Day Tripper (collab with Imperiale Beer Cafe, no longer in production)

BarrelHouse Brewing Company — Paso Robles, CA

27 Nov 2019 · Stephen

Sour BarrelHouse Brewing Company

7.8% ABV

See full brewery review →

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character –

Experience ✓

Return –

2 / 4 A solid effort

Tasting Notes

Appearance Golden to light amber — the sour golden ale base retaining its color despite the Malbec and bourbon barrel contact. The grape and barrel aging add depth and warmth to the hue without darkening it significantly. Pours with minimal carbonation, typical of extended barrel conditioning.

Aroma Brett leads — that characteristic earthy, barnyard, slightly funky complexity that signals a wild or mixed fermentation. Behind it, orange and dark fruit from the Malbec grape contact, a vanilla note from the bourbon barrel residue, and a clear oak presence from the barrel aging. It's complex, slightly challenging for the uninitiated, and exactly what a serious sour golden ale with this production history should smell like.

Palate Super sour and delicious, after years of bottle aging, and consistent with what the base beer delivered fresh. The lactic acidity is assertive and bright, the Malbec grape tannins adding a wine-like dryness and dark fruit complexity through the middle. The bourbon barrel vanilla and oak ground the whole palate with a subtle warmth that keeps 7.8% ABV integrated rather than hot. The Brett band-aid quality is present — divisive but authentic, the marker of a beer made by people who understand what wild fermentation actually produces. Big puckering factor as your own notes describe — definitely not for everyone, and that's not a flaw.

Finish Long, dry, tart, and funky. The Malbec tannins and oak linger together with the Brett character, the bourbon vanilla fading last. With age the tartness softens into more funk as bottles satfor months or years — producing something less aggressive but more complex. Still good at eight years, still good at one.

The Verdict

A piece of Paso Robles craft beer history — BarrelHouse and a now-closed Imperiale Beer Cafe making something genuinely ambitious with Malbec grapes and Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Tart, funky, oaky, and unmistakably Brett. Not for everyone.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 27 Nov 2019