Beer and Wood: A Love Story

While the process of aging wine and spirits in wooden barrels is not new, the idea of beer aging in barrels is something new to most casual beer drinkers. However, this is certainly not true, as for a great number of years beers were traditionally brewed and packaged into wooden vessels – mainly because that was all that was available. As the industrial revolution took place, this began to change for obvious reasons.

As large, mass-produced beer companies began to dominate the beer industry, there was a great decline in the use of wooden vessels. Through the current craft beer revolution we have seen a huge upswing in many traditional brewing methods, along with the inclusion of a wide variety of barrel/wood-aging projects that are being used to impart any number of flavors into the beer, with different varieties of wood imparting different tastes.

Many of these beers have developed a huge cult following over time, such as Founders Brewing Co.’s KBS (Kentucky Bourbon Stout) and Goose Island’s Bourbon County line, which includes both stouts and barley wines. The release of these beers is eagerly awaited each year by a demanding public.

There is certainly no shortage of barrel or wood-aged beers available today, even right here in Northeast Pennsylvania. Our local heroes at Breaker Brewing Company have made the fantastic Abandoned Mine Barley Wine, and Nimble Hill Brewing has also gotten into barrel aging by using some wine barrels from the winery, such as Turbo Diesel, a Russian Imperial Stout aged in port wine barrels.

If you are a fan of the bourbon barrel-aged beers, here is a short list of some to try: Anderson Valley, Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout; New Holland Brewing- Dragon’s Milk; Thirsty Dog- Siberian Night; Boulevard Brewing- Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ); Allagash Brewing Company- Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel); AleSmith- Speedway Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged); The Lost Abbey- The Angel’s Share; and Firestone Walker- Velvet Merkin.

A wide variety of barrel-aged beers have typically been heavier beers, Belgian darks, barleywines, or stouts, with exceptions due to the strong flavors from the barrels. However, many breweries have begun experimenting with barrel or wood-aging IPAs, most notably with Founder’s release of Doom last year, which is a Double IPA aged in bourbon barrels; this beer made many top 10 lists for best new beer of 2013. Other breweries have been experimenting with this as well, such as Terrapin Brewing’s Oaked Big Hoppy Monster and Southern Tier Brewing Co.’s Oaked Unearthly.

The greatest quality that these beers possess is the experimentation that has gone into the creation of the beers. Brewers truly need to understand the qualities they are looking to add to the beer from the exposure to the wood, which has helped them branch out into some new areas in the brewing field. Dogfish Head is no stranger to experimentation, but the brewery’s Palo Santo Marron beer takes the brewery to a new level by aging a fantastic American Brown Ale on Palo Santo wood, as the beer takes on new spicy notes and tips the scales at 12 percent ABV.

Sam Adams has also entered into the barrel-aging arena with its new barrel room projects. It has released New World Tripel, Tetravis, Thirteenth Hour Stout, and Stony Brook Red, all with unique and wonderful flavor varieties and fairly wide availability.

Even the beloved brewery Deschutes has been incorporating barrel-aged beer into its lineup, most recently with Not the Stoic, a Belgian-styled Quad aged in both rye whisky and Pinot Noir barrels for nearly a year.

While the science and brewing knowledge behind the creation of these beers can be a bit overwhelming to casual drinkers, the results are what we truly need to know and understand. Thankfully this can be summarized easily: just remember, wood is good!

Time to Get Durty!

 

 

 

Brewer- Smuttynose Brewing Company

Beer- Durty

Style- American Brown Ale

ABV- 8.40%

Description- Durty pours a dark brown with ruby highlights with frothy brown beige head that lingers long and leaves a heavy lacing on the glass.  The aroma is surprisingly hop forward with earthy and citrus notes balanced against a background of chocolate and coffee, absolutely wonderful!  The taste is also hop forward and delicious hop notes of earthy pine, grapefruit, lemon, and floral attack the palate first.  Next, the taste buds are washed over by chocolate and coffee which are then finished with a hit of caramel and a lingering dry roasted malt taste on the palate.  The overall mouthfeel is wonderful with the perfect amount of carbonation that allows the full effect of the beer to hit the palate.  This is a very enjoyable brown ale and I love the intense hop profile which gives the beer a great depth without overpowering and creating an overly bitter brown ale.  Another absolutely stunning beer from Smuttynose!

Food pairing – The toasty malts and strong hop attack make this beer perfect to pair with your next BBQ.  The perfect meat pairing with this beer is in the red meat category; think a nice caramelized steak from the grill.  The other, maybe better, great pairing for this beer is with a huge assortment of desserts.  The coffee and chocolate notes make this beer great to enjoy by itself for dessert, but make it even better with a lovely piece of German chocolate cake.  If you are looking for something to add a bit more texture to your pairing then look for a delicious crème brûlée, the creaminess of the dessert adds another dimension to the beer and the caramelized topping melds into the beer and really highlights the malt character, my mouth is drooling just thinking about it! 

 

The Final Word- Durty was initially released in Smuttynose Short Batches, which meant very limited availability, but the few that did try this beer demanded that it receive wider availability and distribution and Smuttynose listened!  Smuttynose is a brewery that has truly perfected the brown ale with Old Brown Dog Ale, for a real treat try Really Old Brown Dog Ale!  Darker IPA's can be off putting to some casual drinkers, but when it is done right it is absolutely wonderful.  If you are a fan American Brown Ales than this is an absolute MUST try beer!

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Where can I get it? -  Currently available in 12 oz bottles at:  Backyard Ale House- Scranton, PA; Krugel's Georgetown Deli- Wilkes Barre, PA; Porter's Pub- Easton, PA; and Newberrys Yard of Ale- Stroudsburg, PA

The Definition of World Class

Brewer- Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Beer- §ucaba

Style- English Barleywine

ABV- 12.50%

Description – §ucaba pours a dark brownish burgundy color with creamy tan head with very little lacing left behind, but standard for a beer with high ABV such as this one.  The aroma is simply magnificent with vanilla coming through on top and underneath notes of coconut, chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, cherries, and figs all swimming together, it smells as good as it sounds!  The taste backs up the nose and brings even more flavors forwards.  The notes from the bourbon barrels come through up front, lots of vanilla, coconut, and hints of Bourbon as well, back with dark chocolate, raisins, and lots of dark fruit flavors.  The 12.5% ABV is fairly well hidden with very little alcohol heat, but the presence of the bourbon notes does give way to the higher ABV.  The low carbonation and full body are just what is expected from a beer such as this and provides an extremely smooth beer that is meant for sipping.  A perfect beer to enjoy for hours on end!

Food pairing – This powerhouse beer can make its home with very rich and fatty dishes as well as thick and creamy desserts.  Try pairing with roasted duck, the sweetness of the malt will highlight the delicious caramelization in the meat and provide enough heft to melt into the fattiness of the duck.  Also try pairing with lamb or wild boar for a similar mouthwatering experience.  However, if you have more of a sweet tooth than try pairing this with a lovely crème brûlée, the rich caramelized characteristics and rich cream are perfect for this beer as the dish will highlight a variety of flavors in the beer and the beer will highlight many flavors in the dish making for a truly fantastic pairing!  If you are looking for a simpler pairing try going with some vanilla bean ice cream, the richness of the cream will create an even smoother mouthfeel for the beer and the vanilla flavors only enhance one another!

The Final Word – The reputation of Firestone Walker exceeds anything that can be put into simple words and for those who have tried there beers they know this to be true as well.  However, even with a statement as bold as that, §ucaba exceeds any possible expectations and truly is a world class beer.  The subtle nuances and deep rich aromas and flavors create a beer that is meant to be enjoyed until the last drop, which sadly does come sooner than one would want!  §ucaba is a beer that is brewed by beer lovers for beer lovers and is certainly a talking point for many.  Also, this is the 2014 §ucaba being discussing, do not forget that this is a beer that can age very well.  If you have the ability to get this beer simply put, buy it, you will not regret it!

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Where can I get it? –   §ucaba is a somewhat limited release, however it is possible to find nationwide, try searching here to find a bottle, or 2, near you!

The Revolution will be Canned!

As you peruse the beer selections at your favorite craft beer store or bar, you may notice a growing trend among the way they’re packaged. There are still large amounts of bottled beers, but many craft brewers are beginning to sell beers in cans.

While cans have been the mainstay for many mass-marketed beers for quite some time, craft brewers are taking back this drinking vessel and making it their own. They are not simply doing this as a statement against mass-marketed beer, but have instead realized just how great a can is for beer.

Yes, cans do make beer much more versatile and portable without the worry or fear of broken glass or constant searching for a bottle opener. However, the one true standout benefit of the can is the protection from UV lighting that it provides for the beer inside.

While brown bottles are still great for beer, they do allow some small amount of light to penetrate through. Over time, this can damage the beer; we see this spoilage occur even faster when beer is packaged in green or clear bottles. However, cans allow no light to penetrate through, and this is what many brewers see as great potential.

21st Amendment Brewery is one of those breweries that see all of the benefits to using this packaging – so many, in fact, that all of its brews are available in cans. Such fantastic beers include Black IPA Back in Black, the Double IPA Hop Crisis, the Belgian Ale Monk’s Blood, and the world-renowned watermelon wheat beer, Hell or High Watermelon.

Oskar Blues is another brewery that has an extensive lineup of beers that are all offered in cans as well. Oskar has long pushed the boundaries for what one would typically expect from beer made available in a can. The delicious Russian Imperial Stout Ten FIDY is widely available, as well at the American IPA Deviant Dale’s IPA and the extremely enjoyable Scotch Ale Old Chub.


Ska Brewing from Durango, CO. also offers a wide range of their fantastic beers in cans as well.  You can get their wonderful Modus Hoperandi IPA,  Estival Cream Stout, Mexican Logger, and Vernal Minthe Stout all available in the can, some in both bottles and cans!

Craft beer giant Sam Adams even got in on the canning of craft beer and began with its Boston Lager being packaged in cans last year. Sam has since moved on due to the success of Boston Lager and has begun putting a wide variety of its beers in cans, such as Summer Ale, Oktoberfest, and Cold Snap, and it seems like they have plans for canning even more beers.

The list of breweries that offer craft beers in cans is extensive and ever-growing. Breweries and beers such as Terapin Beer Company: RecreationAle; Avery Brewing Company: Joe’s Premium American Pilsner; Cigar City Brewing: Jai Alai IPA; The Alchemist: Heady Topper; Anderson Valley: Hop Ottin’ IPA; New Belgium Brewing: Fat Tire;Tröegs Brewing Company: Troegenator Double Bock, and Founders Brewing Company: All Day IPA are just a small sample of some great beers available in cans.

While the can may be nothing new in the beer world, the craft beer canning revolution does offer something much different. That difference is the higher quality of the product inside the can because, after all, it really is all about the beer.

So get out there and drink some good beer – and don’t be afraid to get it in the can!