leevi vintage 2018

A real highlight in the Flügge brewery's range is its vintage beer. In 2018 this was a Barley Wine. Leevi Vintage 2018 is a barrel-aged beer previously fermented with the Norwegian yeast Kveik and the unusual yeast strain Brettanomyces. Like the other beers from Flügge, Leevi Vintage is a real beer specialty that tastes far away from the run-of-the-mill mass-produced Pilsner. We would describe Flügge's beers as gourmet beers: special, deep, complex and delicious.

Maturation in barrels is an old tradition in the beer business. In the past, beer was stored almost exclusively in wooden barrels and was delivered in this form. However, one cannot say that these beers have anything to do with today's barrel-aged beers, the so-called barley wines. The big difference lies in the type of barrel used. It only marginally matters what wood the barrel is made of. Rather, it plays a role whether the barrel has been used before. The fine art of barley wines is choosing the right barrel. Old red wine barrels are common, but whiskey, bourbon and sherry barrels are also often used because of their characteristic taste. In the past, the barrel only gave the beer a small hint of wood, but today the barrels enrich their hoppy guests with a variety of aromatic notes.

Leevi Vintage 2018 is an excellent example of a barley wine and has received a wonderfully soft, grape-fruity note from aging in old red wine barrels.