June 2015

The Whiskey Shambles’ brew is BACK! And we’re shambling onward with a new recipe… this time they used wood chips soaked and seasoned with WHISKEY in the secondary fermentation stage to give this brew the kind of kick you’d expect from The Shambles.

Once again, we’ve worked with Rivertown Brewing Company to create “Shamble On – Dubbel Barrel Blues,” a Belgian Dubbel aged with whiskey-infused wood chips.

Shamble On will be tapped at 5:30pm at a special event on July 30, 2015, at the Rivertown Brewery taproom, with a performance by The Shambles starting at 6:00pm.

EVENT DETAILS:
NEW Whiskey Shambles Beer Tapping: Shamble On – Dubbel Barrel Blues
ADMISSION:  FREE SHOW, OPEN TO PUBLIC (21 & Over)
LIVE MUSIC BY:  The Whiskey Shambles
DATE:  Thursday, July 30, 2015
TIME:  Doors 4:00pm, Tapping 5:30pm, Music 6:00pm
VENUE:  Rivertown Brewery and Barrel House
ADDRESS:   607 Shepherd Drive, Lockland, OH 45215
RSVP:   Facebook Event

After the success of Shambling Southward, our beer collaboration last fall (which was first tapped in January), we started talking with Rivertown about brewing another special beer for this summer. We really liked what they did with the last one, and so did everyone else. But it needed just a bit of tweaking… and after some discussion and experimentation, we knew the whiskey chips would bring home that Shambles vibe… a recipe that captures the band’s unique sound and spirit in liquid form. We’re sure that our fans — and craft beer fans — will love it.

The Whiskey Shambles entertain one of the largest crowds ever at the Rivertown Brewery taproom,
for the tapping of “Shambling Southward,” their first collaborative brew.

Last year Rivertown Brewing Company began a transition to focusing on wilder varieties of beer (with an emphasis on Belgian and sour styles), has been experimenting with small batch recipes — exploring ideas from the brewery’s staff, not just the brewers. Their DIY attitude and spirit of exploration really speak to us. We felt that Rivertown was the perfect brewery for The Shambles to partner with, after our last collaboration we knew we were right.

Like Shambling Southward, the recipe for Shamble Onward was developed by pilot brewer Rob Westendorf, the mind behind Rivertown’s very popular Jenneke Belgian Blond Ale.  Rob and his wife Roxanne (Rivertown’s Beer Evangelist) collaborated with Brother James — the band’s resident beer geek — for several months to come up with a new brew that could represent The Shambles and our music.

Roxanne and Rob adding Belgian Ardennes yeast to the brew

Roxanne explains this unique beer: “We modified the previous recipe — which was based on a rich Belgian Trappist Dubbel — and added whiskey-infused wood chips to the secondary fermentation stage, to make a beer that is inviting, but as bold as The Whiskey Shambles.”

We’ve always described The Shambles sound as a loud, belligerent style of demonic hill-stomp blues that almost . . . but not quite . . . betrays an air of subtle sophistication lingering just around the edges.  This brew combines an exciting wallop from the whiskey with the gentler refinement of the Belgian style, making it a perfect pairing with the band: an even more potent blast of what we’re calling, “Dubbel Barrel Blues.”

Beer Geek info

Ingredients:  German Pilsner 2-row malt, German wheat malt, Special B malt, Aromatic malt, Caravienne malt, corn sugar, Perle hops, Belgian Ardennes yeast.  Brandy-infused wood chips added to the secondary fermentation stage.

Here’s some press about our last beer / event

Akron Beacon Journal – Cincinnati blues band teams up with Rivertown Brewing

Cincinnati Business Courier – Rivertown partners with Cincinnati band on bluesy brew

CincyGroove – Rivertown Brewing & Whiskey Shambles Release Limited Edition Beer

Hoperatives – Shambles Beer Tapping at Rivertown Brewing

CincyMusic – The Whiskey Shambles Beer Tapping

CityBeat – Cincinnati Blues Hits the Road