I'm intrigued by barrel-aged beer.
I came across a relatively new beer phenomenon (in America, anyway) called barrel-aged beer. Basically, certain ales are placed into whiskey casks, sometimes with as much as five gallons of Bourbon or Scotch remaining in the barrel and aged for several months. The trick, apparently, is finding the right ale that is not overwhelmed by either the bourbon taste or smoky flavoring of the barrel.
In recent years there are a small handful of companies who claim to have it down pat. And there seem to be a few who have not quite figured it out yet. Not surprisingly, mega-brewer Anheuser-Busch tried to take a shortcut to mass production and missed the mark. And missed it by a mile according to a buddy of mine who has sampled the product. Anheuser's answer to beer by the barrel, is to take staves from barrels and line their massive, stainless steel tanks with them. The result is Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale.
The consensus seems to be that standard American lagers just can't stand up to the overwhelming influences of the Bourbon or Scotch casks. Instead, brewers use bigger beers beers such as a stout or even a barley wine that can be enhanced but not overwhelmed by the cask. Most brewers have even added some ingredients that are complementary to the whiskey taste, such as vanilla or coconut.
Another point to note about these beers is that most of them have an alcohol content upwards of 10%. It's not for the faint of heart and it's not for swilling by the bottle during a football game. In fact, brewers recommend that the beer be enjoyed from a large snifter with a meal.
Regardless, my curiosity has been piqued by the little bit of research I did today. After surfing the net and chatting with a few folks who knew a little bit about it, I decided I'm going to try and track down two barrel-aged beers to try. The first is Allagash's Curieux of Allagash Brewery in Maine. My dilema at this point is that none of the local stores seem to offer it and Allagash does not ship alcohol. I did find a distributor in the Tampa area who carries it, however attempts to reach them have been unsuccesful, which isn't very promising for my Allagash prospects. Here is a description from Allagash of their highly regarded Curieux:
"To make the Curieux (French for "curious"), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics...and also a hint of bourbon flavor!"
The second beer is from New Holland Brewing Company. My only hope of snagging any of this is to get a friend from the Chicago area to pick some up for me and ship it. I'm working on it. Here is how NHBC describes their signature barrel-aged cask:
"Expect a complex ale with a soft, rich caramel malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones; all dancing in an oak bath. Unmistakably distinctive and hauntingly remarkable."
In recent years there are a small handful of companies who claim to have it down pat. And there seem to be a few who have not quite figured it out yet. Not surprisingly, mega-brewer Anheuser-Busch tried to take a shortcut to mass production and missed the mark. And missed it by a mile according to a buddy of mine who has sampled the product. Anheuser's answer to beer by the barrel, is to take staves from barrels and line their massive, stainless steel tanks with them. The result is Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale.
The consensus seems to be that standard American lagers just can't stand up to the overwhelming influences of the Bourbon or Scotch casks. Instead, brewers use bigger beers beers such as a stout or even a barley wine that can be enhanced but not overwhelmed by the cask. Most brewers have even added some ingredients that are complementary to the whiskey taste, such as vanilla or coconut.
Another point to note about these beers is that most of them have an alcohol content upwards of 10%. It's not for the faint of heart and it's not for swilling by the bottle during a football game. In fact, brewers recommend that the beer be enjoyed from a large snifter with a meal.
Regardless, my curiosity has been piqued by the little bit of research I did today. After surfing the net and chatting with a few folks who knew a little bit about it, I decided I'm going to try and track down two barrel-aged beers to try. The first is Allagash's Curieux of Allagash Brewery in Maine. My dilema at this point is that none of the local stores seem to offer it and Allagash does not ship alcohol. I did find a distributor in the Tampa area who carries it, however attempts to reach them have been unsuccesful, which isn't very promising for my Allagash prospects. Here is a description from Allagash of their highly regarded Curieux:
"To make the Curieux (French for "curious"), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics...and also a hint of bourbon flavor!"
The second beer is from New Holland Brewing Company. My only hope of snagging any of this is to get a friend from the Chicago area to pick some up for me and ship it. I'm working on it. Here is how NHBC describes their signature barrel-aged cask:
"Expect a complex ale with a soft, rich caramel malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones; all dancing in an oak bath. Unmistakably distinctive and hauntingly remarkable."
posted by ~~Scott~~ unmade to fRemade at 9:42 PM
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