Saint Arnold Brewing in Houston, Texas, has been delighting craft beer fans for a long time with its highly sought- after Divine Reserve releases. Now, Saint Arnold is taking the Divine Reserve to new heights with the release of the strongest alcohol by volume release in the history of the series. It’s Divine Reserve 18, an Imperial Stout with a potent 13.4 percent abv.
As longtime fans of Divine Reserve already know, each entry in the series is something completely new: A single batch beer brewed with a unique recipe. These beers can be any style, as they are only limited by the creative talents of the Saint Arnold Brewing team. They tend to be big, bold, memorable beers and Divine Reserve 18 takes these adjectives to unforeseen levels. The beer is brewed using three times the grain bill as Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower with two additions of Belgian Candi syrup during the fermentation process. The beer is then aged for three months before adding one final ingredient: a small amount of Madagascar Vanilla beans.
Aaron Inkrott, Saint Arnold Brewing Operations Manager, says this Divine Reserve was a true test of what the brewing yeast could handle.
“For this Divine Reserve, we turned an experiment into what the alcohol tolerance of our yeast was into an amazing beer,” said Inkrott. “By taking what we’ve learned in-house, from friends in the industry, and through several trials, we created a beer that we’re extremely proud to share.”
Divine Reserve 18 pours to a pitch dark hue with a mocha- colored head of foam. The nose on this beer combines chocolate, vanilla, molasses, and dark fruit. The taste has been described as containing rich chocolate, raspberries, honey, dark cherries, and vanilla. It’s a complex and full- bodied brew, and Saint Arnold founder/brewer Brock Wagner says it’s yet another example of how the road to brewing greatness knows no true boundary.
“One of the most satisfying parts of brewing is that we are still learning and growing as brewers even after doing this for 24 years,” said Wagner. “Finding limits and then moving past them all while brewing well-balanced beers we want to enjoy with our community is why we do this.”
Those who want to get their hands on Divine Reserve 18 will need to take quick action. These beers might be different in style, but they share one fact in common: They sell out quickly. To find out more about Divine Reserve, visit https://www.saintarnold.com/divine-reserve/.
To attempt to find the beer in the two release states of Texas or Louisiana, curious seekers are encouraged to search the hashtag #DR18 on Twitter and Instagram.
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