Copper & Kings "4 Cr&ftwerks and the Floodwall" Part I...

No better time than quarantine days to go through all the samples I hoarded for years, sort them out and then start to pour them one by one... So, here is a flight Copper & Kings samples I received as a result of some bottle shares we did a couple years ago. I have four original "Cr&ftwerk" releases which Copper & Kings collaborated with four different craft beer producers for. They aged their brandies in casks sourced from those four breweries which previously used for cask conditioned beer. Each of the four brandies spent 12 months in those barrels before being bottled at 111 proof.

The fifth sample is Copper & Kings' apple brandy "Floodwall" matured in Oloroso hogsheads and bottled at 100 proof with a minimum age of four years without any adulteration, caramel coloring and/or chill-filtration. Today I'll start with the first three "Cr&ftwerk" samples leaving the fourth one in the series and "Floodwall" for tomorrow. Here we go...



Copper & Kings "Cr&ftwerk" 3 Floyds "Dark Lord" Russian Imperial Stout (55.5%): 3 Floyds Brewery is located in Munster, Indiana right on the border of Illinois which is a town considered more as a suburb of Chicago. The ex-Bourbon barrels sourced from 3 Floyds are used to mature their thick, viscous and sweet 15% abv Russian Imperial Stout "Dark Lord" brewed with coffee, vanilla and sugar.

Color: Medium - dark amber, almost mahogany color with stationary teardrops all around the glass. 

Nose: Black gardening soil, dust and allspice. Heavily toasted oak, burnt oatmeal cookies and grape jelly. A few drops of water add bunch of funk on the nose: Grappa, mushrooms and overripe plums.

Palate: Doughy and sweet... Chocolate chip cookie dough, cake batter and roasted malt. Brown sugar and tart grape molasses. Water dials down the creaminess a little but makes it way easier to drink. A little paprika, gingersnaps and the thick foaming of a good stout beer. High cocoa content dark chocolate and Pepper Jack cheese.

Finish: Long with hot red pepper flakes, burnt sugar and grape soda.

Overall: Did I start with the best one or is it going to be a great tasting..? I really hope for the latter but for now all I can say is that I totally loved this brandy... It's thick, creamy, tart and funky. This one could be the bottle actually to convince your whisky loving friends to try brandies more. Gosh, I would like to have a bottle of this one.

Price: $50


Copper & Kings "Cr&ftwerk" Sierra Nevada Smoked Porter (55.5%): The ex-Bourbon barrels used to age this brandy are coming from the iconic Sierra Nevada Brewery from Chico, California. They were used to mature their 10% abv Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Smoked Porter.


Color: Again in dark amber color but this time more coppery less red. Thick and fat teardrops  turning in to slow moving legs.

Nose: A much sweeter, less tart and somehow thinner nose compared to "Dark Lord". Vanilla extract, lemon zest and beer yeast. Belgian-style tripel beer, red currants and Irish Spring soap bars. Adding water makes it more like a whisky: Dry malt, dried pineapple rings and coconut flakes.

Palate: Very approachable at this abv. Baby bananas, ground coriander and ground ginger. Water shifts it to a more floral side: Dried jonquils, summer foliage and vine leaves.

Finish: Long with yeast, ground coriander and fresh ginger.

Overall: Another gorgeous brandy.. This one would be an amazing pairing with a yeasty Belgian Tripel... I am scoring it just one point higher than the "Dark Lord" since I can see how it can be more of a crowd pleaser between two. I might still choose the "Dark Lord" if I am asked though... Although "Dark Lord" was thicker and packed with denser, more doughy notes "Sierra Nevada Smoked Porter" is tad more balanced and more approachable. Speaking of smoke I totally missed that thing. I didn't get any smoke related notes...

Price: $50

Copper & Kings "Cr&ftwerk" Against the Grain "Mac Fannybaw" Peated Scottish Ale (55.5%): And the last brandy I will be tasting today spent its 12 months in barrels from a Louisville, Kentucky brewery named Against the Grain which held their 8.5% abv salted and beechwood and peat smoked German Rauchbier style beer "Mac Fannybaw" before.

Color: Medium amber, dark yellow gold with thick but fast moving legs.

Nose: This one noses like a whisky right at the beginning. Wet malt, rosemary leaves and breakfast cereals. Vanilla, rock salt and toasted coconut. After airing it started to remind me a little of cask aged jenevers. It's more herbal and perfumy now: Fresh tarragon, sliced fennel and fresh coriander. A couple drops of water make it sweeter. Yellow gummi bears and crystallized ginger.

Palate: It has a thinner mouthfeel compared to the other two samples before and it also feels younger. Yellow Chartreuse, dry dill and dried parsley flakes. Water definitely changes it to a sweeter and more perfumy spirit. Artificial vanilla extract, toasted fennel seeds and bubblegum...

Finish: Long with black pepper, anise and bubblegum.

Overall: It might be the case that it was a little unlucky for this one since I loved "Dark Lord" and "Sierra Nevada Smoked Porter" so much before and maybe I should be tasting the samples not so close to each other but "Mac Fannybaw" ended up being the weakest one among the three. 

Price: $50

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