Thompson Island Brewing Co. Features Swell Joe Coffee in Basil Hayden Barrel-Aged Stout

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On Saturday, Sept. 12, Thompson Island Brewing Company in Rehoboth Beach will release four variations of Canyons Stout, a beer aged in Basil Hayden’s whiskey barrels. 

“We released Canyons Stout — which we named for the ocean canyons — a while back, and it was so popular that we reserved some of the beer to age in Basil Hayden’s barrels,” explained Matt Patton, director of operations for SoDel Concepts. 

Patton oversees the beer program for the hospitality group, which owns Thompson Island Brewing Company and 11 other restaurants in coastal Delaware.

One of the variations features cacao nibs and AWAKE, a popular single-origin coffee roast from Lewes-based Swell Joe Coffee.

“We used AWAKE to condition the beer before kegging,” said Jimmy Valm, the head brewmaster at Thompson Island. “The medium-roasted Guatemalan bean has notes of cherry, brown sugar and milk chocolate.”

Locals and visitors to the beaches often ask Swell Joe’s owners about coffee stouts, “perhaps because Swell Joe is smack dab in the middle of so many wonderful craft breweries,” said Karen Johnson, co-owner of the coffee roastery.

“We are especially stoked about our collaboration with Thompson Island Brewing Company,” said Johnson, whose team will participate in the first pour on Sept. 12. “This is a special limited-run stout, so we plan to get to the brewpub early.”

The other three Canyons Stout variations:

  • BBA Canyons (aged in Basil Hayden’s barrels for eight months)

  • Double BBA (made with Basil Hayden’s-soaked oak chips)

  • Vanilla Bean

The limited-edition stout is only available at Thompson Island Brewing Company. 

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