Sunday after Big Day In was our local Bandwagon Brewpub's 5th anniversary. I kicked off the afternoon with my partner and a close friend up from Baltimore, carefully selecting my favorite BWB, their Barreled Blond Ale (sour, red wine-barrel aged), then into the new anniversary beers.
(via BWB Facebook page)
Winter Brown Lager | ABV: 7.7%
I figured I'd start in somewhat easy, since it would be a long afternoon in the basement. Brewed with traditional British pale malt & chocolate rye, this winter pours up a hazy, light brown. There's herbal flavors threaded with rye spice and hints of cocoa powder. Lightly carbonated and refreshing with a mildly dry finish. Roasted & tasty for a solid start.
Chai-Chili Porter | ABV: 5.9%
I was going to wait on this one, given it's adventurous nature, but someone overheard our discussion of it, and a taste came my way. It's a deep red-brown with a chili & vegetable green pepper nose with a touch of brown sugar. Down the hatch, it's quite tasty with an unabashed amount of heat. Big cinnamon & chili notes kick your palate with a massive, mile long finish. The Chai provides a skeleton for this tornado of a beer to remain steady.
Bandwagon Barleywine | ABV: 9.2
BBB#1 was a Bandwagon Barleywine (different batch & brewer if I recall), so it was fun to see this pop up on the anniversary list. Surprisingly drinkable for a barleywine which has been aging for a year. It's a deep, opaque brown with a ton of fluffy, mocha head. Candi, soft hops, and fruitcake grace the nose followed up by beautiful flavor. It's heaven for a second, then dries with dried red fruits and a touch of heat. Light & not too sticky. A solid, enjoyable BWBBW.
Sourmash Pale Ale | ABV: 6.4%
I'd been eyeing this one the whole day. Head BWB brewer Stephen Bareford's sours are what have brought me back to regularly visiting the local substreet brewpub and Sourmash is right up there with the others.
A transparent straw body and soft, tropical aromas start the tasting. While wafting, I'm told this one has been aging 6 months since I first tried it. Tropical hop notes slam with soft sour lime and lemon. It's mildly astringent and exactly what I've been looking forward to. It aged beautifully and was a wonderful edition to the anniversary line-up.
I also snagged a glass of their Russian Imperial Stout, which was incredibly solid as well. Great job & happy anniversary to the whole BWB crew!
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