I already told you about these bottles that are gearing up to launch from Hamilton, Ohio’s Municipal Brew Works (you did read about all that they’ve got going on, didn’t you?). With the labels recently rolling through the TTB, I figured that it would be fun to share the artwork with you, and dig into the look of them just a tad – you know… get you a little thirsty and excited to kick off the week the right way.
The biggest thing that i want to point out with the labels is their inclusion of food pairing ideas. It’s not ground breaking, and other places have done it, but I wish it was something we saw more of. When we start talking about bombers or special release beers, I wish more was made on the experience of drinking one of these. There’s those times where you just reach in your fridge, and grab one of the cans of staple or seasonal beers that you’ve got stockpiled, and pour it into a glass to drink without much thought. The experience of drinking something that is a little more expensive, something that you waited in line for, or something that is no longer in production is something a little different. Let’s celebrate the experience. Take your time to pair it with food, take the time to share a bigger bottle with a friend or two.
Anyways – that might be a post unto itself. Let’s just look at these labels before I get too far off topic.
Long Slumber
This is the base beer that eventually found its way into barrels and then bottles (the other one… we’ll talk about it in a second). Just because it’s not barrel aged doesn’t mean you should overlook this, though. After trying it last year I can tell you how delicious it is, and it will age well alongside it’s companion if that’s your speed!
The bottle reads:
The late Beer connoisseur Michael Jackson (not the one with the sequin glove) referred to the Old Ale style of beer as one that “is a warming beer of the type that is best drunk in half pints by a warm fire on a cold winter’s night.”
It starts with an aroma of malty caramel and a deep rich amber appearance. A smooth but robust body gives way to layers of malty sweetness and fruity esters similar to a cherry cordial. The slightly warm alcohol finish makes this the perfect beer to just sit in front of the fireplace and wait for old man winter to finish his annual visit on our trip around the sun.
Food Pairings – grilled steak or wild game, well-aged gouda, apple crisp.
Bourbon Barrel Long Slumber
This second bottle is last years Long Slumber aged for a full year, first in… well…. let’s just read the bottle for the full description.
An amazingly smooth yet complex malt-forward beer that supplies layers of flavor and a slight boozy finish to get you through those cold nights.
We let it slumber for six months in Kentucky bourbon barrels. We then let it age another six months in cold storage to allow the powerful oak, bourbon and vanilla flavors from the barrel aging process to smooth out and meld with the sweet, malty and slight cherry presence contained within our Old Ale. The result is layers of flavors that reveal themselves as this beer warms.
Food Pairings – pancetta wrapped dates, harvati cheese, toffee pudding.
Both bottles come in at around 10% ABV, and are packaged in 22oz bombers. The bottles are going to be released as a two bottle set in the very near future. You might want to watch the calendar here on the site, or on social media to get the details. The last I heard we were talking as early as late January, which is quickly approaching.
Update – Release Date!
And just like that… we’ve got a date! The word from Municipal is that this beer will be releasing on 2/17/18 when the brewery opens at noon. You’re going to want to get there early, though, as they only bottled 300 of each of these bottles, and the Mug Club members are going to get first dibs at buying theirs.
They’ll be selling the bottles as a two bottle set, and they’ll have a Municipal Brew Works Teku on sale that day too so you can drink yours in style!