Somewhere around this house, I have a bottle of Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Maple Scotch Ale. My wife bought it for me for Christmas a year or two ago, and now it’s in my collection, waiting to be dug out and drunk. In the meantime, I had a glass one fine Sunday afternoon, on tap at Taco Mac of course.
Sierra Nevada offers a few different selections in their Trip in the Woods barrel aged series. I love Scotch Ales, and a Scotch ale aged on wood, made with maple syrup sounds like a treat indeed. Rare it is to find a bottle; rarer still is the chance to try this beer on tap.
Sierra Nevada says about the series:
When beer meets barrel, incredible things happen. The passage of time and the influence of wood combine to create a final product much greater than the sum of its individual parts. Our Trip in the Woods series is designed to highlight the complex interplay between beer and barrel. Each beer has matured in a wooden cask originally used to age and mellow spirits, and the time in slumber creates rich and layered flavors unique to this difficult and hands-on process
And about this beer in particular:
Balanced and rich, this classic Scotch Ale was brewed with maple syrup and aged in bourbon barrels. Flavors and aromas of oak, maple, and caramel round out this delicious and complex beer.
Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Maple Scotch Ale has an alcohol content of 9.8% by volume and is aged in bourbon barrels for ten months. It runs $19.99 for a 750ML bottle at Total Wine, and I paid $5.50 for an 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac. That makes the draft a lot cheaper than the bottle. Imagine that.
My glass of Sierra Nevada Trip in the Woods Maple Scotch Ale arrived a deep mahogany in color with a thick creamy tan head and lush maple and wood in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a big rich malty palate full of maple, caramel, vanilla and woody, oak notes that almost leave splinters in your tongue. The finish is boozy with bourbon notes and warming alcohol.
What a fantastic beer! I can’t wait to find my bottle and see how it has developed with a little age on it.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft