2014 Best of Beer: Best Barrel Aging

Today is day two of the Best of Beer voting reveal! The second category we're highlighting is Best Barrel Aging. This one saw pretty much the same fluctuations during the month that the last category did. It was easily a two-horse race for much of the month, with a third gaining steam the past week and a half! You all picked some great ones! Congratulations to everyone!

Best Barrel Aging: 4,326 votes

 1st Place: Paradox Beer CompanyIt's fitting that these guys are at the top of this category, considering every single one of their beers spends some part of its early life encased in oak. After 20 versions in the Skully Sour series, we feel like they are truly hitting their stride and creating original delicious brews each and every time. Personally, we're enjoying the Skully #15 Salted Watermelon Sour and their latest Skully #20 Sour "Black" ale.2nd Place: Nano 108 BrewingAgain, this year's "Best New Brewery" takes home some hardware. When we first visited Keith a week after they opened, he had his Robust Porter aged in Bourbon barrels and it knocked our socks off. He continues to experiment with what he can put into oak, and we're excited to see what concoctions he comes up with!3rd Place: Trinity BrewingIf you haven't stopped into Trinity Brewing in awhile, (first off stop what you're doing and go now), you'll notice they've quite effectively doubled their space. While the public seating area didn't see much of a change, Jason and Tom now have way more space for barrels, bottles and ingredients. This has allowed them to truly do some incredible projects.  Along with having the first koelschip in Colorado Springs(and arguably in Colorado), their beer has risen to astronomical levels winning awards across the country! On a upcoming event note: We can't wait for their upcoming release of Bourbon Yo' Mammy, which is their delectable Double IPA aged on Buffalo Trace Whiskey Barrels! Head to Trinity on December 19th to get some!Honorable Mention: Pikes Peak BrewingPikes Peak Brewing was only a mere 12 votes behind Trinity Brewing, so we had to at least mention what Chris, Aly and the rest of the PPBC crew are doing up in Monument. They've continually expanded their barrel inventory, adding tequila barrels, whiskey barrels and many others to their repertoire. Their 1302 Penrose Reserve just took home Bronze in this year's Belgian, French and Sour Ales Category at the All Colorado Beer Festival, and we're looking forward to other barrel-aged creations in the future! Also, like they've done in the past, if you're needing a gift for that beer lover in your life, grab one of their gift packs featuring their 1302 and 1306 Barrel Reserve bottles.