Widmer Brothers’ Reserve Kill Devil ‘13 Rum Barrel Aged Available Now

has released Kill Devil ’13 in the brewery’s limited release Brothers’ Reserve Series. Kill Devil Brown Ale is a unique, limited edition imperial brown ale brewed with two types of molasses and palm sugars, aged in rum barrels.

While bourbon barrel-aging has become commonplace in the craft brewing industry, rum barrel-aging is more rare, due to barrel availability and integrity.

“Rum distillers generally store barrels on their ends when filled rather than their sides, and many are stored outdoors, exposed to the elements. As a result, finding rum barrels for aging beer is a challenge,” said Matt Licklider, director of brewing. “And unlike bourbon distillers who use barrels only once, rum distillers generally re-use their barrels until they fall apart and are no longer usable.”

Widmer Brothers sources rum barrels for Kill Devil from Distilería Serrallés, a family-owned distillery in Puerto Rico that has been making rum since 1865.

“After the initial release of Kill Devil in 2012, we began trying to find enough rum barrels that would allow us to brew the beer again,” said Brewer Doug Rehberg, who created the recipe. “The rum barrels are an important piece to brewing this Caribbean-inspired beer. Without them, Kill Devil simply wouldn’t be the same.”

The unique combination of ingredients, sweetness and rum character makes Kill Devil ’13 a perfect beer to pair with desserts like candied bacon chocolate cheesecake, milk chocolate espresso brownies or Kill Devil pecan rum cake. Kill Devil ’13 can be enjoyed fresh, but will continue to develop with age if cellared.

The 2013 Kill Devil is available for a limited time on-draught and in 22-ounce bottles in limited quantities, with a suggested retail price of $12.99 per bottle.