One and a half years after acquisition by brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is on a steep growth curve. Their planned expansion is expected to be capable of producing 120,000 barrels annually by year-end, and yet the brewery is still finding time to release new small-batch specialty beers. 10 Barrel recently sent samples of its newest beers to members of the media: Rose Bois and Estonya.

At first blush, 10 Barrel’s newest beer will bring “wine” to mind. The corked and wax-dipped bottle holds 750 milliliters, identical to a wine bottle; the foil-embossed label resembles the simple-yet-elegant labeling found on any vineyard’s “estate” offering; and the beer inside was aged over three years in wine barrels. The name itself, Rose Bois Grand Cru, invokes the term for the most superior grade or quality of wine.

Despite the serious presentation, 10 Barrel doesn’t take itself too seriously, at least in name: Rose Bois is the first in its irreverently labeled “Fancy Beer Series,” slated to be released at irregular intervals. Love it or hate it, the name catches attention, which 10 Barrel hopes will translate to the beer inside.

“We’re stoked to be unveiling these limited release projects from our amazing team of brewers,” said Andy Goggins, marketing director. “And hope that it will help affirm our integrity in the craft beer world that 10 Barrel still puts out incredibly tasty and unique beers.”

For brewmaster Jimmy Seifrit, this beer was a labor of love. Inspired by the Belgian style known as Flanders red ale, it was brewed 3 1/2 years ago, in 2012. “We let this beer sit in two different vessels with two different yeasts,” Seifrit said at the release party several weeks ago.

These strains of yeast produced sour, complex character in the finished beer; 10 Barrel subsequently blended this with a fresh batch. When it came time to age in wood, the brewery worked with Lange Winery in Dundee to procure fresh Pinot Noir wine barrels. “They emptied the barrels one day, 10 Barrel was there picking up the barrels,” said Seifrit.

After filling them, raspberries were added and they were set aside to age for the next three years. “(Then) we took this beer and put into another tank, that’s got another Brett (wild yeast) strain,” Seifrit said. The result was “a little bit of strawberry note, a little bit of fun, deliciousness.” The final beer was then back-sweetened with raspberry juice.

How does it drink? I shared the bottle with my wife, a wine drinker, for a nonbeery palate test. However, I ran into some trouble right away opening the bottle: The cork was seated so tightly, I was unable to get it out only using a corkscrew, and I had to carve and chip most of the cork free before finally removing it. The brewery later confirmed there were corking issues with the first few cases and replaced the corks for most of those bottles.

When poured into a glass, there were aromas of sour cherry and young red wine, cherry pits and a slight earthy funkiness. The raspberries became prominent as it warmed. It is very tart in flavor, with a winelike complexity that reminded me of cherry pits and balsamic vinegar, though to my taste there was a woody, tanninlike note I found a bit harsh. My wife initially really enjoyed it, though she found it quite tart as it warmed up.

I expect red wine drinkers and sour beer fans will enjoy this. For comparison purposes, seek out other examples of Flanders red ales: Two well-known examples are Duchesse De Bourgogne and Rodenbach Grand Cru, both from Belgium; closer to home, Crux Fermentation Project [BANISHED] Better Off Red and Portland’s Cascade Brewing Kriek fit the bill.

Estonya is also barrel-aged, but that’s where the similarities end. It is a dark, chocolatey imperial porter, stylistically inspired by the strong, sweet, dark lagers of Eastern Europe’s Baltic region (known appropriately as Baltic porters). The brewery aged the beer in Blanton’s Bourbon barrels from West Virginia, resulting in a whiskey-infused, cocoalike dessert beer, as brewer Tonya Cornett calls it.

“Estonya is a recipe I’ve been fine-tuning for years and have brewed many times,” said Cornett. Indeed, Cornett’s base Baltic porter has been used for a number of variant recipes released by the brewery, including versions infused with lavender, peanut butter and orange. The recipe can be traced back to her tenure as head brewer of Bend Brewing Company; Cornett won a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival for her Cherry Baltic Porter.

The beer spent one year in the bourbon barrels, where it picked up a pronounced boozy, vanilla character that thinned out the body, invoking rye whiskey and oak. The spirituous, vinous flavors are tempered by dark bittersweet chocolate, raisins and dried blueberries. It’s a touch “hot” in alcohol character, with a lingering bourbony finish. A comparable beer available locally is Black Boss Porter, imported from Poland, and of course Bend Brewing’s Cherry Baltic Porter is worth seeking out when available.

Suggested retail for Rose Bois is $21.99 per bottle, and for Estonya is $15.99. If perhaps you are looking for lighter, summertime fare, 10 Barrel also released their popular Cucumber Crush in cans and recently introduced Piña, a pineapple and passionfruit summer ale.

— Jon Abernathy is a local beer blogger and brew aficionado. His column appears in GO! every other week.