Like Sixteen last week,
Seventeen is an Anniversary beer released by Central
Waters. As with Sixteen, Seventeen is
aged in bourbon barrels and, like Sixteen before it, a relatively small release
with the initial push being at the Anniversary party on Saturday January 24th,
2015. Tickets, which came with the
option to purchase up to 8 bottles of Seventeen sold out fast, which isn’t
surprising because the Central Waters Anniversary release is quickly becoming
one of the can’t miss beer events in the country. I love seeing the success and wide respect a
great Wisconsin brewery is obtaining on a national scale and I would put a beer
from the Central Waters barrel program up against any other barrel aged beer in
the country, it really is that great!
Unable to make the Anniversary
party, I thought I had missed my chance to get a bottle of Seventeen this year,
fortunately after some trading I was able to land two bottles of this year’s
release. As I mentioned, I am a huge fan
of the Central Waters barrel aged beers and had to try a fresh bottle before
laying the other one down in my cellar to await a vertical pour once I have the
Eighteen release next January. I’m
hoping that there will still be a few bottles of Seventeen left at the brewery
the next time I drive up north so that I can pick up a few more for future
consumption so that I don’t have to be so guarded with my one remaining bottle.
I would love to go into the artistry
that is barrel aging, and had I not covered it in my post on Sixteen which
literally just went up this past week, I would delve into it again. However, if you read my Sixteen post you
likely aren’t interested in reading the same material again, but if you are
please refer to my earlier post. One
thing is for sure though, Central Waters certainly excels at the art, and they
will undoubtedly get even better at it each and every year.
On to the review…
They Say:
Seventeen is the product of blending
two different bourbon barrel aged stouts to achieve a beer worthy of its
forerunners. Barrel aging and blending
is an art form, and we like to think we get better at it year by year. Happy Anniversary!
I Say:
Seventeen pours a deep, opaque black
with a moderately thick, creamy mocha colored head. The head holds very good retention (~5 min)
before fading to leave a thick collar around the edges of the glass, although surprisingly
the collar leaves little lacing behind.
Coffee leads in the aroma taking on chocolate notes to become mocha-like. Notes of vanilla and a strong bourbon
character add depth in the middle of the aroma.
A slight hint of wood, vanilla, and toasted marshmallows from the barrel
blend wonderfully with dark chocolate in the finish.
Dark Chocolate and bourbon lead
in the flavor when Seventeen is cold out of the bottle. Smooth, almost silky, malts bring notes of mocha,
vanilla, dark chocolate that become more evident as the beer warms in the glass
and the bourbon becomes more restrained.
The finish has notes of coffee and sweet, warming alcohol. As Seventeen warms closer to room
temperature, the bourbon notes become more prevalent again, with notes of mocha
lingering in the finish. Seventeen is a
very malty beer, with what could be a considerable malty sweetness nicely
mellowed out by oak and bourbon from the barrel aging. Full bodied, with a moderate level of
carbonation, this is a wonderfully silky smooth beer with a slight alcohol bite.
Barrel aging is an art and once
again, Central Waters has shown a level of mastery over that art, although they
would likely say they are still in the process of learning the intricacies of
barrel aging. At the start of this post
I mentioned that I would put the Central Waters Barrel program up against any
other barrel program in the country, and this remarkable release reaffirms that
belief. Seventeen, while not as rare as
some, is an excellent beer and should easily pull in some big trades, if you
are into that. If you can get your hands
on a bottle, drink it immediately, if you can get your hands on two, lay the
second one down for a year. If you were
at the release and picked up the full allotment of eight bottles then quite
frankly, I am very jealous; please send some my way ;).
That’s all for today, check back
again soon for another review!
Happy Drinking, and remember to
always Drink Wisconsinbly!
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