Saint Arnold Releases Bishop’s Barrel #18 (BB18)

Today marks the release of the 18th beer in Saint Arnold’s Bishop’s Barrel series. For this entry, Brewer/Wood Cellar Manager Aaron Inkrott drew inspiration from his mother’s oatmeal cookies.

BB18 is an “Oat Wine” aged in WhistlePig Rye Whiskey barrels for nine months. The base beer is similar to an English style barleywine, with oats making up 20 percent of the grain bill. In general, English style barleywines tend to be less hop forward than American style barleywines, leaning instead on the complexities found in the malt; flavors such as biscuity, nutty, caramel, and toffee are typical. The addition of the oats gives this beer a silky texture.

Since Saint Arnold was kind enough to share a pre-release bottle with me, I decided to extend the kindness and share this with two craft beer and rye whiskey loving friends of mine. The bottle only said “rye whiskey” barrels, but they immediately picked out the toasted marshmallow flavor characteristic of WhistlePig.

The malt complexities of the English barleywine base presented as golden raisins – not too dark, but sweet and dense. The cinnamon from the barrel was slight, but it added to the “oatmeal cookie” theme.

I didn’t grow up eating oatmeal cookies. I was always excited to see them, until I realized they weren’t chocolate chip. To me, BB18 is more like a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie – cinnamon, vanilla, and marshmallow. Either way, this is definitely a dessert beer.

BB18 is making its way to bars, restaurants, and stores today. I would expect many bars to save it for events later this week and next week to celebrate Saint Arnold’s 23rd anniversary. On social media you can search #BB18, watch Saint Arnold’s twitter page, and of course watch the social media accounts of your favorite spots to see where it will be available.

Details:

Date Brewed: June 13, 2016
Date Barreled: June 30, 2016
Date Bottled: May 15, 2017
Type of Barrel: WhistlePig rye whiskey barrel
Original Gravity: 1.113
Final Gravity: 1.018
Alcohol: 10.5% ABV (pre-barrel) 12.8% ABV (post-barrel)
Bitterness: 25 IBU

The following events are planned for the release of Bishop’s Barrel No. 18:

BB18 Release at Guru Burgers, Sugar Land, Thursday, June 8 at 6:00PM
BB18 Release at Lakewood Growler, Dallas, Wednesday, June 14 at 5:00PM
BB18 Release at Pizza Lounge Express, Houston, Sunday, June 18 at 6:30PM
Whiskey + Beer + Tacos at Eight Row Flint, Houston, Sunday, June 25 – 12:00 – 3:00 PM (Get tickets here)