The Oligarchs are coming! The Oligarchs are coming!

The word oligarch first came into wide use in and about Russia in the 1990s; back then, it referred to men who had built their fortunes on the ruins of the Soviet economy and then used their wealth to obtain political power. In Putin’s mafia state, oligarchs have surrendered their autonomy — and any political ambitions — in exchange for wealth. In Breakside Brewery’s craft beer state, The Oligarch has surrendered its flavor to bourbon barrels for two years before being exiled to Peaks and Pints bottle shop, taproom and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District.

Peaks and Pints will host the Tacoma release party for Breakside’s The Oligarch bourbon barrel-aged British imperial stout and its six variants 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28 — the last day of Peaks and Pints February Stout Month.

The Oligarch. The “original” beer is a single batch of British imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for more than two years in the making. Next, the Breakside brewers replaced their Russian fur brewer bibs for scientist lab coats adding a variety of ingredients to the base British imperial stout.

“This is also the first time we’ve blended different-aged batches of the same wood-aged stout into a finished blend, which gives The Oligarch incredible nuance,” says Breakside Brewmaster Ben Edmunds in a media release. “When we took on this project, we approached each blend seriously, trying to create a whimsical, balanced, and delicious set of flavors. I hope that people enjoy drinking these beers as much as we enjoyed creating and blending them.”

The Oligarch project encompasses 84 casks, resulting in 122 barrels of finished beer. Beers that will pour from Peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log Thursday include:

The Oligarch: An imperial stout blended from four different batches of stouts aged in bourbon barrels, this craft beer is rich, sticky, sweet and aggressive.

Maple Oligarch: The maple bourbon barrels from Bissell Maple Farm in Jefferson, Ohio provide a ton of complexity, offering an especially nerdy delight to be found in this intense and rich beer.

Candy Cap: This variant is made with one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beguiling foodstuffs: candy cap mushrooms. Their intense brown sugar smell helps create a sweet-then-savory sensation that dovetails perfectly into some of the strong oxidative notes of the casks.

Bocconotto: Aged on cinnamon bark, toasted almonds, chocolate and a touch of lemon zest, this beer is an ode to one of Breakside’s favorite Italian pastries, a specialty of southern Italy.

Champurrado: Comprised of eight of the richest casks from the series and inspired by the flavors of Mexican champurrado, Breakside aged this stout on a mix of cacao nibs, vanilla bean, and toasted corn.

Piedmontese: The most elegant variant in this series, this beer was fashioned on the off-sweet cakes of northern Italy. Breakside conditioned this blend of maple barrel-aged stouts on Oregon-grown hazelnuts and vanilla bean and added a touch of sea salt for depth.

Coco Breakfast: Breakside grabbed inspiration from Edmunds’ favorite childhood breakfast cereal and loaded up the cocoa and vanilla for a beer that works for dessert — or breakfast.

THE OLIGARCHS ARE COMING! THE OLIGARCHS ARE COMING!, 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Peaks and Pints, 3816 N. 26^th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma, no cover