The gang from Bardo (1200 Bladensburg Road) just sent over a press release indicating that they soon plan to tap an extremely rare beer that has been aging for 14 years. This brew doesn't come cheap ($45 gets you a pour, and a commemorative glass), but it's a great chance to try something really special, and to take advantage of Bardo's recently installed fire pits.
Rare beer, cask conditioned fourteen years coming to Bardo, Saturday 10/26, 3pm
Bardo brewpub & beergarden will tap a FOURTEEN year old keg of beer Sat, Oct 26th, 3pm. The Bardo GABF award winning White Lightnin' barleywine has been cellaring for the last fourteen years on a loyal patron's property. It is believed to be one of the oldest beers on the planet. Aged to a fine perfection, the cask conditioned ale has fermented to approximately 13% ABV.
"We gave an old friend a keg of beer before we put the brewery in storage in the years ago and he appeared out of nowhere last July with keg in tow", Bardo big cheese, Bill Stewart explained. "It was an old school keg, and he couldn't find the correct tap for it".
When asked about the rarity of a beer aged for so long, Stewart replied, "When was the last time you had a chance to taste fourteen year old beer? I, myself, can't remember ever having that chance, how about you? I had some four year old Old Crustacean once." referring to Newport Oregon's Rogue Ales powerhouse Barleywine, known for a distinct Old Bay flavor.
Bardo won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their White Lightnin' Barleywine in 1994, during their days at the forefront of the Clarendon nightlife scene in Arlington. Bardo would go on to medal in 1996 with Bundaberg Ginger Beer and 1997 with their flagship brew, Dremo Tibetan Sasquatch.
"We've had the keg of White Lightnin' for a few months but were waiting for colder weather before tapping it", commented Bardo minister of information, Andrew Stewart. "We thought barleywine, the fall outdoors and fire pits were the perfect complement to each other".
NOTE: There are approximately 200 glasses in the keg. DO NOT get there late. $45 gets you a pour and a Commemorative Glass.
Bardo opened in July and is, for now, an entirely outdoor brewpub. A wide selection of craft brews on draft appeal to even the most discerning of beer enthusiasts. Bardo is 100% dog friendly every day with 15,000 square feet in our beer garden to roam off leash and a house dog who loves to play. Located at 1200 Bladensburg rd NE, Bardo has fire pits, cornhole, outdoor movie screenings/sports and is available for private parties/fundraisers, large and small, with no charge for the space.
13 comments:
$45? BAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah, that's pretty stupid, and I love good beer. $20 sounds about right.
I've had beer older than that in Stockholm. Beer doesn't age that well though, imo, unlike wine. Barleywine might be an exception (we had 25 year old sour beers...)
And yes, aged beer is significantly more expensive (obviously...)
So they are hoping to make something like $9000 on this barrel?
Come back to reality guys.
at that price it outta come with a handjob
If you are complaining about the price it ain't for you. Enough said.
do i get a reacharound for that price? wtf
If you are complaining about the price it ain't for you. Enough said.
Conversely, if you're not complaining about the price then payday loans and e-mails from Nigerian royalty are probably up your alley.
Guys,
It's a very rare beer. It's been aged 14 years, and it's also a prize winner. There are definitely folks out there who consider it worth the price and are willing to fork over the money. If $45 is too rich for your blood, they have plenty of other beers on tap at the regular price. See? Everybody gets to be happy.
I had their White Lightning Barleywine last century and liked it; however, here's why paying $45 for this is a bad idea.
-Beer generally doesn't age well, and 14 years is past the point of diminishing returns. maybe they've captured lightning in a bottle and it has improved over time, but typically beers start to degenerate after 5 years.
-It likely hasn't been stored properly. For $45 for a beer (and commemorative glass, natch) I'd expect a keg that was climate-controlled the entire time, not a "mystery keg" that just turned up.
-13% ABV beer usually doesn't taste that great. Most of the 12%+ ABV barleywines have some additional flavors going on (like oak aging) to counteract the high alcohol content; this was most likely aged in a standard metal 1/2 keg.
it's kind of a neat idea, but the way they're selling it is that you're going to pay a premium to taste an "award winning" beer that has improved over time and the truth is likely to be the opposite. Charging $45 for beer that is probably bad now is likely to leave a bad taste in peoples' mouths, in more ways than one.
I gotta agree with MJ. I like the bardo shanty-appeal but this just rubs me the wrong way. There's something almost insulting about it.
Did this ever happen? No publicity all week.
1:56,
It happened a year ago.
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