Last spring we took a little trip down to Mason to pick up an oak barrel from Droscha Sugarbush.
This barrel was first used to hold Four Roses Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. Then Droscha Sugarbush used it to age their maple syrup, and then we used it to age the imperial version of our white stout.
Bryan Droscha is a 4th generation (yes, 4th!) syrup maker. He took the time to show us the heart of his operations: a massive wood-fired evaporator. I wish I would’ve taken better notes about the evaporator. It’s an impressive operation. During the spring when they are harvesting sap, they run this thing 24-7 to boil the sap down to delicious syrup.
We brought home our barrel and it was still oozing syrup out of it’s cracks for a few months after we filled it. After seven and a half months in the maple-bourbon barrel, we racked a portion of the beer onto five pounds of coffee and cacao nibs. After steeping for a day, the beer was ready to be blended with the rest of barrel for final carbonation and conditioning. This bear <ahem> I mean, beer will be unleashed for the first time to the public on December 21, 2019, the 2nd anniversary since Dimes Brewhouse opened its doors! We’re also bringing back the original recipe of our white stout with cacao, vanilla, and coffee.
We have re-christened the white stout and it’s new Imperial cousin as Ursus Polaris, which is an old-fashioned scientific name for the species commonly known as the Polar Bear. Many of you remember when we released this beer on our 1st anniversary last year under that name.
Join us on December 21st for the anniversary party to make sure you get to try this and other new beers! After all, there is just one barrel of the barrel aged Ursus Polaris to go around.