Carolina Bauernhaus - 18 Mile Red Grand Cru

As a brilliant, darker counterpoint to Carolina Bauernhaus’ Whiskey Sour, we elected to have their 18 Mile Red Grand Cru included in this special offer as well. This is brewed with North Carolina-grown heirloom rye malt, along with pilsner malt and a few darker varieties. It also includes the brewery’s house blend of native yeasts, two Brett strains, plus locally harvested lactobacillus. The different elements of the final grand cru blend get aged in red wine barrels from between three months to over a year.

This Flanders-inspired red ale is one of the finest American examples of this style we’ve had in recent years. 18 Mile Red Grand Cru pours an impressively deep, juicy Burgundy color in the glass, topped by mixed-bubbled light tan foam that seems to last forever, leaving a web of lacing in its wake. The fruit character in the aroma is incredible: from deep cherries and strawberry jam, to fruit leather and caramel, along with some underlying blackberry notes.

The initial impact lands with tart raspberries and dense red fruit of all sorts, as this grand cru quickly expands in a multitude of directions, bringing forth welcome caramelization from its darker malts, warming touches of oak, and some zesty lemony tartness throughout. There’s a ton of darker fruit present as well, blackberries and currants, with a modest carbonation here to keep things lively overall. A brilliantly handled red ale with tons of fruit character, despite being made without any fruit. A stellar example of what Carolina Bauernhaus is capable of.

While delicious fresh, this should age smoothly for at least a couple years in one’s cellar. We would pair this with heftier fare along the lines of barbecue short ribs, braised beef, or duck.