Siren - Maiden Anniversary Barrel Aged Barley Wine (375ml)
OUR MAIDEN VOYAGE
Maiden was the first beer ever brewed at Siren and is the first new batch brewed each year. It was always designed to represent everything we’re about as a brewery; creativity, experimentation, good fun, and most importantly, great beer.
The Story Behind The Beer
Maiden is a labour of love. Our American style Barley Wine is aged in a variety of spirit and wine barrels, before being blended back together with a percentage of fresh beer, to create that year’s vintage. The barrels that have been used are left with 10% aged beer in them before being topped up with fresh Maiden, in what is a form of the Solera system. This means every vintage can be a totally different creation, despite coming from the exact same base. We believe that the beer improves each and every year because of the additional depth and complexity we're able to call on from the barrels as time goes by.
Maiden 2022
Last year we sourced a heritage barley for the Maiden recipe for the first time, known as Chevallier. This variety was the first true malting barley, dating all the way back to 1824, and has been brought back to life by Crisp Malting Group for commercial use.
This year, as a 10th Anniversary special, our team also had a second fresh Maiden to utilise - a ten hour boil Maiden - which is rich in flavour and slightly bigger in body. Such was its impact that it actually makes up 19% of the final blend, with another 9% fresh Maiden 2022. The generous proportion of fresh Maiden has contributed to a real minerality in the blend.
There are rich fruitcake, spicy wood notes and a vanilla caramel character that the bourbon barrels have imparted. Expect a rising of complexity, age and fortified wine character as all the flavours build in harmony, before a tone shift, as an almost fresh, clean bitterness kicks in and brings everything back down to kilter. Keep an eye out for more on Maiden this year... this is just the beginning.
BARRELS - Bourbon 25% / Red Wine 17% / 10% Banyuls / 5% Cognac 5% Rum / 5% Scottish Whisky / 5% Tequila
FRESH - 19% Maiden “10” (10 hour boil) 9% Maiden 2023
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