In Case You Missed It: Hacienda Launch Party Recap
If you weren't able to make it to our Launch Event this past Saturday, don't worry—we have a brief recap for you here, along with photos that perfectly captured the vibe.
The beers started flowing right at 11AM. We launched our first three drafts—Vertigogo, a milk stout with espresso and cinnamon; DNT LSTN, a funky, tart Chardonnay barrel fermented saison; and Velvet Bulldozer, a double-mash imperial stout, coming in at a meager 11.5% ABV.
DNT LSTN gave customers a taste of what's to come from our mixed fermentation/barrel-aging program—which is housed in the basement of our old tap room down the road in Baileys Harbor. Soon, we will have a mix of ~75 used wine barrels and three foeders for aging wild and sour beer in our cellar. Vertigogo and Velvet Bulldozer showcased the bold flavors we can pack into a pint—and these stouts paired perfectly with the weather on Saturday.
Heavy snow was falling all day—but that didn't keep people from coming out to support Hacienda. It wasn't long before the tap room was bustling. A few adventurous ones even explored the beer garden and found warmth around our fire pit.
We tapped a firkin of Vertigogo with chocolate and raspberries at 2 PM. What's a firkin you ask? It's simply a size of a particular kind of keg used for cask conditioning. Firkins are tapped by smashing a spout horizontally into the side of the keg. And these casks are naturally carbonated—carbon dioxide is not used to force carbonate or serve the beer. The resulting beer is alive, fuller in body, and richer on the palate. There are even festivals dedicated to firkins!
As night set in, the crowd inside continued to grow, and the snow didn't let up. After a short travel delay due to the weather, our musical guest for the evening—Joseph Huber—arrived. Quickly, Joseph Huber and his band had the crowd on their feet, vibing with their Americana tunes. There couldn't have been a better act to finish off our launch event.
We will be frequently adding more drafts at our Tap Room & Music Hall—so be sure to stop by soon to get a taste of Hacienda!
