19 Dec Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel 16 By Tony

Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel 16

Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Houston, TX

Belgian Dubbel aged in Red Wine Barrels with Brettanomyces

ABV: 8.4%

IBUs: 23

Packaging: Limited – Draft, 12oz. Bottles

This Bishop’s Barrel 16 has me a little excited. I’ve never been a wine kinda guy, but something about the Brett+the barrel aged piques my curiosity, so I ran to HEB to get some the day after it released. I also did not actually run – that’s a metaphor, guys.

Anyhow, it starts off with a bold, woody, fruity nose that really builds the anticipation. The flavor starts off crisp and Bretty with a malty sweetness at the same time. That makes way for a balanced aftertaste you’d expect from a Dubbel plus some balanced fruity, wine-like notes. I want to say tart berries and earthy wood notes help balance the finish. It amazes me how well the three big factors balance here – the beer, the bugs, and the barrel. I’m super pleased!

This Bishop’s Barrel 16 doesn’t remind me of anything I’ve had before, but for the sake of storytelling, I like it better than the BB15. BB15 was good, but this BB16 is great and really creative, so I’m giving it 4 stars.

Bishop’s Barrel 16 poured a deep reddish-brown with a finger of tiny-bubbled head that quickly dissipated and left behind a little ring around the snifter. That little ring continued to leave behind speckled lace, like a Dalmatian. The mouthfeel was a welcoming, medium-body with sort of a dry finish.

This BB16 blew me away. I really enjoyed it.

The artwork for all the Bishop’s Barrels are all the same. In fact, I think this might be one of the few Saint Arnold designs that didn’t get a makeover this year. You won’t be able to spot it on a shelf anywhere because it’s usually hidden in the back of the store.

Bishop’s Barrel 16 is usually gone pretty quickly. When you visit your local grocery store where you find your craft beer, you’ll have to ask someone to find the beer guy/lady, and ask them to get it for you from the back. If you don’t nab it up quickly, you’ll have to find it on tap, and you’ll need to do that quickly too! You can find it on tap and in bottles at a handful of places around town. Hop Stop Humble is one, and there are a few others listed here.

Saint Arnold is one of my favorite breweries in town, and it’s stuff like this Bishop’s Barrel 16 that make it so. You had any BB16 yet? Know a good place that’ll have some once it’s all dried up? Well, let us know in the comments below! And as always, beers to you, Houston.