Return of the Vicennials or: How My Beer Cellar Accidentally Doubled in Size
Shadowman. Father Time. God Complex. Last Guardian. Do we have your attention? Aging your beer for up to two decades might seem like a joke, but we’ve concocted four beers that are meant for exactly that. There are two exceptions to why you would drink these beers before two decades (a “vicennial”) are up: because you bought twenty sets, so you can try one each year because the apocalypse has forced you to live in your beer cellar. We won’t blame you if you drink the Vicennials for either of those reasons, really. This year’s Vicennial Series has four quintessential styles that will age gracefully for years to come in your beer cellar/bunker.
This quartet of extreme beers includes stout, barleywine, abbey-style golden, and a quadrupel ale, all barrel aged for 8-12 months.
God Complex, a quadrupel ale aged in Colorado single malt whiskey barrels clocks in at 17.5% ABV and will give every Belgian quad lover something to talk about with its rich, silky smooth flavors and a stone fruit finish that lingers while you sip this ale that will only get smoother as you let it mature.
Shadowman is an imperial stout aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels that achieved 15.2% ABV after 11 months of aging. Smooth and fudgy with hints of tobacco and toffee, bury this beast of a stout in your backyard, as it will only improve over time..
Father Time is the definition of what a barleywine should be: full of flavor and 15.6% ABV. Think dates, baked apples, brandy, caramel, and molasses in this full-bodied barleywine. This vintage was aged in Colorado single malt whiskey barrels.
Last Guardian is not to be silenced as a “modest” abbey-style golden at 19.3% ABV after a long rest in Kentucky bourbon barrels. Fruity flavors, white raisin, peach, candy sugar, and bready notes deceive the tongue, hiding the true strength of this intense abbey-style golden ale.
This year marks the fourth time that the Vicennial Series crashes the Denver craft beer scene. These high-gravity, uncannily satisfying beers are released once a year, bursting with an intensity of flavor found nowhere else. All four will be released in 375ml bottles as a set and on draft at both taprooms on Saturday, November 12th.
The elusive fifth Vicennial, Dark Sorceress, was released for the first time ever just two weeks ago. A limited number of bottles of this extreme barrel-aged porter will also be available at the taprooms along with the original four Vicennial beers on November 12.
