Ok, ok... well I'll expand a little. The brewery strives to do more with the beer they have. The age it, they give it different barrel treatments. they can take essentially the same beer and turn it into many beers just by changing the circumstances of it making it to the bottle. I remember them having a "Canada Day Beer" that was aged in Canadian whiskey Barrels. Innis & Gunn is a brewery we will be visiting a number of times as they are always innovating, and experimenting.
Founded in 2002, and quite by accident, in Edinburgh, Scotland. William Grant and Sons the famous Whisky producers (Glenfiddich) were trying to produce an "ale finished whisky." Soon to be founder of Innis & Gunn Dougal Sharp was commisioned to brew a beer that would complement and impart certain flavours to the whisky this beer was to "flavour" the casks for 30 days, before being (GASP!) thrown away so the barrels could be filled with whisky. The whisky was a hit... and so was the beer, with the workers who were supposed to be throwing it away (smart Scots!) Well it got back to Brewmaster Sharp that the beer was worth saving and Innis & Gunn was born. (Innis and Gunn are the middle names of Dougal and his brother Neil, who became the co-founders)
So the final process of the beer emerged after this noble experiment. The beer was aged in new american oak bourbon barrels for thirty days and then was transfered to a "marrying tun" so the flavour could equalise over forty-seven days, giving us the "aged 77 days" on the label of each bottle. The Scots are smart and patient.
I'm not... let's drink.
Founded in 2002, and quite by accident, in Edinburgh, Scotland. William Grant and Sons the famous Whisky producers (Glenfiddich) were trying to produce an "ale finished whisky." Soon to be founder of Innis & Gunn Dougal Sharp was commisioned to brew a beer that would complement and impart certain flavours to the whisky this beer was to "flavour" the casks for 30 days, before being (GASP!) thrown away so the barrels could be filled with whisky. The whisky was a hit... and so was the beer, with the workers who were supposed to be throwing it away (smart Scots!) Well it got back to Brewmaster Sharp that the beer was worth saving and Innis & Gunn was born. (Innis and Gunn are the middle names of Dougal and his brother Neil, who became the co-founders)
So the final process of the beer emerged after this noble experiment. The beer was aged in new american oak bourbon barrels for thirty days and then was transfered to a "marrying tun" so the flavour could equalise over forty-seven days, giving us the "aged 77 days" on the label of each bottle. The Scots are smart and patient.I'm not... let's drink.
Light copper in colour with an off-white head showing a tan tinge. 330ml clear glass bottle containing a respectable 6.6% ABV Scottish ale. Foil backed stickers comprise the front and neck label, the back label is clear plastic. A foxy aldehyde greets you when the bottle is first opened, but as with the previous beer this dissipated very quickly. The nose is very woody with vanilla and toffee overtones. Characteristics of a golden ale are hidden carefully under a strong, oaky, woodiness. Caramel and toffee predominate. Hops and malt are present but play second fiddle (or bag pipe perhaps?) to the almost sticky toffee pudding feel of the beer. I am having trouble deciding whether I'm tasting a well aged barrel fermented chardonnay, a weak single malt scotch, or the beer the label tells me as our sample tonight provides characteristics of all three. Not in a bad way either. The one thing I am noticing is that the beer is starting to show some signs of light damage. A slight foxiness on the finish is indicating some of the photosensitive chemicals of the beer are being converted into less desirable aldehydes. Clear glass bottles are just not the way! Stick with the brown people!
Overall results: (Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional)
Taste: Pass
Cost: Pass (In Ontario it is $3.25)
Colour: Pass
Beer Style: N/A (There is nothing like it!)
Re-order: Exceptional
Experience: Pass
Final Thoughts: The only thin short of making this an exceptional brew is the minor amount of light damage. Unfortunately, this can not be avoided as long as brewers choose to use clear glass. If this was prepared in a brown bottle to give it an edge over the long journey of export to Canada... this would have been an exceptional drink. Still very good, and I will be back for sure.
Cheers
CJT
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