In the throes of winter, during the coldest weeks of the year, when the sun goes down around what, lunchtime, we Mainers can’t help but proclaim it’s dark out. Wicked Dark. Bub. So what better time to release Baxter’s biggest beer to-date, Wicked Dark (or, as we pronounce it: Dahk) Imperial Stout; which is arguably the single-most-favorite beer style of yours truly (but don’t let that alone persuade you).
Available in 16oz four-packs and draught, at the brewery tasting room and in small quantities across our distribution footprint, this monster of a beer clocks in at 10% ABV. Brewed with 12 different varieties of malts—including barley, wheat, rye, and oats—Wicked Dark is a rich, black masterpiece, with lots of American and New Zealand hops, that smooth and fade with age. It’s drinkable now to keep you warm during these chilly nights. But it will cellar well, too, and like any good Mainah, get more complex and layered with age.
Wicked Dark will start hitting store shelves and tap lineups the week of February 6th – you know, just in time to warm up your Valentine. It’s also the first in 2017’s “Pound Project” of 16oz (a pint is a pound, the world around) releases. Something new we’re trying at Baxter this year as a way to release more 16oz cans and brew some bigger, more off-the-wall beers. Our boys like to play in the brewhouse, after all. We brewed just one fermenter’s worth of Wicked Dark though, so it’s extremely limited and we expect it will go fast! Plus a little birdy tells me that a very small amount of the beer will be held back to be put into bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time until some future fun presents itself. But you didn’t hear that from me…
Until next time – Cheers!
Luke