Selkirk’s second helpings

Selkirk Abbey is serving up some of the tastiest leftovers imaginable.

Six specialties from the cellar will join the new Atonement tripel and this year’s Cuvée de la Nuit Profonde barrel-aged blend to fill the brewery’s eight taps for Big Beer Black Friday starting at 10 a.m.

The lineup also includes three straight barrel-aged beers – the 8˚ dubbel (8.1 percent alcohol by volume), Guilt imperial porter (8.3) and Grace Scotch ale (6.4) – along with the 10˚ quad (9.8), 12˚ strong dark (13.1) and Saint Joseph imperial  saison (9.2).

For those looking for something a little lower-octane, the standard lineup still will be available by the bottle.

Selkirk Abbey is making up for lost time with Atonement (hence the name), its first take on the classic strong, golden Belgian style.

“We’ve spent so much time concentrating on the darker abbey styles and our saisons, and we’re so committed to everything being just so, that we couldn’t get to it until now,” owner Jeff Whitman says.

At 8.6 percent, it’s deceptively drinkable, with a fruity nose and dry, spicy body from the Belgian yeast. The recipe includes pilsner, Vienna and wheat malts along with Hallertau and Saaz hops.

A limited, 70-case run of 22-ounce bottles is awaiting labels before shipping out to stores.

The dark, rich Cuvée de la Nuit Profonde also goes down smooth for its strength (9.2 percent). The beer is a blend of 8˚, 10˚ and Guilt aged anywhere from six to 18 months in a variety of barrels including burgundy, cabernet franc and malbec wines plus wheat and rye whiskeys.

Whitman finds it similar to last year’s initial offering but with more chocolate notes. Given the variations from barrel to barrel, he says, “No way in God’s green earth were we going to be able to produce the same beer, but it’s close.”

Both the Atonement and Cuvée will be featured in a tasting Dec. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Growler Guys.

Signs of the Cross: In other Selkirk news, the first release under the brewery’s new, non-Belgian Northern Cross label – an old-school Northwest-style IPA hopped with Cascade and Centennial – has started making its way into the draft market.

At around 6 percent alcohol by volume and 85 International Bitterness Units, it has some caramel malt richness and a hop character that leans to the piney, resiny side. Look for its debut soon at Nate’s New York Pizza in Post Falls.