Beer and whisky – it’s already a mighty combo, and now a brewer and distiller and have brought the two together in a single, delicious beverage.
Locals Pirate Life Brewing have teamed up with Western Australia’s Limeburners Whisky, combining what they each do best, and have created a whisky barrel aged stout.
It’s a collaboration that began more than two years ago, when Cameron Syme from Limeburners Whisky dropped past Pirate Life to say hello and offer an impromptu tasting.
After a few sneaky whiskies and a cleansing ale or two, Cameron and Pirate Life co-founder Michael Cameron were convinced that a whisky aged stout was a great idea.
Limeburners selected some of their best used casks for the collab, combining peated and fortified casks, which were sent to Adelaide where Pirate Life’s rich and full-bodied stout was brewed and ready for ageing.
A portion of the beer was aged for 18 months in American oak barrels, some for six months and the remainder for three months. When the meticulous ageing process was complete, the casks were then blended to create a balanced flavour profile.
The result? A rich stout with the silky oak barrel scent of fine malt whisky, vanilla, peat smoke, pine needles and chocolate coated honeycomb, and also has a surprising umami element to it.
The stout is the first beer available from Pirate Life’s Hindmarsh Collection, a specialty range named after the suburb of Pirate Life’s original brewery.
While most of Pirate Life’s production is moving to their new brewery in Port Adelaide which opens next month, they will continue to brew smaller and more experimental ranges at the original spot.
Like a good whisky, the beer transforms as it slowly warms in your glass, and if you can manage not to drink it, it will continue to evolve if cellared in a cool, dark place.
The stout is being released in 750ml bottles – only the second time Pirate Life have bottled one of their products. Only 4862 of the bottles have been released, which were all individually hand-dipped in wax in Adelaide.
And the stout isn’t the end of this collaboration. Later this month, Pirate Life’s Michael and Jack Cameron, and Jared ‘Red’ Proudfoot will head to Limeburners in Albany to collectively craft and barrel a single malt whisky, bringing the whole project full circle.
The whisky-aged stout retails for $38-$40 and will be available for sale around the country from early February – you will be able to track it down in some Adelaide bottle shops from today.