From the Beer Writer: Local brewing powerhouses Jeff Bagby (Bagby Beer Company) and Tom Nickel (Nickel Beer Company) go way back, personally and professionally. The award-winning duo has brewed many a beer together, but it’s never old hat. There’s always a new style to be explored. When the two paired up to brew an anniversary beer for Nickel’s O’Brien’s Pub, they both opted against churning out a commemorative India pale ale (San Diego is perhaps the only place where a hop-bomb birthday beer could be deemed passé). Instead, they aimed for a brew hardy enough to hold up to a year in oak spirits barrels, but tasty enough to be appreciated fresh from the bright tank. Enter Bagby / Nickel Lion’s Pride, a traditional English-style old ale that was tapped last weekend and is currently on tap at both brewers’ home-bases as well as O’Brien’s and its sister restaurant, West Coast Barbecue and Brews. The big-cat possessive references the O’Brien’s logo, while the other half indicates the British style of this strong ale by giving a nod to Fuller’s London Pride, Nickel’s favorite cask ale of all time. A portion of the beer is resting in Woodford Reserve double-oaked bourbon barrels and a rum barrel from St. Croix, and should be unearthed no later than next January when this old ale is officially old.
From the Brewer: “I have always loved Thomas Hardy’s Ale and its closest domestic equivalent, North Coast Old Stock Ale. So the idea came to pass to do a big, relatively dark old ale full of malt flavors with an emphasis on dark crystal malts that give a more roasted Cracker Jack kind of character with hints of burnt caramel and smokiness. We also decided to add a little dark malt to the mix to give it a hint of roast flavor in the background. The aroma is full of deep malt and dark fruit overtones with an underlying hint of chocolate. The beer is best left in the glass to warm for a few minutes to allow the complex malt flavors to come forward. A hint of coffee roastiness continues in the flavor and finish. While this beer is young now, it is going to develop into a very nice old ale once it ages a bit. Definitely a beer to cellar, but it can also be enjoyed now for the rich, layered strong ale that it is. I would say right now the beer is like a book with a fantastic first chapter—enjoyable and hard to ignore, and you just hope that there is more of the same yet to come.”—Tom Nickel, Owner & Brewmaster, Nickel Beer Company