The popular Pittston, PA brewery announced its Imperial Stout brew will be released next week…
Some beers you drink without thinking. Others make you slow down a little, clear the evening, grab the right glass, maybe call a friend. Barrel-Aged Toes Up falls squarely in that second category, and its return this year should land well with Northeastern Pennsylvania stout drinkers who’ve come to expect something substantial before winter finally loosens its grip.
This year’s release clocks in at 11.5% ABV and arrives Friday, Feb. 27, in limited quantities on draft and in 16-ounce cans. As usual with bourbon-barrel releases around here, “while it lasts” isn’t marketing fluff; it tends to mean exactly that.
The base stout is built for depth rather than flash: crystal malt for body and sweetness, roasted barley for that familiar coffee-and-cocoa backbone, and a touch of midnight wheat to round the roast edges and deepen the color. After brewing, it spends time in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, where it picks up vanilla warmth, soft oak structure, and that unmistakable bourbon echo that makes imperial stouts feel tailor-made for cold weather.
Flavor-wise, expect classic imperial stout territory, rich roast, dark chocolate bitterness, caramel malt richness, with the barrel aging adding subtle oak, gentle sweetness, and a warming finish. Previous batches have typically hovered closer to the 10% range, so this year’s 11.5% version carries a little extra heft without suggesting it’ll tip into syrupy territory.
Toes Up has quietly become a recurring platform stout for the brewery, a dependable imperial base that occasionally gets the barrel treatment or other variations. It’s a smart approach. Instead of chasing novelty, they’ve built familiarity first, which tends to keep local drinkers coming back year after year.
And while dark beer isn’t new to the regional craft scene, the past few winters have seen more breweries experimenting with heavier stouts, barrel projects, and collaborations. Some are excellent but fleeting, one-off batches you hear about once and never see again. Toes Up occupies a different space: an established seasonal return from a brewery with enough track record that people trust what’s coming out of the can.
That reputation didn’t appear overnight. The brewery sits within a broader regional brewing lineage tied to the historic Stegmaier legacy, but it’s spent the last decade or more carving out its own identity, consistent flagships, disciplined seasonal releases, and a balance between craft credibility and everyday drinkability. Awards help reinforce that story, but more important is the simple fact that locals keep buying the beer.
Historically, drinkers tend to describe Barrel-Aged Toes Up as dessert-leaning without becoming cloying, noticeable bourbon character, layered roast, and a body that drinks smoother than the ABV might suggest. That balance is probably why it continues to show up each winter rather than fading into the long list of experimental stout releases that never quite stick.
If you’re planning to track it down, the Pittston tasting room will be the primary release point, with draft pours and cans expected there first. The Scott Township location often sees draft availability as well, though distribution beyond brewery locations can be selective enough that nothing should be assumed.
Timing-wise, this release lands at that late-winter moment when people still want something warming but know spring beers aren’t far off. It’s less a kickoff than a curtain call, one last dark, slow-sipping stout before lagers, pilsners, and patio weather start reclaiming attention.
And maybe that’s the right way to think about Barrel-Aged Toes Up. Not hype. Not nostalgia. Just a well-made regional stout that gives NEPA beer drinkers one more good excuse to linger over a glass while winter takes its time heading out the door.
