Blackberry Mint Cobbler is our latest Barrelworks wild child, and it’s a culinary delight in your glass.
Brewed with Washington-grown Elvira Blackberries, peppermint leaf, and Ceylon cinnamon, Blackberry Mint Cobbler is more than a beer, it’s an experience.
Holi-day dreaming
“Sour Jim” Crooks was thinking about bold flavors for a beer we could release come this holiday season.
“I wanted to blend a beer that was a culinary experience for people to share at their table, and this beer is like a Willy Wonka Gobstopper – it takes the drinker through three distinct flavors over the course of the sip.”
Three Magical Components
After trialing many different varieties, Jim selected Washington grown Elvira Blackberries as the base for this beer. The Elvira Blackberry is juicy & sweet and renowned for its complex and rich flavor. Over 4,000 pounds were added to one of our base beers, Agrestic, where they danced with our proprietary yeast cultures in French Oak foeders for six months.
Next, Jim sourced some freshly dried peppermint leaf, known for its bold aroma, flavor, and mouth-tingling sensation. The peppermint was added to Lil Opal, a Saison aged for 12 months in oak foeders. This new “Peppermint Lil Opal” component was aged for a further two months in a Terracotta Amphora. Amphorae (large clay jars) are historic wine-making vessels, and ours were acquired new from Italy. They help provide texture to the beer and are a fun, unique vessel we are proud to have in our cathedral of barrels.
Lastly, Jim brought in Ceylon cinnamon to play with. Sticks of curled cinnamon bark proved potent and rested in more Lil Opal for a month before reaching its pinnacle of accentuation.
A Sum Greater than its Parts
The resulting blend is a true experience to behold.
Visually, the beer pours ruby red in color with a toasted almond-tinted foam dancing on top.
Aromatically, fresh-picked blackberries swirl with mint notes layered underneath, all while cinnamon percolates gently in the background. The flavor is bright with blackberry tartness followed by rich, spicy cinnamon. Moments of marmalade are superseded by a minty, tingly finish alongside a touch of pie crust.
Sour Jim has done it again. A culinary tour-de-force perfectly enjoyed on its own, or to be shared over a meal of roasted meat, fruited pie and ice cream.
Only 150 cases were blended to be shared this holiday season – with limited availability at one of our campus locations or online.
