Who is Sted Sarandos?
The namesake for our first blend of 2026 is a real under-the-radar rapscallion. Swift on his feet, running one direction then another, he is full of surprises, and so is the beer we blended in his honor...
This blend combines beer from 4 different beer streams and 5 different batches of stout. The primary component was a cohort of our 'cereal killer' double stout aged in Westward Whiskey casks. These contributed classic choco-vanilla overtones, lots of caramel in the Rolo/Caramello vein, and some unique birthday cake frosting attributes. We used single-cask additions of aged triple stout and young chocolate stout to bring body, cocoa powder notes, and a touch of roast and structure.
As a 'cherry on top,' we included a single highly-prized cask of 'cereal killer' stout that aged in a Stonebarn Brandyworks nocino barrel. We actually tasted several nocino casks from our cellar, and we thought that this one was the most reminiscent of amburana, the unusual, aromatic Brazilian wood known for its heady scent of cinnamon roll and ginger snap. The walnut artifacts from this cask are subtle, making it a unique expression of 'nocino barrel-aged stout' within our portfolio. We hope you enjoy this first release in our 2026 series of stouts, all named after some of the most creative celebrity aliases and pseudonyms we could find.
