Fancy Pants Sunday: Hubbard’s Cave Barrel-Aged Bananas Foster

Born on the near west side of downtown Chicago in 2013, Une Année was founded by Chicago native Jerry Nelson. Une Année — which means “One Year” in French — set out on a quest to make fine Belgian-inspired ales. Soon, with the help of Jerry’s brother, David, they expanded to include sours and then, in 2015 they launched their sister brewery, Hubbard’s Cave, which pays homage to the “Hubbard Street” traffic tunnel on I-90/94 located near the brewery’s original location. While Une Année leans toward Belgian styles, Hubbard’s Cave brings a distinct American perspective to the craft beer scene, particularly with their big, bold imperial stouts, which is the focus of this week’s Sunday beer column aimed at complex, pricey and fancy beer — Peaks and Pints Fancy Pants Sunday: Hubbard’s Cave Barrel Aged Bananas Foster.

Bananas Foster is a classic New Orleans dessert made by sauteing ripe bananas in a butter and brown sugar sauce, then flambéing them with rum or Bananas Foster liqueur — often tableside at restaurants. The bananas are then served over vanilla ice cream, making for a rich and decadent treat. The craft masters at Hubbard’s Cave load their beer version of Bananas Foster to the brim with banana, cinnamon, maple, and vanilla to recreate the caramelization that comes from lighting the classic New Orleans dessert on fire. Then, they pumped up the body with creamy milk sugar — taming the imperial stout’s heat like a dollop of ice cream — and barrel aged it until it takes on complex oaky nuances, vanilla flavor, and a ribbon of sticky bourbon.

You fancy, Hubbard’s Cave Barrel-Aged Bananas Foster Imperial Stout!

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