It's almost Winter...Warlock season, that is.
It's almost Winter...Warlock season, that is.
This Friday, as a chill enters our mountain air, Bristol Brewing will release Winter Warlock, but we still regret opening our last bottle of XXX Warlock...Winter Warlock's bigger boozier brother.
Ever since garnering a silver medal at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival awards, Winter Warlock has warmed plenty of patrons’ bellies—including ours—many times over the years, but we still pine for Bristol’s bigger boozier version: XXX Warlock, which hasn’t been brewed since 2003.
We chatted with former Trinity Brewing owner Jason Yester, who in 2003 was a brewer at Bristol Brewing and helped create XXX Warlock.
Back in 2003, the inspiration for the beer was Samuel Adams’ Millennium Ale, an American Strong Ale that was Samuel Adams’ second foray into their “Extreme beers” line of crazy brewing experimentation(and also modeled after SA Triple Bock).
Yester tells me that they were aiming for XXX Warlock to have “port wine-esque” qualities, and even collaborated on the specific procedures needed to create such a beer with Grant Wood, Samuel Adams’ brewmaster in 2003. For XXX Warlock, Bristol’s ultimate goal was to create the strongest beer ever brewed in Colorado.
The beer was brewed originally in 2003 and, according to Yester, tasted like rocket fuel at first. Thankfully, it was aged for three years before packaging, to let the flavors mellow and allow it to be more drinkable. at 18.4% ABV, it still is a hefty beer, but those years of maturation really did soften it a bit.
Untappd even has recent check-ins, so it seems like age hasn’t hurt XXX Warlock.
When asked why it was a one and done type brew for Bristol, Yester walked us through the immense brewing process it took to create that beer.
“It took four days to brew it—an incredible amount of labor for a single batch—and then we continually fed the fermentation Grade A Vermont maple syrup and Schmidt Apiary wildflower honey over the course of 60 days…” — Jason Yester, former Bristol Brewing brewer
Bristol Brewing structured the maturation and fermentation similar to that of saké, where nutrients and fermentable sugars are continuously fed into the reaction.
In a bottle format more akin to Avery Brewing’s barrel-aged beers, XXX Warlock comes in a 12 oz bottle with a silver foil topper. At 18.4% ABV, if you have the opportunity to get your hands on one, it’s definitely something to be shared with many friends.
There are still some bottles floating out there on random store shelves, so if you’re ever perusing the aisles and see a blue shaded wizard peeking at you, grab every bottle you see.
Release Party
So, while the big boozy brother to Winter Warlock isn’t coming back any time soon, our blue buddy will once again grace shelves starting with a release at 6pm tomorrow. If you’re able to attend the release, they’ll have a group toast, music by Brandon Henderson and a special food pairing.
In Remembrance: Eric Merrell
From Whistle Pig Brewing’s Facebook:
Our sadness is great and the world got far less interesting on Saturday, September 30th when Eric Merrell passed away after a brave and inspiring battle with Colon Cancer.
A founder of Whistle Pig Brewing Company, he was known well in the brewing community for his dry humor and commitment to always trying to learn and improve. He attended multiple brewing schools gaining confidence, certificates and knowledge which advanced our quality and consistency over the years. He never wanted to be satisfied but to continue to listen, learn, and make the beers better.
So please, when you’re drinking beer this week, raise your glass in remembrance of Eric. We’ll miss having him here in the Colorado Springs beer community.
Upcoming Featured Events
Saturday: Biketoberfest at Red Leg Brewing
October 13: Wackadoo Brewing 1st Anniversary
October 21: Fossil Craft Beer 9th Anniversary
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