Win swag from Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies and its beer partners

The contest is now over. Please check your email if you entered.

It’s been awhile since Beer in Florida has done a giveaway, so let’s do one, especially since it has a bit of a St. Patrick’s Day theme.

Late last year and earlier this year, seven breweries across the country released special beers in conjunction with Jameson Irish Whiskey as part of the distiller’s Drinking Buddies program. These breweries aged beer in Jameson barrels, and one of them was Downtown St. Petersburg’s own Cycle Brewing, with is Buddy Shots brew.

In addition, Jameson aged some of their whiskey in stout beer barrels from a local craft brewery back home in Ireland and released those spirits under the Caskmates brand.

The good folks at Jameson sent me samples of each — as well as some swag that I’ll be giving away to some Beer in Florida fans. (NOTE: YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS POST, NOT ON FACEBOOK, OK?) Read on to find out the rules, but first, here’s the info from Jameson regarding the program.

JAMESON® IRISH WHISKEY PARTNERS WITH SEVEN AMERICAN BREWERIES IN A CELEBRATION OF CRAFT & COLLABORATION, TO FORM JAMESON CASKMATES® DRINKING BUDDIES®

Seven Hand-Selected Craft Breweries Across the U.S. Create Limited Edition Beers Aged In Jameson Whiskey Barrels

NEW YORK, NY — Recognizing those with a shared passion for quality and craft, Jameson Irish Whiskey continues its craft brewery partnerships with Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies. A collaboration with seven American craft brewers, Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies is the result of bringing like-minded individuals together with a common bond of creating superior quality beer and whiskey.

Returning breweries include Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in New York, Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas, and Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver. Rounding out the final three collaborating breweries are Stoup Brewing in Seattle, Cycle Brewing in St. Petersburg, and Fat Head’s Brewing in Cleveland.

Inspired by the creation and end result of Jameson Caskmates, a one-of-a-kind whiskey born out of conversation and collaboration with local Irish craft brewery Franciscan Well, Jameson took a similar approach and worked with the seven local breweries by giving them Jameson barrels to age their craft beer for a select period of time. The end result? Limited edition beers featuring hints of Jameson Irish Whiskey incorporated with their already distinct craft beer flavors.

The Jameson family motto, Sine Metu, means without fear, and the Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies program celebrates the fearlessness of each brewer as they continue to pursue their passions. The same spirit and tradition of the family motto lives on through the creation and partnership with the seven local breweries.

“Jameson Irish Whiskey has always taken pride in celebrating those who share the same passion and focus when it comes to their craft,” said Sona Bajaria, Vice President, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pernod Ricard USA. “Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies allows us to put the spotlight on these local craft brewers who ultimately embody the same spirit as our motto, Sine Metu.”

Each Jameson inspired craft beer will be available in their respective market for a limited time only.

Here are the breweries and the beer each released.

Cycle Brewing

Buddy Shots

• Color – Dark amber to almost purple in color.
• Aroma –  All malt, all day.
• Flavor – Brewed with 6 different caramel malts and just a little bit of chocolate to showcase the finer, sweeter side of the beer and the whiskey.
• ABV – 11% ABV

Angel City Brewery

ACB Imperial Irish Red Ale

• Color – A rich mahogany-hued ale.
• Aroma – Huge ripe fig and toffee notes dominate the aroma, leading into flavors of light vanilla, molasses, black cherries and a distinct peppery finish.
• Flavor – Conditioned for 5 months in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels, this beer has an indulgent yet subtle sweetness, full body, and warming linger.
• ABV – 16% ABV

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company

• Trans-Atlantic Imperial Red
• Color – Deep auburn color with red highlights.
• Aroma – Rich and malty aroma with hints of chocolate and citrus fruit.
• Flavor – Deep and rich as the sea, the Trans-Atlantic Red’s natural taste combined with Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels gives this beer a deliciously complex flavor profile. Malt backbone, chocolate and coffee flavors highlighted by vanilla.
•  ABV – 7% ABV

Deep Ellum Brewing Company

The Fascinating Bellman

• Color – The experience is a custom crafted light smoke, wood aged, deep brown ale with ruby highlights.
• Aroma – The aroma of bittersweet bakers chocolate and warm vanilla welcome a complex flavor of toasted chestnut. The smoke character shows a history not to be forgotten that fades then returns as the glass warms.
• Flavor – Oak Smoked Imperial Irish brown ale aged in Jameson Whiskey barrels. We select fresh hops and smoke a portion of malt with Texas post oak. The resulting ale is fit for members only.
• ABV – 7.8% ABV

Great Divide Brewing Company

The Smoothness

• Color – Dark coloring.
• Aroma – Whiskey notes, chocolate, oak and leather aroma.
• Flavor – You don’t know smooth until you experience the velvety, silky feeling and dark lager taste of The Smoothness. Roasted malt, vanilla and oak flavors.
• ABV – 8.5% ABV

Stoup Brewing

Dublin Down Imperial Red Ale

• Color – Chestnut color with golden highlights.
• Aroma – Rich and bold with notes of vanilla and toffee.
• Flavor – A rich, malty red ale with notes of caramel and toasted bread. The time in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels adds a depth of richness to the beer and added structure, bringing happiness to the palate and warmth to the belly after each satisfying sip.
• The subtle grainy sweetness of Irish malt is balanced by a strong addition of bittering hops and warming alcohol.
• ABV – 10% ABV

Fat Heads Brewing

Strange Trip Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

• Color – Aging in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels for 6 months has pulled a subtle touch of cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak.
• Aroma – Inspired by flavors from an Irish Coffee.
• Flavor – A heady brew, hopped with Perle, Centennial and Simcoe. The heavily roasted creamy flavor comes from the combination of flaked barley and chocolate malts.
• ABV –  9.4% ABV

And as far as the Jameson Caskmates Whiskey:

Two heads are said to be better than one, and this whiskey adds serious weight to that argument. Emerging from a conversation between our head distiller and the head brewer of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery, Jameson Caskmates has been finished in stout-seasoned whiskey casks. While our triple-distilled smoothness is very much intact, notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch confirm the stout influence.

Caskmates is a head-turning, modern Irish whiskey.

• Nose: crisp orchard fruits like green apples and pears, mild pot still spices
• Taste: Subtle touch of hops and cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak
• Finish: Long and sweet with Milk Chocolate and Butterscotch

Unfortunately, the Cycle bottles for sale at the taproom are long gone, according to the brewery, though there may be a keg or two tucked away in local craft beer bars. The Caskmates whiskey is still available in liquor stores around the area.

WHAT ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY?

What I have to give away is this:

Two T-shirts, one Extra Large and one Medium (Note: The sizes seem to run small, especially for a XXL dude like me).  The T-shirts have the Jameson logo on front, and the logos of the seven breweries in the program on the back.

Two Jameson Whiskey tote bags. They are bags to tote things in.

If you wish to enter, here are the rules.

• Leave a comment on the post here (NOT ON FACEBOOK). Your email is required, but don’t worry: it won’t be shared or used in any other nefarious way. And I’ll have to contact you if you win.
• Say in the comment which size T-shirt you would want, or if you would like to win a tote bag.

I’ll run this through Tuesday, March 21, at 6 p.m., at which time I’ll use the Random.org service to choose a winner. The winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to respond with a shipping address. If I don’t hear back by then, another winner will be chosen.

As I mentioned above, Jameson Irish Whiskey provided this swag through its marketing arm, but the company has no involvement in this giveaway.

Slainte!

Gerard

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