Just when you think the worlds of brewing and distilling have reached the point where there’s nothing left to innovate, a few mad geniuses come along to surprise you. Nicole Austin, the head distiller at Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. — the adjunct company of George Dickel that produces experimental and novel products from the Tullahoma distillery — has earned quite the reputation as an innovator during her relatively short tenure with the company. Her first release under the new Cascade Moon label was a whiskey that was inspired by beer, specifically a gose-style brew that is traditionally flavored with coriander, salt and citrus. While she didn’t actually add any of these ingredients to the barrels, she chose specific lots that exhibited fruity notes of raspberry, pineapple and coconut.
So it’s not much of a leap to use the emptied barrels to impart some of those flavors into beer, and that’s exactly what Tennessee Brew Works brewer Matt Simpson did to create his new Pineapple, Blood Orange and Coconut Ale, the first in a series of a limited-edition releases inspired by Simpson’s favorite cocktails.
Initially released last week at TBW’s taproom and now in limited retail release, the 9.2 percent ABV Pineapple, Blood Orange and Coconut Imperial Fruited Ale is pale orange in the glass and exhibits delightful tropical notes from the hop blend and from the characteristics left over in the Cascade Moon barrels where it was finished. Simpson says: “The flavor is an island beach party in your mouth with a boozy finish and malt sweetness. The barrel aging process conducts qualities of the unique whisky they once held, offering savory pretzel-like attributes, along with bright and fruity notes of raspberry, pineapple and coconut.”
The “Cocktail Series” will continue with two additional releases in April and May. The Imperial Strawberry White aged in Cascade Moon Edition No. 1 barrels will be released on April 23, and the Whisky Smash Fruited Ale aged in Cascade Moon Edition No. 1 barrels will release on May 21.
“We are fortunate to have Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. as a partner for barrel aged beer projects,” says Simpson. “A special thanks to Nicole Austin and her crew for curating this barrel blend that complements unique beer profiles and inspired the creativity in these cocktail series beers.”
The feeling is mutual. “We are thrilled to once again collaborate with the Tennessee Brew Works team,” says Austin. “Our partnerships continue to result in great barrel aged beers, and as Cascade Moon Edition No. 1 is inspired by, and features similar tasting notes found in a gose-style beer, this release felt natural. It feels fitting that the refilled casks used for Cascade Moon Edition No. 1 would be re-used to age this beer, coming full circle with Pineapple, Blood Orange and Coconut Ale!”
