2018/2019 Deep Wood Series Unveiling
Barrel-aged beers—our Deep Wood Series included—represent a long, slow building of nuance bookended by the kind of frenetic, exciting days that only come around a few times a year.
The initial brewing process is all about bold ingredients, huge gravities, and innovative techniques. The eventual release centers on anticipation, celebration and the organized chaos of experiencing these creations among the most passionate beer fans.
But in between? There’s the wait. And that’s really the most important part.
“There are a lot of ingredients and processes that go into putting beer into a barrel. And we look at the barrels, and the time in them, as equally important ingredients,” Head Brewer Jim Cibak said. “We’re trying to take it to another level with those charred, toasted, coconut, or vanilla flavors that come from time in the barrels. You can get so many complex and surprising flavors out of the wood.”
“Dressing up an Imperial Stout is the easy part. The hard work is in creating great base beers, preserving their initial quality during aging, and adding complexities” Brewer Marty Scott said. “World-class barrel-aged beer starts as world-class beer. The Deep Wood Series aims to tastefully enhance those qualities. Even our adjuncts have a long history in brewing– currants have been used in lambic-style beers for centuries, and we’re excited to feature them in a stout.”
Join us for a series of four releaseS at the Revolution Brewing Taproom for the opportunity to purchase the 2018–2019 lineup in four-packs of 12 oz. cans and experience our latest draft-only variants. The first pours of each Deep Wood Series release EVENT will take place across draft-only preview parties held at bars and retailers the night prior. Stay tuned for the list of locations by market.
October 19th Releases
CODE SWITCH
A new Imperial Ale programmed alongside our friends at Sun King Brewing. They brought Indiana maple sugar to match with our dark candi syrup and blend of Belgian yeast cultures. It started in Tennessee whiskey barrels, got the titular code switch over to Kentucky bourbon barrels, and then gained an aggressive addition of unfermented blackberries. The result is complex, and unlike anything we’ve made before.
V.S.O.J.
This singular blend of Very Special Old [Straight] Jacket starts with barrels of our English Barleywine aged between two and three years in a series of our favorite barrels. Our brewers taste the results, expertly blend the barrels, and in the process create an incredibly complex and refined Barleywine. It’s the entire argument for time, age, and barrels in one can. If Barleywine is life, V.S.O.J. is immortality.
November 16-17th RELEASES
Deth’s Tar
Our original barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout, with a velvety smooth texture and rich chocolate profile. It’s a big, bold stout specifically designed to go toe-to-toe with the barrels and come out stronger on the other side. This harbinger of doom picks up coconut, vanilla, and caramel from a year spent waiting.
Cafe Deth
Freshly roasted whole-bean coffee from our favorite local roasters gives a different perspective on Deth’s Tar that is assertive without the specter of coffee overload. Our specialized extraction process yields the most vibrant flavors and aromatics possible. Pairs great with a warm, comfortable chair, and even better with food.
Deth by Currants
Last February, we pitted our favorite fruited Deth’s Tar variants against each other to put their destinies in the hands of our most devoted fans. In the stunned aftermath of a fierce battle, our currant-aged version emerged as the ultimate victor. They loved its lively tartness and soft fruit sweetness alongside oaky vanilla and graham flavors from the barrel. Truly a warrior with the soul of a poet.
December 7th Releases
Ryeway to Heaven
Ryeway holds a special place in our hearts as the underdog that made good. At one point, we thought we’d move on from our Ryewine to another style. But our brewers fought for it and Ryeway was granted a reprieve. Our fans took it from there, roaring back to make this ryewine–with its massively silky mouthfeel–one of the big hits of 2017. We heard, we listened, and Ryeway is back, following a stay in Kentucky Peerless Rye and Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, for you to love again this December.
Gravedigger Billy
Billy once again rises from the earth to stalk the unsuspecting city. We can never permanently say goodbye to our beloved Scotch Ale from the early days of Revolution. It’s a little smoky from an addition of Bestmalz beechwood-smoked malt, with a nice bourbon and American oak character along for the ride. Put down the shovel for a minute and warm up with something a wee bit heavy.
Vanilla Deth
You shouted, you demanded, and we eventually listened–everything smooth and rich about Deth’s Tar, with the complementary addition of hand-split vanilla beans. Sometimes just one more note creates a whole new perfect harmony.
January 18th Releases
Boss Ryeway
Boss Ryeway is what happens when we get our hands on the most upscale, luxurious French oak barrels we could acquire without resorting to an elaborate heist. Our beloved Ryeway takes a vacation in WhistlePig Boss Hog Armagnac barrels and emerges … changed. Toasty, tannic, dry yet bold–each one is 12 ounces of liquid luxury. We love Ryeway with all our hearts, and his well-to-do cousin is generating quite the buzz around here.
STRAIGHT JACKET
Our original award-winning Barleywine Ale–made with American and Belgian malts and forged over 12 months in bourbon barrels. Open one and dig into layers of stone fruit, molasses, and vanilla. All the rich decadence of crème brûlée without the exhausting need to actually make pudding and take a blowtorch to it. This is the Barleywine for the people.
Deth’s Tar, Cafe Deth, and Straight Jacket cans will see wide distribution following their releases, along with limited distribution of Code Switch and Vanilla Deth.
2018/2019 Deep Wood Series
HOW MUCH WILL THE BEERS COST?
Like last year, they’ll range between $25-$35, depending on the beer. As each release nears, we’ll update our Facebook event and news pages with the price for each variant.
HOW WILL THE BEERS BE PACKAGED?
We’ll once again be selling the Deep Wood Series exclusively as four-packs of 12 oz. cans, the format we switched over to last year. We’ve got a top-of-the-line can filler that lets us reach incredibly low oxygen levels,further preserving the quality of our beer.
IS THERE A PURCHASE LIMIT AT THE RELEASE events?
We’ll announce any purchase limits after the beer has been packaged. Keep an eye on our Facebook event pages and news posts–we’ll let you know there first.
How long will each beer be available for?
We won’t know that until we see the turnout at the release events, so we’re not able to predict how long each beer will be available.
What is the best by date for Deep Wood Series beers?
We do not provide a best by date on our cans. While the beer may taste great in the future, our aluminum can supplier follows the industry standard and only warranties the integrity of our cans for 12 months.
Where will these beers be available?
Each of the Deep Wood Series beers will be released in cans at the Revolution Tap Room, located at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave.
There will be wide distribution of Deth’s Tar, Cafe Deth, and Straight Jacket cans to select retail accounts, along with limited distribution of Code Switch and Vanilla Deth as well.
Why aren’t you producing XYZ Deep Wood Series variant this year?
Wholesale repetition is the death of innovation, and our brewers are constantly learning, tweaking, and evolving their approach to our Deep Wood Series beers. A lot of decision-making is based on the kind of top-quality ingredients we can source, the things they’re learned since the previous Deep Woods lineup, and the variety of barrels we obtain. If our track record tells you anything, your old favorite will probably be back in one form or another before too long.
WILL THE RELEASE EVENTS HAVE DRAFT-ONLY VARIANTS?
They will–more than ever, in fact. We’ll announce the variants during the week leading up to each release on our website and the Facebook event page.
Will there be food available at the release EVENTS?
The Revolution Taproom doesn’t serve food, but we encourage customers to bring their own food, and we’ll have food trucks scheduled to come and serve Rev fans.
Is the beer ready to drink right away?
All of our Deep Wood Series beers are already aged between 6-36 months (depending on the beer) before we package them. They’re absolutely ready to drink right away, and we don’t recommend piling them on a lonely shelf for years at a time. Seriously - we made these beers for you to enjoy. Bottoms up!
How do they age over time in a can?
We flash pasteurize our Deep Wood Series beers. We’ve also tasted many of our beers aged over a year in cans and haven’t picked up any big changes in flavor apart from the effects of normal aging. And again, we really think they’re great now and hope you will too.
Can I use credit cards/cash for my purchase?
Packaged Beer sales will accept both credit cards and cash, however draft sales inside the release event will be cash only to ensure the fastest possible service.