Innis & Gunn fans have snapped up almost all of the brewery's newest limited edition, a 7.7% ABV beer named Vintage, leaving only a few hundred left in its online shop and the brand's Beer Kitchen restaurants in Edinburgh and Dundee.
So, in a bid to save a taste of it for future generations, one of the bottles is now being displayed in a sealed transparent enclosure, aptly dubbed 'The Hundred Year Wait', at Innis & Gunn’s Inveralmond Brewery in Perth, ready to be opened again in a hundred years time.
Picture: Innis & Gunn
Vintage is a bottle-conditioned strong ale that becomes richer and more complex the longer it is left. Matured in American Bourbon casks, only 8,000 of the 500ml bottles have been produced for sale.
Created with Super Styrian hops, Vintage’s malt profile includes Innis & Gunn Ale Malt, Crystal, Roasted Barley and Raw Wheat. Innis & Gunn brewers describe the beer’s taste profile as “Buttered toast, creamy toffee, a little sharpness from the yeast and a creamy full mouthfeel.”
Although the beer is brewed to be drunk on the day of release, time is on the beer’s side as the yeast contained in the bottle continues to condition the beer beyond its official ‘Best Before’ date.
The absence of food spoilage bacteria in the beer will mean the century old Vintage will be drinkable, with a flavour profile far different from how it tastes today.
Dougal Gunn Sharp, Founder and Master Brewer said: “I’ve been brewing beer for the past 30 years and with each new recipe there’s always something new to learn. This was certainly the case with Vintage which has been a labour of love that takes another giant step in our innovative approach to beer.
“The fact the beer continues to mature and change over time inspired us to preserve it in such a unique way. We want the time capsule to serve as a reminder for us to keep innovating, keep pushing boundaries and keep expanding people’s ideas of what beer can be. Just like Vintage, we’ll continue to get better with time and I just wish I could be there in one hundred years when the brewers open up the capsule and taste the beer. "
