Story by Gary Glancy | Photo by Ashley Ruzich
Walk into Wicked Weed Brewing’s Funkatorium, in the South Slope of downtown Asheville, and it hits you from all sides—there’s a lot of wood. The sight and smells of the hundreds upon hundreds of retired bourbon and wine barrels is enough to mimic a stroll through Napa Valley or along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. These rustic, stately-looking vessels are much more than just for show. The barrels are being used to age beer, from sours to saisons to imperial stouts. Barrelaging has become a wildly popular phenomenon in the craft beer world, as consumers are willing to travel great lengths and lay down some serious cash to get ahold of the really special ones. Barrel-aged beers have craft-beer newcomers intrigued: What do these wooden wonders do for the beer? Well, first, they can contribute amazing complexity. The most common types of barrels being used by brewers were initially used for bourbon and wine, but it doesn’t stop there. Rye whiskey, rum, and gin barrels— they’re all fair game for aging. Essentially, the beer that’s aging in these oak wood barrels starts to take on some of the characteristics of the beverage that was previously inside the barrel. The original liquid has soaked into the wood over time, and so the next inhabitant—the beer—pulls those flavors and aromas right out of the wood. While there are no hard rules, particular barrels seem to be more conducive to certain beer styles. Imperial stouts, Scotch ales, and barley-wines—with their caramel maltiness or roasty, chocolaty goodness—form a beautiful marriage with the vanilla, bourbon, and oaky tones emanating from a bourbon barrel. Conversely, wine barrels make a great partner for sour and wild ales, with the fruity, tart undertones of the wine pairing wonderfully with the earthy funkiness of a wild yeast like Brettanomyces (commonly called “Brett”), or the acidic, cherry-like qualities produced by carefully chosen bacteria used to sour certain beers. These barrels also serve as the home of wild organisms—similar to the ones that are carefully introduced to the beer by the brewer before barrelaging— thus adding further complexity to the beer as it hibernates in the woody environment. So how long do these beers age in the barrels? That depends on many factors, including the type of barrel, style of beer, and the brewer’s preference. Eight months to one year is a rough estimate for the industry norm, but some beers have been known to age much longer. Last summer, Catawba Brewing released an enormously popular Belgian-style quad—14.8 percent alcohol by volume—that spent four years in Biltmore Estate Cabernet barrels. Catawba’s South Slope tasting room is another wood wonderland in Asheville, with rustic-looking barrels adorning the walls. Many other local breweries are producing barrel-aged offerings that are as unique as the people and companies who created them. Give them a try and savor the harmonious complexity. Gary Glancy is a freelance writer, bartender and Certified Cicerone® living in Hendersonville.
