STRANGE CARGO SERIES Our bourbon, wine, tequila and brandy barrel aged beers are worth the wait. Brews from the wall of oak barrels and two Italian made foudres will be offered periodically and in limited allocations on draft and in our signature 12 ounce single serve package. On this page we will update and fully describe each release.
2019 Releases
F2 Pineapple“This Flanders style red ale spent over a year in our foedre before being blended with a younger batch to balance and round out the character. A mix of pineapple juice and purée is added at the very end of aging to bring a complex but robust tropical flavor to finish it off.” John Pyburn, Cellarman
F2 Cherry foedre aged red ale conditioned on tart cherry
Bull of The Woods Enjoy the experience of Bull of the Woods. This massive Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout delivers all the features of your breakfast time classics. A solid malt backbone drives this 12% ABV stout loaded with chocolate and roasted malts. We add layers of black pepper, coffee, vanilla, and cocoa to sit you right at the breakfast table. Add in a little more grown up indulgence by barrel aging this stout bourbon barrels to smooth the ethanol burn associated with the intense alcohol. 13%
BBA Tavern Ale English style ale aged in oak american Bourbon Barrels
The Wolf Barrel Aged American Barleywine features a blend of British and Caramel malts creating a rich toffee flavor with a warming ethanol note. Aggressively hopped with Cascade and Simcoe hops to balance the sweet caramel malt character. 13.75% Alc by Vol
2018 Releases
Mon Petite Rogue One of more complex offerings from our “Strange Cargo” series of oak aged ales. The base grisette spent nearly a year in oak wine barrels with brettanomyces and apricot. Finished with a light addition of chamomile and peppercorns to further enhance the earth notes of this beer. Fruit & botanicals work in harmony for a truly one of a kind release.
Prometheus Unbound III the sequel to the sequel! An oak aged dark ale with cherries in this, the third version of Prometheus we employ oak wine barrels.
F2 Cherry From the giant wooden tank, simply known as Foedre 2 we are releasing another batch in the “Strange Cargo” series of oak aged ales. F2 Cherry is a amber hued 6% ABV ale with 126 pounds of tart cherry added to bring notes of oak and fruit together for its final presentation. The sequel to last years F2 Cranberry this release is now available in our taproom only.
2017 releases
Saints on Raspberries A special edition of our foedre aged sour aged again in wine barrels with raspberries for an additional 6 months! (Bronze Medal World Beer Championships®)
Shutter Bug This is a mixed cultured brett beer with peaches! Added to wine barrels for additional maturation time giving the final beer a soft earthy finish. Bottled in 500 ML sold at taproom only (Silver Medal World Beer Championships®).
2 And 6 Dubbel From the Strange Cargo series of barrel aged brews we made a classic Belgian Dubbel specifically for aging. Oak red wine barrels were used for 120 days of conditioning to give the palate notes of dark stone fruit, oak and grape in the final presentation.
FOEDRE #2 Cranberries
With a rich amber hue this sour from the “other” foedre is enhanced with fresh cranberries. Bottled in 500 ML sold at taproom only 6% abv
Space Mistress Saison European malts, hops and a dry Saison yeast highlights this classic style aged in oak wine barrels for 90 days for an added layer of complex oak and grape character. Bottled in 500 ML sold at taproom only 6%
Brett Belle Our household favorite Belgian beer goes through a magnificent transformation. Hell’s Belle meets brettanomyces on oak red wine barrels to a funkified conclusion. 7%
Bourbon Barrel Aged Tavern Ale English / American Pub ale with Maris Otter malts and aged in oak bourbon barrels 7% abv
2016 releases
Monkey Bizz-Ness “I made Monkey to celebrate Pop the Cap’s victory over the man. I thought black peppercorns would marry well with the fruity esters of the Belgian ale yeast. French oak flavors add another layer of depth to an already complex flavor profile” says brewer/ owner Brad Wynn about this bold 9% abv Farmhouse ale. Monkey Bizz-Ness has been the core of the seasonal line up at Big Boss since the earliest days of Big Boss Brewing. This will be the first time a barrel aged version has been available. (Silver Medal World Beer Championships®)
Horse Fly Horse Fly started as a small batch one-off that we would offer to festivals and keep for our brewery based “Strange Cargo” events. This wheat ale underwent mixed fermentation and then aged in oak for over 300 days. The resulting finish is an Earthy, fruity and savor worthy tribute to all the care and hard work that went into it. 4.5 % abv
Sunday Punch Oak aged American sour ale aged in oak wine barrels for an added dimension of flavor. Light, tart and easy drinking for summers in North Carolina.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Tavern Alee English / American Pub ale aged in oak bourbon barrels (Silver Medal Tastings Institute) (96 rating – Beer Connoisseur Magazine)
Harvest Time Bourbon Barrel version of our classic spiced pumpkin ale. (Silver Medal Tastings Institute)
Prometheus Unbound 2016 2016 release of Prometheus Unbound we took our stout base and added it to American Bourbon Barrels with fresh cherries. The final beverage balances all of these elements into a bold dark and sip worthy presentation. (Silver Medal World Beer Championships®)(91 Rating Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine)
Saints & Sinners – Aged in oak foudres for six months, S&S is a Flanders inspired ale that captures a refreshing fruit and oak qualities of the vessel. Brewed with corn from Yates Mill, one of the oldest working stone mills in the country (established around 1756) is right here in Raleigh. 5% abv bottles and draft (2016 Eno Spirits Award for Sour Ale)
2015 releases
Prometheus Unbound Dark tart ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for one year. Dark malt & chocolate notes blend with an added dimension of raspberry, oak and red wine character for a one of a kind experience. 8% bottle & draft
Saints & Sinners – Aged in oak foudres for six months, S&S is a Flanders inspired ale that captures a refreshing fruit and oak qualities of the vessel. Brewed with corn from Yates Mill, one of the oldest working stone mills in the country (established around 1756), is right here in Raleigh. 5% abv bottles and draft
Night Knight Bourbon Barrel edition. We bypassed the normal dry-hopping process of our Black IPA and poured it into fresh VA bourbon barrels for bold finish that retained the essence for the original dark roast malt. Aged into perfection our Knight returned from a victorious finish. 6.5% abv bottles and draft
Bourbon Barrel Aged Tavern Ale – fresh American oak barrels are the perfect complement to our English inspired Old Ale. 7% abv, draft only
The Scarab – A fresh batch brewed in late 2014 for 2015 release. We secured another set of new Cab Sav barrels to duplicate the original brew. A Belgian amber aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for six months (3 monthe longer than the 2014 release). The resulting beer captures the amazing grape and oak characteristics of the barrel. 5% abv bottles and draft.
2014 releases
The Scarab – is the beginning of a new era for Big Boss. Our first major barrel aged beer is a Belgian amber aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for 90 days. The resulting beer captures the amazing grape and oak characteristics of the barrel. This ongoing series will be known as “Strange Cargo.” The series will represent our bourbon/ wine barrel, wood aged & foeder conditioned beers. 5% abv bottles and draft
Muerto Viviente – With help from friends at the Raleigh Times Bar and the distributors of Avion Tequila, Big Boss Brewing Company initiated an eleven (11) month process of acquiring tequila barrels from Olmeca Altos Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico to create a limited-edition brew called Muerto Viviente- further adding to the brewery’s ‘Strange Cargo’ series. Consider this a Mexican-American farmhouse ale brewed with agave & pink peppercorns. 9% abv draft only
Son Of A Blitz – A boozy, tart, oaky delight. This Belgian Brown ale was aged for over 300 days in used bourbon barrels that previously stored several other of our beers and blended then to seamless presentation. 5% abv draft only
