When Utah’s strict liquor and beer laws changed in 2008, entrepreneurs David Cole and Peter Erickson were able to pursue their longtime dream of opening Epic Brewing — a strong beer microbrewery in Salt Lake City, Utah, like those found in their home state of California. Having started an international aquaculture company in Utah in 1992, Cole and Erickson were no strangers to food and drink (and the art of making them well), so when they teamed up with acclaimed brewmaster and fellow beer geek Kevin Crompton, the trio immediately set to work brewing a carefully curated collection of strong ales and lagers. In 2013, Epic expanded its brewery operations into Colorado by opening a second brewery in the River North district of downtown Denver. The Denver brewery offered enough space to support growing national distribution, expansion of the popular Big Bad Baptist barrel-aged beer program and the introduction of a line of sour beers. Nov. 8, 2022, Peaks and Pints presents a to-go flight of Epic’s Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout variants in a flight we call, Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Epic Big Bad Beer Flight.

Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Epic Big Bad Beer Flight

Epic Big Bad Baptist Breakfast Baptist

11% ABV

Epic’s Big Bad Baptist aged in whiskey barrels with Vermont maple syrup and finished with coffee, cacao, and salt.

Epic Big Bad Baptist Toasted Coconut

11.3% ABV

Take a trip with Epic’s Big Bad Baptist Toasted Coconut to the tropics and relax with this luxuriously rich whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout made with toasted coconut and cacao nibs.

Epic Big Bad Baptist Gingerbread

11.5% ABV

Epic listened to grandma and used real allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla to their whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout

Epic Big Bad Baptist Rum Barrel Aged

12.2% ABV

Epic’s Big Bad Baptist imperial stout aged in rum and whiskey barrels with coffee beans and cacao nibs added.

Epic Big Bad Baptist Barrel Strength

13.3% ABV

After HotBox Roasters, based out of Longmont, Colorado, told Epic they’ve been aging green coffee beans in retired spirits barrels, the brewery added green coffee beans to whiskey barrels full of their Big Bad Baptist. The beans produced notes of toffee, vanilla, oak, and campfire alongside the beans natural fruity and roasted flavors. To accommodate the bold flavors of the coffee Epic sourced cacao nibs from Solstice Chocolate, a small artisan chocolate maker based out of Salt Lake City and roasted them in house to bring out their inherent characteristics. The result is a slightly sweet, beefy stout with oak and whiskey notes in the background.

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