Barrel-aged beer

Even though barrel-aged beer is on everyone’s lips and most breweries have one in their repertoire, it is by no means a new invention. The fact that beer changes its taste when it is stored in a wooden barrel was probably discovered by the Dutch at the beginning of the 17th century. At the time of colonization, beer was to be shipped from the Netherlands to the USA. So what was more suitable for this purpose than wooden barrels? On the long sea journey all across the Atlantic, the barrels gave off their aroma to the beer. Depending on the type of wood and the duration of barrel aging, the beer changed its flavor.

This blog post will discuss how exactly this change in taste occurs and how brewers still make use of aging in wooden barrels today. In addition, the following is about which beer goes with which barrel and the proper way to handle barrels.

With barrel aging, there are three points to consider in order to achieve a presentable result:

1. The right barrel
2. The right handling
3. The right beer

If you follow these three points, nothing stands in the way of a delicious barrel-aged beer. But before you get started, it doesn’t hurt to learn about the processes that take place when beer matures in a wooden barrel.

Wood is a natural product and wood breathes. Due to the many small pores in the wood, the wooden barrel is in constant air exchange with its environment. During the day, when it is a little warmer, the pores of the wood open and fill with beer. When it cools down again at night, the pores close and the beer is forced back into the barrel. During this process, the molecules of the beer mix with the macromolecules, including the aromas, of the wooden barrel. This is referred to as microoxygenation.

Barrels that were previously filled with American bourbon give the beer a light vanilla aroma paired with subtle caramel notes. Whereas Scotch whisky adds strong smoke and peat flavors to the beer.

Depending on its origin, rum brings flavors of molasses, vanilla, brown sugar and caramel to beer. It also provides a full-bodied flavor experience.

Chocolate, a fruity sweetness and nuances of fresh fruit are what the port barrel gives to the beer. In addition, this barrel rounds out the beer with a light tannin structure.

If you let your beer mature in Cognac barrels, you can look forward to a beer with complex fruity notes.

Barrels that have been pre-filled with the Mexican liquor add fieriness to the beer. With aromas of smoke, agarve and black pepper, tequila barrels bring a special character to the beer.

When barrel aging, as already mentioned, it is important to remember to store a suitable beer. As a rule of thumb, the darker and heavier a beer is, the more suitable it is for barrel aging. The reason for this is that light, pale and hoppy beers such as Pilsner must be drunk quickly, otherwise they lose their flavor. However, if the beers are brewed stronger, such as an Imperial IPA, they are still suitable for barrel aging.

Finally, it is important to note that the filled barrel is properly watered. You can find a video about this on YouTube. Once the barrel is filled, it must be stored in a cold and dark room with high humidity. Now it is called were, until the beer has developed its flavors.

Cheers