Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian-Style Imperial India pale ale—betcha can’t say that three times fast. The latest release from Astoria, Ore.’s Fort George Brewing‘s “North” winter ale series, North VII, is a mouthful—audibly and physically. The series kicked off in 2007 for the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival and set the foundation for the style of these specific beers, with the recipe varying year-by-year. The North VII Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian-Style Imperial India Pale Ale was brewed with a detailed malt bill, loads of hops and fermented with a spicy Belgian yeast then steeped in freshly-used Kentucky Bourbon barrels—which were supposedly delivered to the brewery at lightning speed “2400 miles through the night” within 72 hours after being emptied at the distillery. But all that work was for a whole lotta beer—the ale is hugely aromatic with barrel influence showing vanilla, oak, smoke—definitive bourbon characteristics—along with the creamy, zesty floral tones of the Belgian yeast and the hop intensity rounding out this Imperial IPA to be something rather extraordinary for a modest 9% ABV.
