Boulevard Brewing Company - Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Terra Incognita Ale Aged in Whisky Barrels

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Boulevard Brewing Company - Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Terra Incognita Ale Aged in Whisky Barrels. 

From their joint Terra Incognita Beer site: “Situated at opposite ends of the California Trail, pioneering breweries Sierra Nevada and Boulevard have once again embarked upon a journey into the unknown. It was in 2012 that we first convened to craft a beer for SAVOR attendees. And it’s that collaborative effort, aptly named Terra Incognita, which brought us together to relive our collective adventure in 2013—and this time we will release it out into the world.

Earlier this year, Sierra Nevada Head Brewer Steve Dresler and Boulevard Brewmaster Steven Pauwels met in Kansas City to create a blend of three components:

Terra Incognita aged in Templeton Rye barrels
Terra Incognita aged in a 2,000-gallon foudre
Fresh Terra Incognita dry-hopped with East Kent Golding

The end result is a, fittingly, earthy beer, celebrating the unique terroir of our two locations. The blend incorporates (roughly) 45% foudre-aged, 30% Templeton-aged, and 25% fresh dry-hopped beer—all aimed at showcasing some predominant oak characteristics with a subtle hint of earthy hops. Then just prior to bottling we added a dose of the wild yeast Brettanomyces, and allowed the beer to age for over three months.

In the spirit of two breweries joining forces, we encourage you to enjoy this beer with good friends (and good food), and then join us in eager anticipation as we wait for Terra Incognita to return yet again in 2014.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark murky brown color with burgundy highlights, a fluffy beige head and thick lacing.

Aroma: Sour, funky yeast, roasted and grainy malts, tart cherries, oak and earth.

Taste: Tart fruits (cherry, grape), oak, whisky, bready and caramel malts, yeast funk, slightly sweet, vanilla and brown sugar.

Overall: Enjoyable and smooth, Boulevard Brewing Company - Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Terra Incognita Ale Aged in Whisky Barrels is very drinkable.  This 8.5% ABV offering is excellent and worth trying.  I’ll probably pick up a couple of bottles for aging.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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