Half Acre Benthic Double Barrel 2×4 (2026) Imperial Stout

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

Jet-black and viscous, the Double Barrel 2×4 Benthic opens with an opulent bouquet of hand-toasted coconut, bourbon-soaked dark chocolate, and freshly roasted Guatemalan Catuai coffee. The double bourbon barrel aging imparts deep waves of charred oak, toffee, and warming spirit, while Madagascar vanilla lends a silken sweetness. On the palate it is dense and oily, yet remarkably refined — layers of chocolate macaroon, espresso, and sweet coconut ride a long, gently drying finish of bourbon-kissed oak.

Food Pairing

Pair with a dark chocolate and coconut tart, where the pastry’s richness mirrors the stout’s layered sweetness and roast. Alternatively, serve alongside a wedge of aged Comté or Gruyère, whose nutty salinity cuts through the beer’s dense, bourbon-laced body and amplifies its vanilla undertones.

About Half Acre Beer Company

Half Acre Beer Company was founded by Gabriel Magliaro in 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, establishing itself as a pioneering force in the city’s craft beer movement. After initially brewing their recipes at an out-of-state facility, the company opened its own brewery on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood in March 2009, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. The brewery’s commitment to both quality and community quickly garnered recognition, with its tap room being named Chicago’s eighth best bar by Chicago magazine in 2013. Half Acre’s approach extends beyond brewing, demonstrating environmental responsibility by partnering with Northwestern University engineering students to minimize waste and find innovative ways to reduce or reuse brewing byproducts. The company’s growth trajectory led to opening a second, larger brewhouse and pub on Balmoral Avenue in the Bowmanville neighborhood in 2015, eventually consolidating all operations there in 2021. Today, Half Acre produces six year-round beers, three seasonal offerings, and regular special releases, while maintaining strong ties to the local community through sponsorship of Half Acre Cycling since 2007.