St. Francis Brewery Releases First in Trilogy of Barrel-aged Belgian-inspired Beers

Belgian Sunrise in Chardonnay Barrels. Photo courtesy of St. Francis Brewery.

St. Francis, WI, April 2, 2018– On Saturday, April 21st at 11 am St. Francis Brewery will release Belgian Sunrise in Chardonnay Barrels, a Belgian-style Blond ale brewed with apricots that has been aged in Chardonnay barrels for several months. It will be available in 22-ounce bottles for $11 and on draft as well. The 7% ABV ale is light and refreshing, with a delicate yet complex flavor profile reminiscent of a sparkling wine. The beer has a hazy golden hue, while the aroma and flavor are a bouquet of tart apricot, sweet malt, yeast phenolics, honey, light oak, and Chardonnay character.

St. Francis Brewery’s Brewmaster, Matthew Hofmann stated, “I’m always looking to make something unique that you can’t already find out on the market. The response from our first barrel-aged beer release was overwhelming and I cannot wait for people to try this new creation!”

As with the first special release, there is a very limited quantity of bottles. In an effort to get the beer in more peoples’ hands, the limit is being lowered from 4 bottles to 2. To avoid the line and ensure a bottle can be purchased, one can join the brewery’s Mug Club. For this and all future releases, members will have the ability to reserve one bottle prior to the public release, which is in addition to the many other perks of membership.

Belgian Trilogy. Photo courtesy of St. Francis Brewery.

According to Hofmann, “We ran out of bottles of Snuggle Bunny in 30 minutes and many people were unable to buy bottles who came by shortly after we opened. We learned from that experience, so we are adjusting the bottle limit for this release since we didn’t have time to increase production of this beer.”

The next two in the trilogy will be Belgian Sunset, a Belgian-style Amber ale brewed with sweet cherries aged in Merlot barrels and Belgian Eclipse, a Belgian-style Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. They will be released in July and October respectively.

About St. Francis Brewery and Restaurant

St. Francis Brewery & Restaurant has been serving heavenly food and sinfully good beer to the St. Francis and Milwaukee community since April 2009. As a locally owned business, our restaurant creates a warm, family-friendly dining experience. Our full menu offers something for everyone with several unique items made with our artisanal beer or hand-crafted soda. Brewmaster Matt Hofmann creates traditional, as well as unique seasonal and experimental beers to try each month. Please see our website, follow us on social media or join our mailing list to stay up-to-date on the newest beers to try. been

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.