Breakside Brewery releases 8 Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts this season

SIX barleywines is cool, but what about EIGHT barrel-aged Stouts ?? Breakside Brewery today announced the release of a special mixed-case of blended barrel-aged stouts as part of Cellarbration. This annual event is usually a lowkey affair where the brewery reaches into the cellar for bottles to bring out of the depths in time for the dreary holiday season. This year they are one upping themselves with six barrel-aged stouts, 2 bottles of each per case, in a 12-pack case available for a limited-time. Additionally, Breakside will release 2 more brand new barrel-aged stout blends on December 1st which conclude their revamped 2022 barrel-aged lineup.

“We’re starting to see the fruits of our 2019 efforts to completely overhaul our barrel-aged strong ale program,” said Daniel Hynes, Breakside Barrel Program Lead. “Instead of making singular batches to age for singular releases we started brewing different base beers and adding those to barrels. Now, when we want to make a barrel-aged beer we have 300 different barrels to draw from. We look at what characteristics a beer is providing us, and we push and pull those characteristics with multiple layers through the blending process.”

The six beers in the mixed case can be found exclusively at Breakside’s five locations beginning today. Cases have two of each beer, with twelve bottles total, for $155 per case. Only 120 cases are available and this is the last time these beers will be sold commercially. The final two beers in the 2022 lineup — My Stars Shine Darkly and This Great Stage of Fools — will be available for $16 per bottle at all Breakside locations beginning December 1, with limited distribution of bottles and draft to specialty beer stores in Oregon and Washington.

Mixed-case beers (Available now)

Plunderphonics - 12.3% ABV - American Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels. The most intense and aggressive blended stout that Breakside has produced to date, with a flavor profile of cacao, plum, salted licorice, and barrel house. Derived from 8 casks containing: American Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for 12 months; Imperial Chocolate Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for 11 months; Imperial Chocolate Stout aged in stainless steel for 14 months.

Skweee - 12.2% ABV - Imperial Rye Stout aged in Bourbon, maple, and rye whiskey barrels. Through the blending process, Breakside explores the line dividing minimalism and maximalism, resulting in a beer with flavors of dark fruits, molasses, and milk chocolate. The beer was created from a blend of the following 11 casks: Imperial Rye Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for 11 months; Double Wheat Porter aged in maple Bourbon barrels for 10 months; Chocolate Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for 14 months; Smoked Baltic Porter aged in rye whiskey barrels for 5 months.

The Trappings and the Suits of Woe - 11.4% ABV - Imperial Milk Stout aged in Bourbon, American whiskey, and Nocino barrels. Luscious flavors of dark berries, prunes, char, and brandy. This blend brings together casks from three distinct moments in time: Imperial Milk Stout aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for 12 months; Imperial Milk Stout aged in Oregon whiskey barrels for 12 months; American Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for 18 months; Imperial Chocolate Stout aged in Nocino barrels for 20 months; Imperial Smoked Porter aged in stainless steel for 22 months; Triple Milk Stout aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for 21 months.

I Will Roar You - 12.5% ABV - Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels. Featuring a velvety flavor profile of spiked milk chocolate, bruleed sugar, raisins, and stewed plums. Blended from 12 of the following casks: Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged 17 months in Bourbon barrels; Double Toffee Stout aged 20 months in Bourbon barrels; American Imperial Stout aged 22 months in Bourbon barrels.

Sweet Creature of Bombast - 12.3% ABV - Blend of Imperial Stout and Imperial Porter aged in mixed whiskey barrels. A spirituous flavor profile of hazelnut, fudge, and toasty malt. The beer was blended from 19 of the following casks: Imperial Rye Stout aged 21 months in Bourbon barrels; Imperial Porter aged 15 months in wheated Bourbon barrels; Imperial Porter aged 15 months in Oregon whiskey barrels; Triple Baltic Porter aged 27 months in Bourbon barrels.

Let Your Indulgence Set Me Free - 12.7% ABV - Collaboration Imperial Stout with Single Hill Brewing in Yakima. Aged in Bourbon and peated whiskey barrels for a beer that tastes of fire-roasted marshmallow, maple, light peat, and Kentucky hug. Blended from 10 of the following casks: Imperial Stout aged 14 months in Bourbon barrels; Triple Milk Stout aged 22 months in Bourbon barrels; Triple Export Stout aged 23 months in Bourbon barrels; Single Hill Overstory Stout aged 9 months in peated whiskey barrels.

Two new beers (Available Dec. 1)

My Stars Shine Darkly - 13.5% ABV - Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon and maple syrup barrels. Flavor profile of dark pudding, browned butter, grapes, and graham cracker. Blended from 17 of the following casks: Imperial Wheat Porter aged 21 months in maple syrup and Bourbon barrels; Imperial Milk Stout aged 21 months in Oregon whiskey barrels; Imperial Milk Stout aged 21 months in Bourbon barrels; Imperial Chocolate Stout aged 9 months in Bourbon barrels.

This Great Stage of Fools - 12% ABV - Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels with pecan, pandan leaf, marshmallow, nutmeg, and allspice. Blended from 15 of the following casks: Double Oat Stout aged 23 months in Bourbon barrels; Imperial Stout aged 21 months in Bourbon barrels.

About Breakside Brewery

Breakside Brewery opened in 2010 as a small brewpub in NE Portland and has grown to be a highly regarded regional brewery producing more than 30,000 barrels annually. In addition to winning many national, international, and regional awards for its beers, Breakside was named Brewery of the Year by the Oregon Beer Awards in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, and at the 2018 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Breakside has five locations in the Portland metro region including NE Dekum, NW Slabtown, Lake Oswego, SE Taproom in Milwaukie, and The Breaksider on SE 82nd Ave. Breakside is also one of only a handful of employee-owned breweries in the country.