The collaboration between Terrapin Beer Co. and Five Trail, two brands owned by Molson Coors, is now available in stores in Georgia and Wisconsin. This partnership between a brewery and a U.S. whiskey has been surprising to many consumers.
The couple decided to team up to create their own beer, Double Barrel Red Ale. This imperial red ale was aged in whiskey barrels and barley grain was also used. After five months in whiskey barrels, the beer acquired complex, oaky flavors, making it an ideal accompaniment to hearty holiday meals.
According to Terrapin president Dustin Watts, the new beer has a bold, dark cherry flavor with hints of vanilla. For him, this barrel-aged beer is unique and unlike any other they have created before.
Watts also has high expectations for the presence of Double Barrel and Five Trail in retail stores in Georgia and Wisconsin. He believes it was a unique opportunity to boost beer sales especially during the holiday season, as people tend to go to liquor stores for spirits and wine.
According to Watts, the collaboration between Terrapin, known for its craft beers, and Five Trail, Coors Spirits Co.’s award-winning whiskey, allowed Terrapin’s brewers to unleash their creativity.
Instead of following the traditional style of aging stout in barrels, they decided to do something different. So, instead of just adding a Terrapin beer, they created a new imperial red ale using whiskey grain as the main component of the recipe.
According to Watts, this wine has a strong vanilla note and fruit flavors such as peaches and raisins can also be detected. He recommends enjoying it with roast duck or pork tenderloin dishes, as the combination with the cranberry sauce will bring out the flavor of the Double Barrel even more.
The Double Barrel beverage is marketed in packages containing four 16-ounce cans. Watts mentions that Georgia is their home market, but Wisconsin is the third most important state for them and they see a great opportunity in working with the dealer network in that area to promote their brand.
The two brands will continue to work together even after the launch of this new product. Once the beer was packaged, the kegs were returned to Kentucky for reuse by Five Trail. They will be filled again, this time with whiskey for a special limited release of Five Trail’s Terrapin Cask Strength U.S. whiskey, which will be released in select locations later this year.
