Charbay Distillery has been on my list for a very long time! They’re one of the OGs of American distilling, right up there with Germain-Robin, Clear Creek, St. George’s, and Hotaling.

I’m joined in this episode by Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic, 13th-generation distiller (take that, Beams!). Marko’s dad came to the US from Serbia (via Canada) and met his mother in Michigan, later moving to California in the 70s right as the California wine boom was arriving and a few years before the Judgment of Paris.

The first few years were all about wine. Then came the dry harvest of 1982, and Marko’s father declared it was time to start distilling as a hedge against future bad grape harvests. Importing a Charentes-style still, the Karakasevics added a distillery to Charbay, and in 1983, the first brandies, including slivovitz, poured off the stills.

To become a Master Distiller in this family, you have to meet your mentor’s ability and exceed it. Marko’s father added another level, saying he had to sell a product, too, and Marko decided it was time to add a whiskey to Charbay’s portfolio. He was already loving the Pacific Northwest beer scene, and partnered with a now-defunct brewery to bring in a tanker of bottle-ready beer. He’d later move to Bear Republic, from whom he sourced Racer 5 IPA and Big Bear Stout (and a number of other beers to try distilling).

Along the way, Charbay became the importer for Tapatio Tequila and a significant co-packaging and contract distilling partner for distillers around the country, providing a crucial financial lifeline for them to explore the world of distilling bottle-ready beer.

I’ll leave the rest of the history to the episode. The key takeaway, for me, is that they’ve made a whiskey - Release S - from Bear Republic Big Bear Stout that I fell in love with. Not being a big stout guy, I didn’t know how I’d feel, but I liked it even more than the R5 distilled from Racer 5 IPA, which I regularly buy. The Doubled & Twisted contains elements as old as 2010 and as diverse as Czech Pilsner and American single malt, plus batches of the S and R5.

One more is that Marko and his family are happy. They see the industry slowdown, but because of their diversification, they’re relatively insulated from it. Charbay’s whiskies are a tiny fraction of their larger business, so they don’t feel the same pressures. People are still buying tequila, vodka, gins, brandies, and using them for bottling and distillation.

Thank you to Charbay Distillery for the provided bottles free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release S Lot No. 2

I’m not a big stout guy. It’s not so much the flavor - I like the coffee-esque dark notes and bitterness - it’s more I can’t finish more than half a pint. I’m much more of an IPA, amber ale, or other lighter styles. So I wasn’t sure if I’d like this…then it hit my tongue, and damn. I liked it even more than the R5.

Distilled on Charbay’s Charentes Alambic, Release S (Stout) is double pot distilled from bottle-ready, fully brewed Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, itself made from five different malts with Centennial and Cascade hops. The distillate is aged for 50 months in used French oak casks.

Specs

Classification: American Whiskey

Producer: Charbay Distillery

Grain Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 99º (49.5% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: California

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release S Lot No. 2 Price: $109.99

Official Website

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release S Lot No. 2: Tasting Notes

Eye: Honey. Thin rims and legs, quick falling droplets.

Nose: Sweetened coffee grounds. Slightly burnt pretzel crusts, warm from the oven. Still has some IPA-esque notes of tree resin, but clearly a different substrate. Roasted malt being turned over a kiln.

Palate: Here the stout comes out more, sharper proof up the midline of my tongue. Caramel and chocolate malts, semisweet bitterness. Coffee tres leches cake, creamy and drying. I’m really enjoying this! Mouthwatering, reminds me of some of the specialty malts from Holyrood or Hard Truth. Mouthfeel is creamy and coating, more so for being 99º. Cooling, barest astringency, equally mild pepper.

Finish: Flash of pepper on the front third of my tongue becomes almost numbing. Has the edge of an amber ale that’s beer barrel aged. Long, full-bodied, and coating.

Overall: I’m not typically a stout guy and I absolutely loved this. The caramel and chocolatey malts add richness, coffee tres leches, and creamy texture. Where the R5 is a concentration of hoppy IPA flavor, this comes across more as an exploration. Wow.

Final Rating: 8.2

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release R5 Final Lot

Distilled from bottle-ready Bear Republic Brewery’s Racer 5 IPA beer, Charbay R5 has been a favorite for years for those who knew about it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them, and doubly unfortunate, this is the last lot. Racer 5 was moved to a different manufacturing facility closer to the Bay Area, and it’s no longer practical to tanker it up to Charbay.

Marko still has some Racer 5 distilled, but it’s being used for other projects including the Doubled and Twisted. This will be the last lot of Racer 5, distilled in 2017 and aged for 6.5 years in French oak. Grab some while you still can.

Specs

Classification: American Whiskey

Producer: Charbay Distillery

Grain Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 99º (49.5% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: California

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release R5 Final Lot Price: $59.99

Official Website

Charbay Distillery Hop Flavored Whiskey Release R5 Final Lot: Tasting Notes

Eye: Mott’s apple juice. Medium rims, syrupy legs, and moderate drops.

Nose: The IPA comes through brilliantly, a soft and sweet pine that grows slowly. Mastikha candies. Pineapple and assorted white and yellow tropical fruits. A bit of butyric acid funk turning fruity.

Palate: Pineapple, rich and heavily peppered, lighting up the tip and front third of my tongue. Tastes like the Racer 5 was concentrated and sweetened a bit, pineapple and amber sorbet. Mouthfeel is creamy and full-bodied, coating my entire tongue and settling mid-palate. Moderate astringency, liqueur texture.

Finish: All amped up from the palate, pineapple custard with chili flakes and mild bitterness on the back and sides of my tongue. Medium to long finish.

Overall: Straightforward and delicious - concentrated Racer 5 flavor with some resin sweetness. If you don’t like West Coast IPAs, this won’t be for you, but otherwise it’s worth your time for sure. I love them, and I love Racer 5, and I’d easily drink a bottle of this myself. Fantastic texture for 99º, too, coating and creamy.

Final Rating: 7.8

Charbay Distillery Doubled & Twisted American Whiskey

This unique blend of Charbay’s stocks involves Straight Malt, Racer 5, Big Bear Stout, and Pilsner into a single cohesive product. Named for the way the rivulets of spirit bounce off the edges and converge into a twisted stream off the doubler, this is truly a blend of Charbay’s best.

Specs

Classification: American Whiskey

Producer: Charbay Distillery

Grain Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 90º (45% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: California

Charbay Distillery Doubled & Twisted American Whiskey Price: $45.99

Official Website

Charbay Distillery Doubled & Twisted American Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Black tea. Medium syrupy rims, thin legs, and tiny drops.

Nose: Apples, fresh and tart, and dried into potpourri. Pineapple dried and fresh and candied, light pine, clear IPA influence but lightness from the pilsner and darker roasted malts lurking in the background.

Palate: Sweet and candied tropical fruit with more guave and green fruit emerging mid-tongue. Watermelon rinds and green apple Jolly Ranchers. Mouthwateringly delicious, no proof or oak. Mouthfeel is textured, medium-bodied with minimal tannins. The fruitiness is all front tongue. Coating and creeping to the back half of the tongue. Stout and amber ale caramels emerge gracefully.

Finish: Bitter edge develops on the back half and move forward, adding to the sweet and tart fruitiness like sugar and spice coated fried fruit. Pineapple and guava, green fruit as well.

Overall: Another dangerously drinkable pour. The best of the R5 and S releases, the bitter edge and sweet fruit exactly what it needs for balance. At 90º, incredibly drinkable, would satisfy beer nerds, IPA- and stout-drinkers, and other who just enjoy a bitter-fruity balance.