I was able to get my hands on another rare beer from Founders Brewing. It’s part of their Mothership Series which features rare and cool experimental beers.
To create Blushing Padre, Founders introduced their Belgian-style raspberry ale (blushing monk) to a tequila barrel. It’s made with tart and luscious raspberry jam character, but maintains a balanced profile due to the time spent aging in tequila barrels.
Founders has been experimenting with tequila aging which I have been enjoying. Here’s some context behind the idea from their head brewer.
We found out that fruit beers in tequila barrels worked out pretty well during our Más Agave trials a few years back.” Said Brewmaster, Jeremy Kosmicki. “It seemed pretty logical to experiment with some of our other full-flavored fruit creations and Blushing Monk immediately came to mind. Spending a year in the tequila barrels softened some of the sweet/tart expressions from the raspberries, took the edge off of the clove and banana characters from the Belgian yeast and added an extra layer of complexity from the oak and tequila, creating a bold yet balanced drinking experience.”
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The aroma reminds me of the blushing monk with that tequila kick. I’m Not a huge fan of tequila, but I do like what it does to beer’s flavor profile. A lot of people like in aging beers in bourbon barrels and I think that trend is almost over done. As aging in tequila barrels is more subtle and I think takes a little more skill to get it right.
Set time in the tequila barrels also made the beers appearance come out with almost a ruby red color and a slightly off-white medium dense head. There’s a mild amount of carbonation that helps keep this beer light and refreshing.
The mouth feels light and refreshing which is good because the beer is packed with flavor. It has deep notes of raspberry, yeast, bread, tequila in a bit of pure alcohol. It’s on the sweeter side, but the tequila balances that out. I for one think blushing monk is too sweet so this version is much better.