Please join us for an exclusive release party for Black Eagle, a historic Barley WIne. Ron Pattinson and Derek Prentice visit us from Europe in celebration of this beer that has been 2 years in the making. We will be pouring Black Eagle and those attending have the first chance to buy 500ml bottles. Ron and Derek will discuss the history of Barley Wine in England, the Truman’s brewery in the mid to late 20th century, and details about the making of Black Eagle.
There will be other surprises as well, making it truly a unique and can’t miss event for those interested in British brewing history and have a love for Barley Wine.
About the Beer:
Earlier this year, Goose Island Beer Company worked with beer historian, Ron Pattinson and legendary London brewer Derek Prentice, to create an English Barley Wine based on a 1960 recipe from the historic Truman Brewery in London (opened in 1666, closed 1989)..
Derek Prentice began his 54 year brewing career at Truman’s in 1968, when they were still making Barley Wine, but in a very different way to how it’s typically made today, and this provided the inspiration needed for this project.
“Black Eagle” was made at Goose Island’s brewery in Chicago from a blend of two batches brewed 9 months apart. The first being a stronger, heavier hopped recipe that was aged in neutral oak barrels with Brettanomyces (“British fungus”) for 9 months, then blended with a fresh batch at a ratio of one third aged to two-thirds fresh beer, the ratio used at Truman’s at the time. This gives the beer some aged beer character in aroma and flavor, while keeping some aspects of an un-aged beer. The result is a beer that tastes unique and hopes to pay tribute to Derek’s amazing brewing career. As is typical for Barley Wines, it should continue to age very well for many years in a cool, dark cellar.
This event is FREE. Registration is not required.
Presented in partnership with Goose Island Beer Company with support from the Siebel Institute of Technology.
Ron Pattinson is a British beer writer and historian who has spent the last two decades researching and obsessing over many beer-related topics. His Shut up About Barclay Perkins blog, where he writes about global beer history, is an industry staple. He is the author of many books about beer styles and history and also contributes to publications such as Beer Advocate. Besides working with breweries around the world to create historic beer recipes, he also is part of the Chicago Brewseum’s League of Historians.
Derek Prentice has been brewing in London since 1968, when he started at Truman Brewery at the age of 18. After Truman’s closed in 1989, he went on to become the Brewing Manager at Young’s and later moved on to Fuller’s where he worked with the legendary John Keeling. Wanting to focus on a new craft startup, Derek became the Master Brewer at the newly established Wimbeldon Brewery in 2014.
