 9, 2017
Bottled: November 14, 2018
ABV Pre-Barrel: 6.4% ABV
ABV Post-Barrel: 8.0% ABV
IBU: 20
On Twitter, follow @saintarnold
On Facebook, like www.facebook.com/saintarnold
On Instagram, follow @saintarnoldbrewing
On Pinterest, follow https://www.pinterest.com/saintarnoldbrew/
On Snapchat, follow ‘saintarnoldbeer’
About Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Saint Arnold Brewing’s 12 year-round beers, seven seasonals, and two special series – Divine Reserve and Bishop’s Barrel – are made and sold by the company’s staff of 90 dedicated employees. Saint Arnold was named 2017 Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year and the beers have won 26 medals at the Great American Beer Festival.The brewery on the north side of downtown Houston was listed by Thrillist among the best breweries in America for eating, and Smart Meetings magazine named it among the top breweries to host an event. Saint Arnold is located at 2000 Lyons Avenue and its Beer Garden & Restaurant opens at 11 A.M. seven days a week. For more information, visit www.saintarnold.com.