1 Pint, 9.4 oz. bottle - $20.99
- Purchased at Riverside Wine & Spirits
Background
Time to get local again…this time with a beer brewed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at a place called OddStory Brewing Company. OddStory came about after father and son, Bryan and Jay Boyd, had a conversation about what Jay wanted to do with his life. Jay said he wanted to brew beer so he set out on a 3 or 4 year quest of learning everything he could about the process. In 2016 OddStory opened with Bryan serving as General Manager and Jay as Head Brewer.
My experience with OddStory beers is pretty much non-existent at this point. The closest I’ve come is the Chattanooga Whiskey 1816 Native that was finished in OddStory Belgian Quad casks. I was perusing the selection at Riverside Wine & Spirits the other day and came across something from them that sounded right up my alley…and it’s a very limited release beer, to boot.
“The living shall not pass; the dead shall not escape.”
In the last days of the final month of our first year, we present to you our own vanquished tri-headed monster. Soul Keeper was brewed with roasted barley and chocolate malts, creating a rich flavor profile. Aged in three different distillery’s bourbon barrels, then blended together for the perfect balance, our last labor completed the year with boldness and anticipation of all that is yet to come.
Soul Keeper is an Imperial Stout that weighs in at 9.9% ABV and 58 IBU. I got the Coffee variant of Soul Keeper, which according to the company’s Facebook page is actually sold out at the brewery. I think I may have purchased the last bottle at Riverside…so good luck finding this one unless they decide to make more.
Notes
Presentation is great here. It’s almost a wine bottle, complete with wax seal. The label depicts Cerberus, the 3-headed dog of the underworld.
The first sip had a strong malty note, while still showing off the relatively high bitterness of the brew. It was thick and rich..very creamy…with the coffee really coming on strong on the finish.
I paired this with a Padron 1926 Serie No. 90 Maduro, one of the best Nicaraguan blends you can buy at any price. The cigar was bold and spicy with earth and light chocolate notes and a very subtle sweetness.
I found the beer to be extraordinarily smooth, with the malt and coffee notes increasing over time and the cigar helping to round out the edges of the bitterness a bit. This was a a very good pairing that I would enjoy repeating. I do wish they would do this beer in a smaller bottle, though, as I was feeling a bit buzzed by midway through (yeah…I’m a lightweight…what of it?).
Great beer…if you’re in the Chattanooga area, see if you can get your hands on some. The cigar…if you’re a cigar smoker, you already know it’s great.
