Update from the Tomb
EDITORS NOTE: I am over a week behind in getting out this newsletter. Bob continues to deliver fun and exciting updates, but we are over here playing with too many tap lines and a world full of delicious possibilities.
Hello! My name is Bob, and I observed “Dry January” for 20 whole hours at the start of the New Year! This awesome demonstration of my willpower (or lack thereof) qualifies me to write this month’s Amory’s Tomb Newsletter. Here’s what’s happening at the Tomb.
Double Barrel Classic is now on *[Draught]* Draft!
Saison I: The Classic is the OG farmhouse ale from Amory’s Tomb. I say without hyperbole that Classic is the alpha, the big bang, the immaculate conception from which all those other great AT farmhouse ales burst forth. It’s fair to say AT as we know it wouldn’t be the same without Classic.
While sightings of Classic became rarer in the “outdoor only” era, last year we were treated to several batches of Puncheon Classic, a puncheon barrel-aged version of Classic that was just as tasty as the un-barreled version.
Puncheon Classic was terrific, but now that we’re inside Allen and Rick are upping the ante with Double Barrel Classic! Double Barrel started with Classic aged in the Amory’s Tomb foeder, which was then transferred to the puncheons for more aging. That’s right - double barrels!
Allen describes the resulting beer as having both American and French oak characteristics, but adds that it’s not too tannic. My palate is definitely not refined enough to tell the difference between American and French oak, but it sounds amazing!
Double Barrel Classic is about to be kegged as I write this, and should be on draught before the end of the month. Bottles are being conditioned for a later release.
With the unveiling of Double Barrel Classic, can the return of Classic Day, Amory’s Tomb’s own holiday celebrating Saison I, be far behind?
Working to Fill All the Taps
One of the joys of visiting the Amory’s Tomb Taproom is that, since there are more taps than beers available, the draught list is seemingly different every time. Long forgotten vintage beers with inscrutable names such as “Old Jazz Standards” (which I unsuccessfully argued should now be listed as Older Jazz Standards) appeared in December. Farm Road (2024 vintage) was also briefly on tap.
Allen and Rick have shifted their brewing focus to the Taproom, and we are the beneficiaries since that means more small batch experimentation! For example, a new farmhouse ale, Foeder Blend, was recently introduced. No bonus points for guessing how this one was aged!
Shockingly, Amory’s Tomb has had zero IPAs on tap for the past few weeks. Being IPA-free isn’t considered a recipe for success for most craft breweries, so this week Allen and Rick are brewing up an Oat IPA. Oats? I thought these were for horses or my breakfast cereal. I didn’t realize you could put them in an IPA. Does this mean I can drink the new IPA for breakfast? (See below. The answer may soon be yes!)
Look for the new oat IPA to become available later in the winter and end our Taproom IPA draught drought.
Allen and Rick are also working to enhance their gluten-free options. They have recently introduced a cocktail-inspired hard seltzer program and have a few specialties rotating on the menu. Seltzers have never really been my thing, but Amory’s Tomb Seltzers? Well, I am intrigued to say the least!
The bottom line is that it’ll still be a while before all 14 taps are dispensing beer, but that day is coming!
Secret Food Experiments in the Taproom on Sundays
The question Allen, Rick and Justin get asked most often - well, besides “What IPAs do you have on draught?” - is “Now that the Taproom is open, what’s going on with food options?”
If you visited the old taproom on any given Sunday in the years prior to it shutting down then you know why this question keeps getting asked. Brunch in the old taproom became an event.
It was the Amory’s Tomb Brunch that introduced me to the amazing joys of jowl bacon. Who knew that bacon from the jowl was even better than bacon from the rest of the pig?? Thanks to Amory’s Tomb, I know it now!
The AT Sunday Brunch also taught me that chocolate donuts pair surprisingly well with stouts, and in particular with peppermint stouts, which in general I think taste like toothpaste. But I still remember that Sunday Brunch where I housed a bag of donuts and a couple of one-off peppermint stouts! Look, I am not saying that was a healthy brunch, but it sure was a tasty one!
Good times. The setup is a bit different in the new facility, and Allen is still experimenting with what will work from a preparation standpoint as well as what will prove popular. Though he’s been keeping it pretty lowkey, these experiments have been taking the form of different offerings on Sundays. One week it was a multi-course meal. The next week it was amazing donuts.
These Sunday experiments are only sort of announced on social media late Sunday morning. Or sometimes they aren’t announced at all. Either way, head to the taproom on Sundays starting at noon to see what this week’s experiment is.
That’s it for now. Dry January? I’ve got a birthday and a wedding anniversary this month! So it’s more like My January! See you in the Taproom!!
