Lancet Jades
03-14-2004, 04:31 AM
Roll Out The Barrel-Aged Beer
The annual St. Patrick's Day glut of green beer isn't the only unusual brew on tap. Extreme brewers are experimenting with barrel aging--a return to olden days, before the invention of stainless steel.
Barrel brewers transfer beer from stainless steel tanks into oak barrels for aging. Wine or bourbon barrels are commonly used to impart flavor. The brewers prefer a heavy beer like stout that won't get overwhelmed by the woodiness.
The process is labor intensive, and a wood soak doesn't always yield the same taste. "Breweries usually don't mess with wood, unless they have a really good reason," notes Randy Mosher, author of Radical Brewing, due out in May. Turns out they do have one: Folks pay $5 to $6 for 8 to 10 ounces--three times the typical price of a pint.
Available mainly in pubs, barrel-aged beer earned its own category at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival and got its very own festival in '03: Chicago's Festival of Barrel-Aged Beer, with entries from 35 breweries. A second event is planned for fall. To form your own opinion, try one of the buzz-worthy barrel-aged beers below.
Wisconsin Belgian Red Ale
New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, Wis.Credentials:Beer is aged three weeks in 3,000-gallon oak tanks. Sweet, cherry beer, with a shy wood flavor.On Tap:Sold in stores in Wisconsin. "We can only keep up with the local demand," says brewer Dan Carey.
Cuvee de Tomme
Belgian Style Sour Ale, Pizza Port & Port Brewing Co., Solana Beach, Calif.Credentials:Aged nine months. "Intensely aromatic from the malt and the oak," boasts brewer Tomme Arthur.On Tap:Sold at the three Pizza Ports in California.
Dominion Oak
Barrel Stout, Old Dominion Brewing Co., Ashburn, Va.Credentials:A week in 55-gallon bourbon barrels adds bourbon and vanilla tinge to heavy-roasted malt flavor.On Tap:Soon to be bottled and sold in Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Red Line Imperial
Bourbon Stout, Rock Bottom Brewery, ChicagoCredentials:Aged six months, it's malty, big-bodied, well balanced, with subdued oakiness and bourbon flavor.On Tap:A gold medalist at the Great American Beer Festival, it's sold only at Chicago's Rock Bottom Brewery.
-Margaret Menge
The annual St. Patrick's Day glut of green beer isn't the only unusual brew on tap. Extreme brewers are experimenting with barrel aging--a return to olden days, before the invention of stainless steel.
Barrel brewers transfer beer from stainless steel tanks into oak barrels for aging. Wine or bourbon barrels are commonly used to impart flavor. The brewers prefer a heavy beer like stout that won't get overwhelmed by the woodiness.
The process is labor intensive, and a wood soak doesn't always yield the same taste. "Breweries usually don't mess with wood, unless they have a really good reason," notes Randy Mosher, author of Radical Brewing, due out in May. Turns out they do have one: Folks pay $5 to $6 for 8 to 10 ounces--three times the typical price of a pint.
Available mainly in pubs, barrel-aged beer earned its own category at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival and got its very own festival in '03: Chicago's Festival of Barrel-Aged Beer, with entries from 35 breweries. A second event is planned for fall. To form your own opinion, try one of the buzz-worthy barrel-aged beers below.
Wisconsin Belgian Red Ale
New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, Wis.Credentials:Beer is aged three weeks in 3,000-gallon oak tanks. Sweet, cherry beer, with a shy wood flavor.On Tap:Sold in stores in Wisconsin. "We can only keep up with the local demand," says brewer Dan Carey.
Cuvee de Tomme
Belgian Style Sour Ale, Pizza Port & Port Brewing Co., Solana Beach, Calif.Credentials:Aged nine months. "Intensely aromatic from the malt and the oak," boasts brewer Tomme Arthur.On Tap:Sold at the three Pizza Ports in California.
Dominion Oak
Barrel Stout, Old Dominion Brewing Co., Ashburn, Va.Credentials:A week in 55-gallon bourbon barrels adds bourbon and vanilla tinge to heavy-roasted malt flavor.On Tap:Soon to be bottled and sold in Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Red Line Imperial
Bourbon Stout, Rock Bottom Brewery, ChicagoCredentials:Aged six months, it's malty, big-bodied, well balanced, with subdued oakiness and bourbon flavor.On Tap:A gold medalist at the Great American Beer Festival, it's sold only at Chicago's Rock Bottom Brewery.
-Margaret Menge