If you’ve never heard of bierschnaps, you’re not alone. This stuff is deliciously rare in the US. If you’re curious about it, you’ve come to the right place. Right this way to the dark side…

Black Bear Bierschnaps is a distilled stout — a collaboration with Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington. It’s is made with Upland’s Teddy Bear Kisses stout, which we brewed together with Upland brewers, then fermented and distilled on site at Cardinal Spirits.

Bierschnaps is a German spirit that is made from beer which is brewed and fermented, then distilled to a stronger strength and more intense flavor. We used Teddy Bear Kisses, Upland’s award-winning Russian imperial stout aged on cacao nibs. It is a big, bold beer that is velvety, complex and roasty, and that profile is gloriously intensified in Black Bear Bierschnaps.