The next beer in Saint Arnold's barrel aged series – Bishop’s Barrel No. 19 – is perfect for your upcoming holiday gatherings. It’s Christmas Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels with Cherries and Brett. Imagine it as a tart cherry pie – in liquid form!

The base beer Christmas Ale is a holiday tradition on its own – a hearty ale with malty sweetness and spicy hop characteristics. For this release, we aged it in chardonnay barrels from Napa, California for 22 months. The tart cherries add a flavor reminiscent of freshly baked cherry pie, and three different strains of brettanomyces – lambicus, var. Drei, and brux – add complexity and depth to the brew. To create the final beer, we blended in 10% fresh Christmas Ale to round out the flavor and create something greater than the sum of its parts.

The aroma of BB19 is tart cherry, funky and earthy with characteristics from the chardonnay barrels. There is a light acidic taste that is quickly balanced with a cherry/caramel sweetness, and the beer finishes dry with a long, wine-like finish.

A limited amount of bottles will be in grocery and liquor stores. You can also find it at bars and restaurants around town. While the release date is Monday, November 13, some places will choose to save their stash to debut later at a special event.

Follow @SaintArnold and #BB19 on Twitter next week to track the beer around town.

Source Saint Arnold