Scotch Silly Barrel Aged

This special release from Brasserie de Silly, a limited barrel-aged offering of the brewery’s famous Scotch Silly ale, gets aged in a particular type of barrel, the variety of which varies each year. We have recently seen the likes of Bourbon-, Bordeaux-, and Cognac-barrel-aged versions. But this latest one, aged in Pinot Noir barrels, was something special. It combines the rich, caramelly impact of its Scotch Silly base with fruity, vinous counterpoints from that residual barrel character. Only about 600 cases were sold in the U.S. in 2019, across 5 states. No sales are planned for 2020 beyond the allocation for Rare Beer Club members.

For fellow fans of Pinot Noir, there’s a lot of familiar elements to dig into in this release, as bright red fruit and plum emerge immediately from the aromatics. Plus, the initial pour itself is a vibrant, deep garnet, with golden-brown edges and an off-white edging of resilient foam. There’s also some firm, engaging oak presence here as well, with notes of vanilla and almond and toast throughout—even a nudge of structure from tannins. But that delicious base beer is still never forgotten, and rounding out the barrel complexity is a velvety, caramelized base of the Scotch Silly, adding mellowing notes of sweeter caramel, leather, and generous toffee.

The aromatics here are generous in fruit and barrel elements, with tempered cherry and deep berry notes mixing with that oaky interior of Pinot Noir barrels: lightly charred, but mellowed by those above vanilla-almond notes. The nose of this Pinot-influenced Scotch ale is smooth and super-friendly. But do allow things some time to warm up in your glass to better bring out those more subtle contributions from the barrel.