Winter is Stout Season, when beers are bigger and the ABV is warming, and Oskar Blues Brewery’s 2021 barrel-aged beers are on their way.

Barrel-Aged Ten FIDY Imperial Stout makes its seasonal return to national distribution. Also, BA21 Vol. 7 hits shelves for the first time as the next iteration of OB’s ongoing barrel-aged project.

Both beers are now available in limited quantities.

“Barrel-aged beers are so special because of the amount of care and work that goes into them from so many different people,” says Sara Laurienti, Oskar Blues Longmont’s director of brewery operations. “The quality of our barrel-aged beer directly correlates to the time that our team puts in when it comes to brewing the beer, filling the barrels, organizing the barrel storage for blending and emptying the barrels. Barrel-aging is one of the few things that is really ‘all hands on deck’ across all departments in the brewery.”

Back for a limited time in 2021, Barrel-Aged Ten FIDY Imperial Stout is 12.5% ABV. It aged eight months in a barrel, which imparts flavors of vanilla, oak and bourbon.

BA21 vol. 7 is 11.5% ABV. This imperial sweet stout is brewed with graham crackers for a biscuity backbone that stands up to months of aging in whiskey barrels, the company says. Additions of chocolate and juicy cherry add sweetness.

“My favorite part of creating barrel aged beers is how creative you can get with them,” says Laurienti. “It’s really exciting when a beer you have been thinking about and working on for eighteen months finally makes it into a can.”

Fans can use the brewery’s beerfinder to find these products in their area.