Depot Street Brewing | Roundabout Rare
Barrel aged. You have our attention. Barrel aged beers may very well be our favorite category of beer. In this particular case we were first introduced to this beer during a Tri-Cities beer run in August. It was our first stop and not even noon yet and Michael Foster and Devin Rutledge of Depot Street Brewing were giving us a tour. The brewery was amazing. Michael’s ingenuity is incredible and the beer was downright a blast. The best part was that they had several different barrels sitting around that just happened to need a QA check. Turns out we got to sample this very beer. Devin (in the pic with the wicked cool hat) pulled out a sample and we each got a taste. I remember it being very boozy. The flavor was good but I could tell it hadn’t been in the barrel long and had merely soaked up any remaining liquid that was there. 
Fast forward to today and as my good friend Zack Roskop of Knox Brew Tours recently made a trip to the brewery, he grabbed me a few bottles.
The base for this beer is Depot Street’s Roundabout Rye Stout (thus the play on the name). The Roundabout Rye Stout is a pretty good stout on it’s own and has held up pretty well in the barrel. We should also note that this was in a Canadian whiskey barrel which to me has a very distinctive taste that carries through in this beer.
This beer has a nice deep brown color with red around the edges and pours with a nice head. On the nose I smell whiskey, toffee and the faintest hint of dark chocolate. The mouth feel of this beer seems light, a bit creamy and coats the mouth nicely. The flavors are of spice, a bit of sweetness perhaps linked to the toffee and that distinct Canadian whiskey flavor that I do enjoy so much. The flavors do linger on the palate and the finish is a bit dry – the tannins from the barrel seem to be coming through at this point. It’s definitely changed since I tasted it last in that the beer seems to have worked it’s way well into the wood.
Final snobs: This is a fun beer from the gentlemen in Jonesborough! If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by, say hi to these fine gentlemen and grab me another bottle will ya?
By the way, Depot Street Brewing will also be at the Tennessee Winter Beer Fest on February 27th!
Prost!