Not quite Portland, but then again, not talking about Block 15 would be a great sin of tremendous proportions. Block 15 from Corvallis Oregon is out of the gate with their first official bottle release of Figgy Pudding.
From their website: “Inspired by a 16th century English Christmas cake our Figgy Pudding is brewed with English Pale & Specialty malts & molasses and fermented with London ale yeast. After fermentation we matured Figgy Pudding in brandy barrels before conditioning with mission figs, Ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg; our idea of the perfect Holiday ale. At 11% alc/vol, Figgy Pudding is the perfect beer to age in your cellar and break out for special occasions.”
Owner Nick Arzner also has a great post about the differences in the bottle release and the “Olde Stock” version that appeared at the 2010 Holiday Ale Festival.
This beer is a very limited release, with bottles selling out on the first day at the brewery. A very few cases made it to Portland, but I’d be surprised if every bottle wasn’t already spoken for. I bought two bottles at the release, hoping to cellar both, but the one photographed above is the only one left. The other one disappeared pretty quickly.
About Matt Wiater
