BentSpoke releases a new beer in collaboration with Teeling Whiskey

The dry Irish stout-style beer was aged in old whiskey barrels for about six months, softened with some fresh stout, infused with coffee beans and topped up with 79 bottles of small batch Teeling Whiskey.

"We initially started with the idea of making an Irish coffee kind of beer," says BentSpoke co-owner and head brewer Richard Watkins.

He had a chance meeting with Martin Lynch, the sales manager of Asia Pacific for Teeling Whiskey, and while the Dublin-based company, which has a 240-year-old history, had collaborated with brewers before they'd never really "nailed a beer", Watkins said.

"So I thought, there's a challenge.

"After 27 years in this game, it's still one of the best parts of my job. I strive to bring out new beers because I think there are so many flavours that we haven't encountered yet as brewers."

The flavour profile for the Brewer's Share is complex and balanced.

"It has the fruitcake sort of aromas and flavours of the whiskey, it has the roasted characters of the coffee and the char of the beer and a little bit of vanilla from the oak," says Watkins.

"It's actually quite bitter but because the flavours of fruit cake and vanilla are generally quite sweet, it all balances out. It's an exceptionally complex drink."

At 7 per cent ABV, the Brewer's Share would be perfect to drink with rich meaty dishes, says Watkins, but at the same time, like most good stouts, would be perfect paired with oysters.

While it's great to drink straight, perhaps mix it up in a Bent Irish Coffee, in a tall tulip glass with 15ml Teeling Whiskey, 15ml fresh coffee shot, topped with the Brewers' Share.

"And I can see it working well for a boilermaker cocktail, with a shot of Teeling chased by the beer."

The name of the beer comes from a play on the term "angel's share". In the distilling process a percentage of the drink in the porous wood barrels is lost due to evaporation. This is known as the angel's share. The renowned Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, United States, once reported a loss of 84 percent from a 15-year-old bourbon antique collection.

Perhaps those thirsty angels can quench their thirst with this latest BentSpoke beer.

Brewers' Share is available on tap at the BentSpoke Brewpub and Molly's in Canberra, as well as a few select venues across Australia and will be rolling out nationally in cans exclusively through Dan Murphy's, BWS and independent retailers.