Meet the Barrel Program Manager for Drake’s Brewing, Travis Camacho, who is in town for the Holiday Ale Festival. Each year, Travis works with HAF director Preston Weesner to create their collaborative Vin Drakonic Grape Fermented Imperial Stout.

Here’s what Travis has to say about this very special beer:

“Every year for the Holiday Ale Fest in Portland, Oregon, we create a beer that will be sure to stun the fest goers at what is one of the best Beer Fests in the Pac NW. We’ve taken our Drakonic Imperial Stout and fermented it on Grenache grape skins with our house blend of wild yeast and bacteria to turn our malty monster into a completely new creature. Initial fermentation was in a stainless tank, and was then transferred into Zinfandel as well as Petit Syrah barrels, and left to condition for 8 months. The final blend is a blend of strong raspberry/grape fruitiness with a pleasant dark chocolate and tobacco-like malt profile. The beer also gained a pleasant tartness from wild fermentation; the final product walks the line somewhere in between a glass of wine, Imperial Stout, and Flemish Red.”

We’re lucky enough to get one of those kegs, plus we will be putting their Brut IPA and Denogginizer DIPA on tap too!