Epic Brewing to Release ‘Big Bad Baptist’ on October 1

18 Sep 2015 --- Salt Lake City, Utah – The first thing you should know is “The Cellar” isn’t some barrel-vaulted stone chamber tucked under a monastery. It’s a simple, climate-controlled, warehouse with an average looking loading dock, lined up between a series of identical docks, but when the overhead door is rolled up and you get your first glimpse into the dark interior, a sense of anticipation and awe starts to build.

It’s probably as close to opening a Pharaoh’s tomb or uncovering a buried treasure chest as anyone will get without finding themselves in the pages of National Geographic.

The Cellar is home to Epic’s barrel-aging program and its notable Big Bad Baptist, an Imperial Stout aged in whiskey and bourbon barrels with small batch coffee and cacao nibs added. It is one of Epic’s best known beers, carrying a 100 point rating from ratebeer.com, a 96 point rating on beeradvocate.com and 95 from BTI. Ryan Buxton, the Head Cellarman at the Salt Lake City brewery, oversees the production and maturation of this beer each year for its seasonal release at the beginning of October. Below is his explanation of what makes Big Bad Baptist so special.