8 Wired Batch 18 - Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
We always wanted to do something unique for our 8th batch but it came around so fast that we had to meet demand for our existing beers. So we decided to hold out until the 18th batch to produce a seasonal celebration of what 8 Wired has become over the last 18 months.
Batch 18 is not for the faint of heart, nor the selfish. It’s a huge celebration of flavour that’s made to share and to savour. It’s the product of our wildest imagination, brewed by hand with one goal - to make the most regal of imperial stouts.
Batch 18 uses an enormous amount of malt, hops and a delicious Indian raw sugar, Jaggery. We fermented it with two different yeast strains, infused it with locally roasted fair trade organic coffee, then aged it for three months in American oak barrels.
We did this not just for the challenge or the journey, but to showcase our philosophy of creativity and quality. We didn’t just make it because we could, but because we had to, and it’s the perfect expression of our raison d’être, ingenuity in flavour.
Batch 18 is not for the faint of heart, nor the selfish. It’s a huge celebration of flavour that’s made to share and to savour. It’s the product of our wildest imagination, brewed by hand with one goal - to make the most regal of imperial stouts.
Batch 18 uses an enormous amount of malt, hops and a delicious Indian raw sugar, Jaggery. We fermented it with two different yeast strains, infused it with locally roasted fair trade organic coffee, then aged it for three months in American oak barrels.
We did this not just for the challenge or the journey, but to showcase our philosophy of creativity and quality. We didn’t just make it because we could, but because we had to, and it’s the perfect expression of our raison d’être, ingenuity in flavour.
3.9
205 reviews
Warkworth, New Zealand
Community reviews
Sehr dunkelbrauens, fast schwarzes Bier mit geringer bräunlichen Schaumkrone. Geruch sehr röstmalzig, Kaffee, Schokolade, holzig. Geschmack intensiv röstmalzig, holzig, Kaffe, Schokolade, leicht alkoholisch.
Poured from a bottle it is a dark brown color with a slight head. The aroma is a nice smokey scent with a boozey smell. The taste is very strong smokey taste tthat lingers bitter on the palate
From a 33 cl bottle shared at home. Pours black with a tan head. Coffee nose with some metallic notes. Flavors of oak, dark fruits, tobacco and licorice. Lots of complexity. Chewy mouth feel with a bitter roasted finish with some sweet notes.
Bottle- had as Batch 31..Pour is dark with a tan head..Nose is nice roasted coffee, oak, dryness, chocolate, spice..Taste is very nice roast, coffee, spice, oak dryness, nice and thick..
had as Batch 31 .. . have liked other 8 wired beers, this is the best of them all .. . easy going barrel, tar as well .. . medium mouth .. . firm finish .. . . apparently chicken nuggets aren’t a real hobby so I guess I don’t have any
Color: nice black beer with high viscosity no carbonation and really small brown head. Smell: high malt concentration, black bread, licorice and sugar. Taste: malt explosion with high viscosity and good balance of sugar. Aftertaste: nice malty taste with sugar, licorice and some alcohol notes.
Bottle. Aged 2-3 years. Sampling session at Lefty’s place. Big chocolate nose, with dark .sugar, some barrel notes, licorice, and fumes. Dark brown with ruby edges. Initial has lots of chocolate and highly roasted coffee / choco and bittering intensify in mid and then settle out / finish is rich and smooth. Very good!
Vinegary smell. Dark black color. Med to light head but opens right back up after agitation. Thick lacing.
Wonderful month feel, lively carbonation. Dry chocolate, dry. Nice finish.
12.5% shared at KyotoLefty’s tasting. A dark brown, almost black pour with a dark beige head of foam. Boozy, nicely done barrel aged beer with a tan head. Thick body, very woodsy, bitter & bourbon. Licorice, bitter But tasty.
Bottled. Pitch black, murky, no head. Cocoa, oak, tangy berries and a touch of acid. Bit of bourbon. Coffee. Nuts. Tangy, fruity, chocolate. Prickly carbonation. Oily, silky. Burnt,mhoppy finish. Great dark choclate, some licorice. Leather.
Batch 31. 500ml bottle at Brasserie V. Thick viscous oily black body. Rusty beige residue of a head. Boozy and sweet, quite a monster. Tobacco, sweet candy oak tones. Rich, delicious. I associate the flavor with bourbon, but I suppose it is straight oak. Impressive stuff, the biggest NZ beer I have had to date. World Class, really clean for the 11% (12.5?) ABV.
Fantastic brew, very oaky an vanilla with some roasty ashy stout characteristics, great stuff
Batch 31. Dark brown to black pour with a brown head. The aroma is really awesome. I get some strong coffee, oak and dark fruit notes. The flavor is also very nice. The oak and coffee stand out but are complimented by some roasted malt and alcohol. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
500ml bottle [as Batch 31]. Black colour with small to average, creamy fairly lasting, minimally lacing, tan head. Dark malty aroma has hints of vanilla, bourbon, treacle, chocolate, nougat, coffee. Taste is moderately sweet dark malty, notes of chocolate, treacle, coffee, vanilla, nougat, superbly matching BA notes. Rich and complex, very well balanced.
Bottle from HopRedHead. Enjoyed during a late evening in suburban copenhagen with friends and angular glasswear. Despite the contours of the selected vessel, the beer itself went down with not an edge to be felt. What satin is to the skin, this beer is to the tastebuds. Coffee and deep rich cocoa flavours coupled with unquestionable kiwi water and expertise see a truely worthwile result. This one will stay with you long after you’ve put down the glass and that’s just the mouthfeel
2010 bottle from Mane Liquor. Pours pitch black with no head and dark khaki lacing. Nose is bourbon, oaky-vanilla and espresso. Tastes like a bourbon mudcake! Rich chocolate, espresso, burnt sugar, bourbon and oak. Bourbon sweetness lingers with a nice light hoppy bitterness. Jesus lord this is one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Chewy, thick body with a smooth carbonation. Despite the price tag, I’m buying another one of these.
28.05.2013, 0,5l bottle (as Batch 31) @ home:
Small creamy brown shortlasting head. Aroma is very rich, chili, strong licorice, dark sugar, cocoa, espresso, oak, burnt caramel, some warming alcohol. Taste is very smooth and balanced, strong licorice, oak, chili, cocoa, espresso, dark sugar, dark fruits, burnt caramel, pepper, anise. Well hidden alcohol, a little low on carbonation. Longlasting medium bitterness, a little dry mouthfeel. A little more carbonation for a better head and mouthfeel, and maybe a little thicker consistency, and this would be a top score. Love it!
Bottle shared with Deanso and oWESTYo (and Mia "my friends are outside"). Opaque pitch black color, small light brown head. Smell and taste malts, roasted malts, wood, bitter, chocolate and barrel aged clearly. Some alcohol as well. Medium to full body and carbonation. Lovely beer.
8 Wired Barrel-Aged 31st Latitude Stout 12/10/12: bottle. Pours predictably dark with tan espresso crema head. Aroma of vanilla, almond milk, light chocolate and hops resins. Mouthfeel is chewy, medium-thick with a long, coating finish. Flavor has surprisingly mild for such a strong beer, well integrated notes that focus on oaky barrel elements and nuttier dark malt notes. Roast and hop Bitterness is restrained overall. A beer built on solid foundations, just doesn’t push too many envelopes by contemporary “barrel-aged stout” standards.
Bottle. Batch 31. Aroma is sweet coffee but gets more towards smoky through the finish. Smooth body that goes down very easy. Taste is sweet and color is black. Surprisingly, no oak and aged notes for me. Such a great beer.
Batch 31 one year later...very sweet, brown sugar, smoke, dry finish with slight coffee and walnut skin. Lingering sweet from the very full body, almost syrup, very little head. Great beer.
Bomber to snifter. A little bit of sour aroma with some oak and roast. Jet black. Aggressive head that disappears immediately. Very nice oak aged brew but just an odd sour hint that didn’t fit in.
Svart och oljg i färgen, med litet beige skum. Doftar sött, hårt rostat kaffe, söta lakritstoner, lite rök. Smakar jävligt sött kallt kaffe, söt lakrits, rökig ton, fat, aska, alkohol i slutet. Lång eftersmak med sött kaffe och lakrits.
Bottle. Jet black oily looking pour. Deep mahogany tinges down the side of the glass. Smallish tan coloured head. Falls away very quickly. Bugger all lacing. Aromas are dominated by the oak barrel. Bourbon, vanilla and a little tar. A little sugary sweetness and a touch of licorice to balance. Bllody good stuff in my opinion. Flavours are initially quite sweet before the bitterness of the grain comes through. Slightly bitter on the finish with a little alcohol warming. Medium to full silky mouthfel. Yep a very good beer.
Bottle from Beers of Europe, King’s Lynn, as 8 Wired Batch 31 - Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
brewed 31.01.2011, 1 year old, 11% ABV
Black color, with brown head, medium sized and fizzy, short retention. Strange aroma: roasted malts, phenol, perfume. Smooth mouthfeel; strong flavor of roasted malt, quite dry, that enhances the coffee presence, and the wood; then some leather and light liquorice; medium-strong bitterness.
Enjoyable, but a bit confused and excessive.
Bottle, dark black pour with thin white head. Aromas and taste of smoke, cocoa, wood, coffee, sweet malts, sugar, and roasted nuts. Very creamy body with a smooth coffee finish. Nice stout
500ml bottle from Bierkompass
Batch #31 - Brewed January 31st 2011, Barreled March 31st 2011, Bottled October 31st 2011, Best Before December 31st 2018 -
Pours pitch black with a tiny white head. Aroma of roasty malts, oak, wood, hints of vanilla and coffee. Taste is sweetish with some roasty coffee notes, hints of oaky vanilla and wood. Finish is smooth and sticky with some sweetish roastiness, vanilla, wood and oaky notes. Nice, quite well balanced and tasty barrel aged IS.
Pours deep darkness with a mocha colored head of foam. The aroma offers up dark roasted coffee, dark roasted malts, some burnt malts and a bit of smooth yum stricken fudge. I like. The taste is smooth and creamy and rich, wow wow. I get rich oily dark roasted coffee mixing with a fair amount of burnt malts and dark roasted malts. Toward the finish it picks up a pleasing bit of chocolate fudge yumminess that makes this thing sing in harmony. Nice!! I didn’t pick up any barrel aging notes but I don’t really care, it was darn tasty as is.
Black with thin creamy head. Big oaky aroma with vanilla and chocolate. Slightly smoky and chewy malt flavor with toffee, star anise and port and a strong but subtle coffee finish.
bottle pours black with tan head. aroma of vanilla and toffee. taste is very rich roasted nut and fudge frosting
Courtesy of 5000 via trade
Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, molasses, roasted coffee, vanilla, and faint oak. It pours a dark brown with some faint orange highlights and a small beige head that quickly fades to a thin ring around the edges of the glass. There is some minimal spotty lacing left on the sides of the glass. The flavor starts with chocolate, black licorice, and light molasses. There is just a hint of fruity sourness in the background. The finish has vanilla, smoke, and faint oak. It’s medium bodied with moderate-heavy carbonation.