Brothership Brewing | BA Space Debris: Hazelnut + Vanilla + Coconut
Stout season is finally upon us! Yes, we’re well aware that many folks enjoy Stouts year-round, and we’re perfectly fine with that. For some folks though, it’s a magical time of year for them to enjoy those dark beers and the crisp air.
Brothership Brewing
Let us introduce you to Mokena, IL-based Brothership Brewing, who pride themselves with their barrel-aged Stouts, among other beer styles.
Brothership Brewing is a small craft brewery and taproom that focuses on Barrel-Aged Stouts, New England IPAs, West Coast IPAs, Lagers and Fruited Sours. While they’ve only been open for just over four and a half years, they’ve made a bit of a name for themselves. At the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship, they took home two gold medals—one for a New England IPA and another for an Imperial Pastry Stout.
We were able to get our hands on one of their most sought-after barrel-aged beers. We can’t wait to tell you about it!
Barrel-Aged Space Debris
Barrel-Aged Space Debris for 2024 was aged for 28 months in Willet Rye and Buffalo Trace barrels. On top of that, they add in roasted hazelnuts, Madagascar vanilla beans, toasted coconut and raw coconut! “We do each adjunct combination about once a year,” said Co-Founder Kyle Obright. Each version of Space Debris typically features coconut and, in most cases, additional adjuncts like nuts, vanilla and cacao nibs.
To us, what really sets this BA beer apart is aging it in the Rye barrel. Obright noted that he and co-owners/partners Ryne Willig and Tom Soltis along with their brewer Daniel Ray are the main people responsible for making decisions on barrels and adjunct combinations.
“We all feel that the Rye spice contributed by the Rye barrels helped cut down the overall sweetness of these high gravity beers, especially with the addition of the adjuncts,” noted Obright. “We’ve been happy with the results we’ve gotten blending a Rye barrel with adjunct combinations we expect to be perceived as sweeter,” explained Obright.
Bold Flavor
When we try a barrel-aged beer, we typically have certain expectations of what the beer should taste like. What we mean by that is that we really enjoy it when the flavor from the barrel really shines.
With BA Space Debris, it checks all of our boxes for what we like! Some folks like a more subtle bourbon or whiskey flavor. Some people like that bold barrel punch in the palate. If you happen to be in the latter category of people, then you would really enjoy this beer.
The combination of adjuncts in BA Space Debris are phenomenal. It would be a top-rated beer even if it wasn’t barrel-aged. The barrel-aging flavor is where this beer really shines through.
The peppery notes from the Rye barrel really elevate the overall flavor profile of BA Space Debris. The initial notes of bourbon kick it off, but the spicy notes of rye come in toward the back end of the sip. It’s truly remarkable. It’s sweet, spicy and pleasantly accompanies the sweetness from the coconut and the velvety smooth vanilla undertones. It’s vividly rich, yet savory at the same time. BA Space Debris is a truly well-brewed beer that you can tell was brewed with the utmost attention and detail.
BA Space Debris is one of the best beers we’ve had the pleasure of trying this year. There are many beers like it, but it would be hard for us to find a beer of any better quality.
Closing Arguments
If you’ve never experienced any of the offerings from Brothership Brewing, you really need to seek them out and give them a try.
“We always source the best possible ingredients and adjuncts for our stouts. Sometimes that will mean buying samples from multiple sources and choosing what we think works best,” said Obright.
Each beer is its own challenge when it comes to ingredient sourcing. Brothership stays away from extracts and have found the best results come from multiple infusions of real ingredients. This goes for all their beers across the board.
If you find yourself near Mokena, IL, please stop in to see them and give their meticulously crafted beer a try. Let them know that PorchDrinking sent you!
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