This was one of the better beer events I have been to in Denver. This intimate tasting took you back a few years to see how the Genius Wizard Imperial Stout has developed and aged. The two most recent years were aged in bourbon barrels and there were some fun variants including coconut and chocolate orange thrown into the mix.
Design by Denver artists Knomad.Colab (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
Genius Wizard Imperial Stout Vintages & Variants Release Party
The Genius Wizard Imperial Stout Release Party happened for the first time this last weekend at Ratio Beerworks. Ratio Beerworks is coming up on their 3rd anniversary so the Genius Wizard Imperial Stout Vintages included 2014, 2015, and 2016. The 2016 and 2017 were Bourbon Barrel-Aged and the variants included a coconut vanilla, espresso, and chocolate orange Genius Wizard.
Beer Infused Truffles by Copia Confectionery (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
Genius Wizard Imperial Stout Vintages & Variants
The Vintages
- 2014 Genius Wizard Imperial Stout
- 2015 Genius Wizard Imperial Stout
- 2016 Genius Wizard Imperial Stout
- 2016 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Genius Wizard
- 2017 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Genius Wizard
The Variants
- Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coconut Vanilla Genius Wizard
- Espresso Genius Wizard
- Chocolate Orange Genius Wizard
Credit: The Brewtography Project
I enjoyed tasting all the vintages and can’t say I have a favorite yet. The Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coconut Vanilla Genius Wizard was my favorite variant and my favorite beer overall. It had all the right amount of coconut and some! The Chocolate Orange Genius Wizard Imperial Stout was also very fun to taste. The aroma was a punch of orange and the flavor was orange meets chocolate. It reminded me of the Chocolate Oranges I would get for Christmas as a kid.
Credit: The Brewtography Project
The fun did not stop with the beer. A few of the soon to be food stops in the Zeppelin Station were showcasing some of their tasty bites. Aloha Poké Co. comes from Chicago with healthy, fresh, raw fish bowls. It is set up to be a make your own bowl where you can choose your fish, sauce, and toppings like seaweed, edamame, and ginger. The little taste definitely left me wanting more!
Tuna Poke Crunch Bowl from Aloha Poke Co. (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
Vinh Xuong Bakery was sampling their Banh Mi Sandwiches, Almond Cookies, and Sesame Balls. This is a Vietnamese bakery that will also be opening up a location in the Zeppelin Station. The Banh Mi Sandwich was excellent and the sesame ball was fun to try. It was my first experience with one. This deep-fried and sesame coated ball filled with bean paste was squishy and sweet. It was easily paired with the Genius Wizard Imperial Stout.
Banh Mi and Treats from Vinh Xuong Bakery (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
Au Feu brought the largest piece of smoked brisket I have ever seen. It was smoked for something like 14 hours making it perfectly tender and flavored. Au Feu will be serving up cured and smoked meats, as well as Montreal-style wood-fired bagels. Don’t know what that means? Neither do I, but I’m excited to find out!
Au Feu Smoked Brisket (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
Lastly, Copia Confectionery whipped up some beer infused truffles made with the Genius Wizard Imperial Stout. Chocolate has to be the ultimate pairing with tasty imperial stouts like this one. This pairing pretty much wrapped up this wonderful evening.
Genius Wizard Imperial Stout Truffles (Credit: The Brewtography Project)
As if there was not enough fun already, one lucky winner got the 1.5 L Magum of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Genius Wizard to-go. Lucky! This was only the first year and as Ratio Beerworks continues to age, so will that Genius Wizard 🙂 I’m excited for this event to become a tradition! Cheers!
Credit: The Brewtography Project
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