Pre-Sanctuary: Barrel-Aged Imperial Cherry Eugene

In our early trials to make a barrel-aged beer with cherry character (what would eventually become Deth by Cherries) we wanted to see what would happen if we fortified Eugene Porter wort with cherry juice before fermentation. What we wound up with was too tart to drink, but we filled a few pallets of kegs and socked it away to use as a blending agent in the future.

About a year later, we tasted it again and it was fantastic–noticeably mellowed but still fruit forward. We filled six Woodford Double Oak barrels with the beer and left them to age. Now it’s time to taste the rewards of persistence.