Kettlehouse Brewing Co.’s Barrel Aged Cold Smoke
I finally made it into the Northside Kettlehouse to check out their Barrel Aged Cold Smoke, and I’m sure glad I did.
It took a year of aging in bourbon barrels before the beer made it to tap, and the result is a 9 percent alcohol by volume Cold Smoke that has the sting of bourbon but finishes smooth like the scotch ale you know and love, with hints of black liquorice and chocolate.
Usually I’m more of a Double Haul guy, so you’ll rarely see me ordering a Cold Smoke, but this beer is definitely worth a try no matter which you prefer. There’s about two barrels (four kegs) of it left and it’s going fast, so don’t dawdle if your interested.
- Matt Pritchard
Add a little Frontier Bourbon to your holiday celebrations
Bulleit Bourbon
You may or may not notice the unique bottle as you peruse the whiskeys these days, but if you do, it likely caught your eye for the way the light played through the orange-brown liquor on the flask-shaped, old-fashioned bottle.
I remember when Bulleit Bourbon came out a few years back. It appealed to many of my Portland, Oregon friends for the pricing of the bourbon, which at the time was like $16.00 a fifth. We enjoyed it neat or mixed it with coke, but it was nothing pretentious or overly fancy.
Skip forward a few more years, and I’m living in Missoula, Montana. Bourbon is the drink of choice. Whether you’re camping or sitting around a summer fire after floating the Blackfoot River, everyone seems to have a flask of bourbon on hand.
Of all the varieties of bourbon, I enjoy the stronger, darker bourbons for the bite they have on them. Lighter bourbons often make good mixers. Bulleit falls somewhere in between. But the high rye content, something like 31 percent, gives it a much more bold taste than bourbons made with a higher wheat content. I find that Bulleit has a really nice spicy nose with honey and vanilla. But the flavor is more earthy than a Maker’s Mark on the palate.
Bulleit bourbon is a little more pricey than in my Oregon days, but it’s still a great deal and less than a bottle of Maker’s Mark. It’s available in the standard fifth and a 1.75 liter big bottle, at least here in Montana.
Because of its relative strength, Bulleit makes for a great holiday bourbon. It can be mixed in with egg nog, hot chocolate or cider to provide a festive drink, and you won’t lose that wonderful bourbon taste.
Give Bulleit a try for a little holiday sipper. It’s available at Griz Liquor and other fine establishments.
Prost,
GG