Berkshire Bourbons See Beer Barrel Love In Cool Nationwide Collaboration

Collaborations between distilleries and breweries or wineries is hardly breaking news when it comes to the craft whiskey movement. What makes this of interest in the case of one Massachusetts distillery, however, is the fact it is working with 10 “influential craft brewers” across the nation to create a unique range of cask finished whiskies.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers is the brains behind this interesting project, having already completed some successful trial runs with the likes of Samuel Adams. For each of its partners it is making use from them recently emptied beer barrels that it then finishes its Berkshire Bourbon in for a minimum of three months. The focus of the undertaking is to see “what subtle changes each different style beer will impart” on the whiskey.

This limited-edition line of Berkshire Bourbon, made from a mash bill that includes corn sourced from a family farm located just three miles from the distillery, is being bottled at 43% ABV and will price between $43 and $60. Availability will mostly be regional from what I’ve seen, depending upon where the partner brewery is located. A list of those partners, what the beer was which was in the barrel before it was emptied and projected release dates are included below.

1. Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, Montana

Beer: Hound Dog – A double IPA with a rich malt taste, subtle floral and fried fruit notes; aged in bourbon barrels; 8.8% ABV

Release Date: March 2014

2. Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, Florida

Beer: Forgotten Island- Belgian-style, quad aged in rum barrels; 15% ABV.

Release Date March 2014

3. Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Beer: Kentucky Breakfast Stout – An imperial stout brewed with large amounts of coffee and chocolate; aged in bourbon barrels; 11.2% ABV.

Release Date:  March 2014

4. Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Oregon

Beer: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout –Strong roasted malt, chocolate and caramel notes; 9% ABV.

Release Date: Summer 2014

5. Hale’s Ales, Seattle, Washington

Beer: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout – An imperial stout with six different malts, a complex hop profile with notes of dark chocolate and coffee; 10.5% ABV.

Release Date: March 2014

6. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Beer: Adoration – A Belgian Winter, dark, malty and assertively spicy; aged in bourbon barrels, 10% ABV.

Release Date: Late Spring 2014

7. Samuel Adams, Boston, Massachusetts

Beer: Samuel Adams Utopias – Sweet fire with dark fruit notes; a rich malt with a woody complexity; aged in bourbon, port and rum barrels; 29% ABV.

Release Date: January 2014  & Late Spring 2014

8. Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Beer:  Durty – A brown IPA with an American-sized dose of hops, malty with dark cocoa notes; aged in BMD Ragged Mountain Rum barrels; 8.4% ABV.

Release Date: TB 

9. Terrapin Brewing Company, Athens, Georgia

Beer: Monk’s Revenge – A Belgian triple with the flavor and aroma of a double IPA and the malt character of a fine Belgian triple; aged in red wine barrels; 9.8% ABV.

Release Date: January 2014

10. Tröegs Brewing Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Beer: Troegenator – A double bock with a strong malt aroma, a rich chewy body and subtle spicy notes; aged in bourbon barrels; 8.2% ABV.

Release Date: January 2014