Lagunitas Brewing Co. - "Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout"

I saw this 22oz bottle a while back, and fondly recalling my 2018 trip to Sonoma and to Lagunitas, I picked it up. It's Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s "Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout", an 11.00% ABV imperial stout aged in Sonoma County red wine barrels. Barrel-aging using ex-wine barrels is often used with whiskeys, commonly and more specifically Port and sometimes Madeira, but it also makes an appearance in the beer aisle. I was hoping to find out from which winery these barrels were sourced; sometimes they'll tell you - if they partner with a particularly famous winery, or source the barrels from some exotic location. But alas, no information was to be had.

Also, of interest - the use of Brettanomyces yeast here. Most often you see it used in lighter beers, so curious to see how it would behave in a stout. 

Pours a thick khaki head, but dies away quickly. Some funky aromas in there, a little chocolate, too. 

Holy crow, this is winey. Very strong red wine character, something along the lines of a beefy, heavy California Cabernet Sauvignon. Very full and silky, this stout develops strong notes of pepper, earth, wood, and cocoa. As it warms up, the wine character gets even stronger, tasting a bit sweet almost. I'm having trouble fully appreciating the Brett, but I presume some of the earthy / peppery flavors are the most direct result. Finishes nicely, with some more of that sweetness. I should note the high alcohol content, which is hidden quite well. 

I very much enjoyed this. For $11.99 per 22oz bottle, it's not super cheap, but worth it. It's an interesting take on a stout, and if you like red wine and heavy, smooth dark beers, look no further than this! Perfect for this chilly weather. 

Cocktail Thursday: "Yellow Bird"

Since I'm dipping into spirits now on the blog (in fact, I have before a few times) I figured I'd also spotlight some cocktails I've been making. This will be a weekly post, on Thursdays. Cocktail Thursday!

Today's is an unseasonable one, the "Yellow Bird." It's a longdrink, which means it has substantial volume with a large amount of non-spirit mixer. This is a contrast to a "short drink", which is one or two ounces of distilled spirit served in a glass. "Highballs", or drinks with a base spirit and then a mixer, are considered longdrinks as well (think Tom Collins, whiskey soda, Dark & Stormy, etc.)

To make a "Yellow Bird", you'll need:

• 2.5oz white rum (I use Cardinal Spirits' "Tiki Rum")
• 1.25oz Galliano L'Autentico liqueur
• 1.25oz Cointreau
• 1.25oz lime juice
• Club soda, to taste

Build the cocktail in a highball glass in this order: rum, lime juice, Galliano, Cointreau, topped with club soda (at least 5oz). Served stirred, over ice. You could also have fun and riff on the base spirit by using aguardiente or charanda blanco. Top with a sliced lemon for even more flavor.