Search for “bastard” on the LCBO website and it’s a close fought battle between wine and beer for who has the longer list of cheeky names. The difference is that on the wine side it’s a hollow attempt at a marketing gimmick for average wines, while the beers under this (slightly) NSFW label can be quite excellent.
A bit over three years ago, I wrote about Nickel Brook’s Kentucky Bastard and today we’re going to cover its sibling, Winey Bastard. Both are interesting barrel-aged versions of the brewery's Bolshevik Bastard imperial stout — Kentucky goes in bourbon barrels and Winey in ones that have been used to age Ontario pinot noir.
Poured into a snifter, the black-brown beer has a finger of tan foam that fades fairly quickly. The aroma is a complementary mix of oak, dark chocolate, cherries and coffee. Roasted flavours continue on the first sip with more tart, red fruit and tons of length on the lingering finish. Winey bastard captures the full, ripe yet acidic pinot noir experience.
A few years ago, when ageing beer was a relatively new idea in Ontario, brewers sought out wine barrels with a touch of brettanomyces (a wild yeast that yield different results than standard brewer's yeast) for their beers. This was a bit of a touchy subject that had to be managed on the sly because while brett gives certain beers a funky dryness that is desirable, it's always considered a fault in wine and winemakers go to great lengths to avoid any association (even perceived) with it. Brett beers are so popular that the demand exceeds the supply of infected barrels (and with experience brewers have gravitated to specific strains of brett), so most of this funky beers now have introduced wild yeast.
At almost twice the dollar/litre benchmark, the price is way up there. Though barrel-ageing is an expensive process and this is the best Ontario example of the style at the LCBO right now. Past years have improved greatly with age so it's worth getting an extra for your cellar.
Nickel Brook's Winey Bastard, $14.95 for a 750 ml bottle, LCBO #419135
