Silver City Brewery Announces a Dual Release

20 Jul 2016

20 July 2016 --- Behold, the Giant. A monolithic masterpiece of bombastic flavor, domineering the senses with its intense, roasty, caramelization and fiery, fruity spiciness imparted by its specialized fermentation. Run from the shadows, not from the Giant.

A relatively recent addition to the Silver City Brewery canon, the Giant Made of Shadows was brought to fruition in summer of 2013 partly by the true-brew aficionados of taproom. Earlier that year, Matt Riggs, the brewery’s notoriously Belgian-obsessed director of pilot beer development introduced a series of small-batch, experimental recipes utilizing a variety of Belgian yeast strains. Unlike anything that had emerged from the brewery to-date, this series of high-strength delicacies gained an immense following- to the point that the draft-only offerings would often times sell out within a single weekend. Demand was particularly strong for two of the exotic ales: Liquid Sunshine Tripel [currently an annually recurring April release] & The Giant Made of Shadows Strong Ale.

Now an annual tradition available on draft & in 22oz bottles throughout the region, The Giant Made of Shadows fulfills the deepest desires of dark beer fans that feel abandoned in the summertime landscape of hoppy pales and sessionable lagers. Unashamedly toasty, utilizing deeply-roasted premium English malts and the bold, coffee-like Carafa malt, the Giant detonates the palate with elements of dark fruit and caramel character. This is one strong beer, and should most certainly be approached as such.

The Giant mandates hearty cuisine. Well-aged English cheddar is a must. As a summer offering, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention this bier’s spectacular kinship with the BBQ, particularly smoked brisket. If you can spare a few ounces, beef short ribs sing if glazed with a reduction of the Giant with garlic, rosemary, red onion, and balsamic.

But we didn’t stop with just the conventional Giant Made of Shadows. A beer of its strength and crepuscule commands real-estate in the barrel-aging room…

2015 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Giant Made of Shadows

The Giant returns to the shadows. Towards the end of each release, a portion of the season’s final batch is diverted to a year-long slumber in Silver City’s barrel-aging room. The complexity of a beer like the Giant provides a unique opportunity: determining which type of barrel would best accentuate the fluid within as there many remarkable options.

And so, the 2015 Giant Made of Shadows was selected for aging in single-use Kentucky Bourbon barrels, providing a rich vanilla & smokey charcoal element to the monstrous brew. Unable to be contained by stave or hoop, the Giant explodes with richness and complexity.

The 2016 Giant Made of Shadows will chart new territory. Plans are unfolding that will see the current year’s batch aged in Port wine barrels, for release in mid-2017. As such, this will be the final opportunity to acquire Bourbon Barrel-Aged Giant before it returns to the Shadows indefinitely…

Available in extraordinarily limited 500ml bottles, this rarity will be released at the brewery taproom on Thursday, July 28th and in specialty bottle shops across Western Washington.

The Giant Made of Shadows: Belgian Strong Ale