Barrel Aged Black Forest Cake by Coronado Brewing Company: Our Beer of the Week!

Hollingshead’s Delicatessen is one of Orange County’s OG shops, with three generations of family slinging sandwiches and pouring amazing craft beers since 1963. The deli echoes Go! Pack! Go! thanks to Green Bay Packers memorabilia on the walls and ceiling, and the spirit of Vince Lombardi is always present for the best tailgate party in town.

Craft beer and sandwiches are king here, as Hollingshead’s offers one of the largest selections of local and German beers in OC. Among its 23 craft beers on tap, two beers stood out this week, both barrel-aged stouts that are phenomenal.

At 11.8 percent ABV, Founder Brewing Co.’s 2017 Kentucky Breakfast Stout is not for the faint of heart. Each year, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based brewery uses the same recipe but changes up the bourbon barrels; this year, they went with older vessels instead of the freshly used barrels used for last year’s batch.Two kinds of Belgian chocolate, two types of freshly roasted local coffee beans, roasted grain and barley are cave-aged in these bourbon barrels for an entire year. The result is amazingly different each year. Sip it slowly to enjoy every nuance of the aging process, as well as the notes of rich chocolate, bold coffee, toffee and sweet vanilla.

Coronado Brewing Co. in San Diego has been brewing since 1996, making them pioneers in the craft-beer scene not only in San Diego, but also in 22 states and six countries. For their Barrel Aged Black Forest Cake (9 percent ABV), Coronado uses cocoa, vanilla beans and cherries, then ages the stout for five months in bourbon barrels. The sweet vanilla beans and the tart cherries give this imperial stout a complex flavor profile, with layers of toffee and chocolate.

Cheers to 55 years of Hollingshead’s providing OC with amazing craft beers!

Hollingshead’s Delicatessen, 363 S. Main, Orange, (714) 978-9467; www.hollingsheadsdeli.com.

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