This weeks 🍺 Thirsty Thursday 🍺 we're talking about the ageing process in both beers and wines.
WE HAVE A THIRST FOR GOOD BEER & KNOWLEDGE
With the launch of Dusk, our Shiraz barrel aged Barleywine this week, we feel like it’s a timely time to talk about barrels and why “wood” we use them. So, why wood? Because DELICIOUS, that’s why! Wood has been used for centuries to create flavour, texture and depth in beverages, why stop now?
When you age anything, be it red wine, white wine, bourbon, whisky or beer in barrels you are looking for texture and particular flavours. Coopers are truly worth their weight in gold, as great wines, whisky’s and beers can be undone in a bad barrel.
We could (and will) write approximately 30 TT’s about barrels and their use, but today is all about aging beer in barrels and what we look for in them.
Depending on what we are aging in barrels (Porters, Golden Sours, Barleywine, Imperial Stouts), we look for strains of Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Acetobacteraceae, Brettanomyces and all kinds of yeasts left behind from the wine, spirit or beer that lived in them first. They all do different things, based on the time in barrel.
When we made our base Barleywine we split off two batches. One went into old bourbon barrels for 3 months and was delicately dry hopped to create our multi medal winning ALIVE 🥇. The other was popped into hand selected Shiraz barrels from Sons Of Eden that give a very distinct bright red and blue fruit notes with gorgeous pepper and spices for 7 months. We pour Marschall Shiraz at the brewhouse for those keen to nerd out on this. 🍺🍷 Trying Alive and Dusk side by side is a really cool way to see what the two different types of barrel and the length of time spent in them can do. The texture and flavours are both gorgeous but different.
Every step of this process was monitored for timing and flavour balance. You want the right balance of oaky, chewy texture and secondary flavours from the barrel. You don’t want sherry (unless you do).
This is the artistry of beer making. It’s pretty special and when you get it right, you feel like maybe, just maybe you know what you are doing.*
*lols we don’t, but we keep trying 🍺
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