Maiden (2013)

A Maiden Voyage, the first adventure. Our goal was to create something that with each vintage evokes the same spirit of adventure, sense of the unknown and enjoyment of the Journey. Maiden 2013 was the first batch of beer brewed in our brand new brewery and each subsequent vintage will be the first brewed each year.

We take a carefully crafted American Hoppy Barley Wine and the age it in various barrels for the year, with the goal of bringing them together in a harmonious blend prior to bottling. This journey means that each individual barrel will impart different characteristics on the beer, sometimes from the quality and type of wood used, but more potent the liquid stored in it previously. Each vintage will use different mixes of barrels from both spirit and wine, however, the goal is to make the best blend possible, not use all of the beer, so some barrels may not make the cut at all or only be required as a very small percentage.

For Maiden 2013 a combination of Tequila, Armagnac, Bourbon, Rum & Brandy Barrels were laid to rest for 10 months. For the day of blending we had te team from Compass Box Whisky and help from the wine world to craft the best possible blend. The result is one which uses differing amounts of each, some of the fresh Maiden to be aged for 2014, and none of the Rum Barrel. The Rum barrel imparted huge flavour but it did not play nicely with anything else, and ultimately the aim was to make something that was more than the sum of its parts. Show Less