The most overlooked of all ingredients when creating sour and wild beers is the one few of us can spare much of these days. Time. Our team of fermentationalists at the BrewDog OverWorks harness its influence with each beer they release – and for a perfect idea of what it can do we have a very special release ready and waiting. The first OverWorks Spirit Barrel Series beer draws its inspiration from time and wood in equal measure, to incredible effect.
This is Hocus Pocus – an amazing 10.1% Imperial Sour Stout, fermented with Scottish raspberries and cocoa nibs, and then aged for twelve months in Speyside Whisky casks.
Hocus Pocus launches online this Thursday 2nd May and will then be out on draft on Saturday 4th May (check list of bars below for details). On Thursday watch our social feeds for when the beer hits our online shop!
If you’ve never had a barrel-aged sour stout before (or even if you have) then you’re in for a treat. This first Spirit Barrel release showcases how time spent in oak can truly change a sour for the better and has been directly inspired by the spirit that was previously ensconced in the barrel – in this case, the warming might of Speyside whisky.
Our crew brewed an imperial stout and then dried it out with the magic of Brettanomyces, before inoculating with our house sour culture Cher Ami to load up the bright acidity. The addition of raspberries and cocoa nibs both amplify the dark malts and find harmony with the acidity of the sour culture – and then a year spent inside Speyside casks has given the beer an entirely new outlook, one of warming campfires and a deep, lasting body.
As a limited-edition batch we are making the majority of the stock we have available online – but don’t hang around on Thursday as it will likely go very quickly. We are also keeping a few bottles back for a launch in selected BrewDog Bars this coming Saturday 4th May. Each of the bars listed below will have bottles to buy and will also have Hocus Pocus pouring on draft, from when the bar opens!*
Aberdeen
Birmingham
Brighton
Bristol
DogHouse Glasgow
DogTap Berlin
Dundee
Edinburgh
Leeds
Liverpool
Manchester
Newcastle
Norwich
Nottingham
OverWorks Taproom
Reading
Seven Dials
Shepherd’s Bush
Sheffield
Shoreditch
*With each bar getting a couple of kegs at most, don’t hang around here either. When it launched at #PunkAGM2019 we powered through a keg in 12 minutes.
These are the bars to head to for a weekend kick-started by the OverWorks release of the year to date, whether a second chance to get acquainted or your first taste of this 10.1% ABV barrel-aged sour stout with raspberries and cocoa nibs. Further Spirit Barrel releases will follow, as Richard Kilcullen and his team have a few sour and wild ales already in oak, taking on a whole new outlook of flavour, character and depth.
All of it, time well spent.
I've also added in the 500ml bottle packaging for
Perennial Punnet Scottish-sour ale fermented with mixed Scottish berries (5%-AbV) & Kiwi Cavalcade Scottish sour ale refermented with kiwi and tangerine (5%-AbV).
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