Beer is hands-down my beloved adult beverage of choice, but when I’m not drinking beer, you’ll likely find me enjoying a cocktail. During the pandemic, I got really into mixology, growing my bar in concert with my knowledge on the subject. While I enjoy all base spirits, my favorite is Cognac. I love the grape and raisin notes the brandy imparts into classic cocktails from my favorite place that isn’t San Diego: New Orleans. Sazeracs, Vieux Carrés, the French 75…I love them all, but the drink I make most often at home is the Champs-Élysées. A mixture of Cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters and another favorite of mine, Chartreuse, the drink is herbal, citrusy, woody and addictive. Unfortunately, it’s not so well known here in Southern California, so when I order it and receive a shrug back from my bartender, I ask for the next best thing: a Sidecar. Which brings us to this week’s featured beer, Postmodern Prometheus: The Sidecar Edition from Burning Beard Brewing. Due to the popularity of that El Cajon operation’s hoppy ales and low-alcohol lagers, its barrel-aging program doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, but it’s one of the best in the county. The Postmodern Prometheus series, which includes high-octane imperial stouts aged in different types of barrels and rested on a wide-ranging array of flavorful adjuncts – is a testament to that. This version is aged in Cognac barrels, something of a rarity in a beer-drinking community seemingly obsessed with bourbon (I get it…it’s my second-favorite base spirit), and it really makes all the difference, bringing in some of that essence of dried grapes that I mentioned along with uplifting citrus notes from the addition of orange peel. As one would expect from a weighty, well-aged imperial stout, chocolate and roasted coffee notes from the beer’s grain bill and vanillins extracted from the oak barrels are dominant, but that hint of the cocktail I’ve come to know so well and the spirit I love the most are there, too, making for something I’m looking forward to cracking a bottle of come New Year’s Eve…right after I enjoy a Champs-Élysées, of course.
This hefty imperial 13.5% (alcohol-by-volume) stout was aged in Cognac XO barrels for one year and then dosed with orange peels. Serve it at cellar temperature to maximize the Cognac-barrel and imperial-stout character. Cigar box, vanilla, toasted hazelnuts, truffle and toffee expressions present with a hint of orange to balance the roasty, dark chocolate notes of the base beer. As it warms, it will open further to reveal cinnamon, nutmeg, tobacco, dried apricots and plums.”
Jeff Wiederkehr, Co-owner & Head Brewer, Burning Beard Brewing
Burning Beard Brewing is located at 785 Vernon Way in El Cajon