Upslope Miombo Imperial Stout
https://upslopebrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Miombo-Blog-Pic.png 600 925 Upslope Brewing Upslope Brewing https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f2f08c26f9ffd68fce1903e4bf130f0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g
About the Beer
Miombo was brewed with a distinct honey from the woodland ecoregion of Tanzania, which imparts a pleasantly delicate mesquite character to the beer; it was then aged in bourbon and malt whisky barrels for 18 months. Aromatics of raw cacao and frangipane are followed by flavors of vanilla bean, chocolate ganache, and sweet bourbon. The finish is warming and silky with very low carbonation to preserve the full-bodied character of the beer. Miombo can be enjoyed now or cellared indefinitely.
Join us Wednesday, February 21st starting at 11 am in both tap rooms for this limited bottle release.
Grab one of three special varieties in 500 ml bottles for $15 per bottle, or snag all three for $40. Swing by to try this special bottle release while supplies last on tap (see below for styles and location availability) and in bottles for a limited time!
Bottles available at both locations:
Brewed with Tanzanian Woodland Honey – Aged in Bourbon & Malt Whisky Barrels (16.7%)
Brewed with Light Miombo Honey – Aged in @spirithounddistillers Whisky Barrels (17.3%)
Brewed with Dark Miombo Honey – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (14%)
Try it on tap before you buy!
Flatiron Park – Brewed with Tanzanian Woodland Honey – Aged in Bourbon & Malt Whisky Barrels Brewed with Light Miombo Honey – Aged in @spirithounddistillers Whisky Barrels
Lee Hill – Brewed with Dark Miombo Honey – Aged in Bourbon Barrels
About the Project
The inspiration for Miombo came from a honey tasting that was presented by Brian Woerner of World Honey Exchange in 2021. Brian sourced unique honeys from across the globe and really opened our eyes to the diversity of flavor in honey, as well as its utilization in beer. The smoky, assertive honeys from the Miombo woodlands of Tanzania piqued our interest for use in a complex, barrel-aged stout.
Two Miombo honeys expressed distinctive characters that we wanted to highlight in an individual beer and then age each beer in a barrel best suited to the profile of the respective honey. The light Miombo honey “consists more heavily of nectar derived from Julbernardia and/or Isoberlinia trees, but can also contain Brachystegia (miombo tree) nectar.” This honey expresses attributes of caramel, fig, and smoke that we believed would complement the full-flavored, lightly smoky qualities of Spirit Hound Colorado Whisky barrels. Dark Miombo honey is almost entirely derived from nectar of the Brachystegia tree, which yields a more assertive smokiness and secondary notes of chocolate and tobacco. To complement this bold character we chose the sweet vanilla flavors of Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Both beers were aged in barrels for 18 months for optimal flavor extraction and controlled oxidation.
After the beers reached maturity, we wanted to highlight them as unique, finished beers, as well as choose some of our favorite barrels of each type to blend. Trying the beers individually allows the drinker to see the intentionality of each project, as well as how the various aspects of each beer work together to produce an entirely new drinking experience. The high alcohol content of the beer yields very low carbonation, which preserves the full bodied nature of the beer and allows nuanced aromas to arise as the beer breathes. This high gravity also makes Miombo an ideal beer for cellared aging for indefinite periods of time, but it is presently ready to be enjoyed. We recommend serving these beers at about 50 °F and allowing them to breathe for about half an hour to really open them up and allow volatiles from aging to dissipate.
