How To Make A Barrel-Aged Beer

Aging beer in barrels is a centuries-old practice that has recently become popular again. Barrel-aged beers have an exquisite flavor, as the barrel adds distinct notes of oak and other flavors.

In this guide, we will walk through the basics of barrel-aging beer and provide tips on how to make your barrel-aged beer.

Try using this barrel-aged beer equipment at home if you’re looking for a fun challenge yielding delicious results!

What is Barrel-Aged Beer?

A beer that has spent some time maturing in a wooden barrel is known as barrel-aged beer.

These barrels often originally held wine, bourbon, whisky, or, to a lesser extent, brandy, sherry, or port.

Aging beer in barrels is a special tradition in Belgium, especially for lambic beers. Early in the 1990s, the first bourbon barrel-aged beers were created in the US.

Beers can be aged in barrels to produce several effects, including causing Brettanomyces fermentation, adding flavors from the wood (from tannins and lactones), or the former contents of the barrels.

Although other types of wood are also used, oak is still the material of choice.

With varying degrees of success, chestnut, ash, poplar, cedar, acacia, cypress, redwood, pine, and even eucalyptus have all been used as aging barrels.

Bourbon Barrel Ageing

Many beers are aged in barrels that were formerly used to age spirits. Imperial stouts are frequently matured in bourbon barrels, which give American oak flavors (coconut, dill, and sweet spices) and emphasize them by charring the interior of the barrel.

The majority of American brewers’ oak barrels are bourbon barrels.

The types of flavors that brewers can extract from old barrels range significantly depending on the blend of wood and the degree of charring utilized by each distillery.

Bourbon barrels are only used once. Thus, they are frequently sold to other spirits makers, who resell them to breweries to mature beer.

Bourbon County Stout was one of the barrel-age beer pioneers in 1992. Since then, the practice has been adopted by other craft breweries with varying degrees of success.

Whisky Barrel Ageing

The barrel character of whiskey barrel-aged beers is heavily influenced by the type of wood and spirits used in the barrel.

For example, Scotch whisky barrels provide a noticeably peaty character (smoke and roasted grain notes).

Wine Barrel Ageing

Wine barrels are often used to mature beers, especially Belgian styles like lambic and gueuze.

These barrels add additional complexity to the beer, with flavors such as vanilla, nuttiness, and even hints of fruit.

French oak wine barrels are often used, providing a nice smooth and round flavor.
American white oak barrels are also used, which produce more intense tannins and richer flavors.

How To Make A Barrel-Aged Beer At Home

Barrel-aged beer is a unique and flavorful craft beer that has been aged for months or even years in wooden barrels.

The aging process can impart amazing flavors into the beer, such as vanilla, oak, and whiskey.

Step 1: Choose Your Ingredients

The first step in making barrel-aged beer is to choose your ingredients. You want to choose an ale or lager base (pilsner, wheat, etc.) with enough flavor to stand up to the barrel aging process.

Avoid light beers or those with subtle flavors because they won’t be able to handle the strong flavors of the barrel.

You’ll also need a fresh barrel- preferably one used previously for wine or whiskey- and your favorite hops and yeast strain.

Step 2: Prepare The Barrel

Once you’ve chosen your ingredients, it’s time to prepare the barrel for aging.

Start by sterilizing the interior of the barrel with a solution of water and chlorine bleach (one tablespoon per gallon).

Allow this mixture to sit in the barrel for several hours before rinsing it thoroughly with hot water. Now you’re ready to fill your barrel!

Step 3: Fill & Age

Fill your freshly cleaned barrel with your chosen ale or lager base and allow it to age for several months or longer, depending on how intense you’d like the flavor of your finished beer to be.

During this time, you should check on your beer regularly and taste test it every few weeks to monitor its progress. When it reaches its desired flavor profile, move on to step 4!

CHECK OUT: This Beer Brewing Calculator, a handy tool for any budding brewer.

Step 4: Bottle & Enjoy!

Now comes the fun part–bottling and enjoying your homemade craft beer! Fill bottles with your aged beer using a bottling wand and carbonation drops (or prime sugar) if desired, then cap each bottle tightly using a capper tool.

Let these bottles sit undisturbed for several days so they can carbonate properly before serving them chilled with friends!

Ingredients You Will Need to Make Barrel-Aged Beer

The first step in making barrel-aged beer is collecting all the necessary ingredients.

Here is a list of items you should have on hand before starting:

Barrel (oak, whiskey, or bourbon)
Beer (pilsner or lager)
Stainless steel spoon
Thermometer
Sanitizing solution
Yeast (lactobacillus)
Sugar or honey for priming

A Beginner’s Guide To Barrel-Aging Beer

Choosing Your Barrel

The first step in making a barrel-aged beer is to choose your barrel. Oak barrels are the most commonly used for aging beer, as they provide a layer of complexity and depth to the finished product.

You can buy new or used oak barrels from online retailers or specialty stores.

The barrel size you buy will depend on how much beer you plan to age; larger barrels are typically best for larger batches.

Be sure also to research what type of wood your barrel is made from, as different woods (e.g., French oak vs. American oak) will impart different flavors into your final product.

Selecting Your Beer

Once you’ve chosen your barrel, it’s time to select your base beer — this is the beer you plan to age in the barrel.

Generally speaking, you should choose a higher alcohol content base so that the flavor of the wood doesn’t overpower that of the liquid itself; darker beers (such as stouts or porters) tend to work best since they have more body and sweetness that can be complemented by the oak flavors imparted by the barrel aging process.

Some brewers add adjunct ingredients such as fruit or spices during aging for some added complexity in flavor; these ingredients should be added after fermentation and before transferring your wort into its aging vessel (i.e., your chosen barrel).

Aging Your Beer

Once all of your ingredients are ready, the next step is to transfer them into your chosen vessel — in this case, an oak barrel — and let it sit for up to one year while it ages and takes on flavor from its environment (i.e., its contact with oxygen).

During this stage, brewers often take samples every few weeks to monitor progress and adjust their recipes accordingly; if necessary, additional ingredients can be added at any stage during aging, depending on taste preference.

After one year, take out your finished product carefully so as not to disturb any sediment at the bottom — if done correctly, you should now have a delicious and complexly flavored batch of barrel-aged beer!

Conclusion

Making barrel-aged beer from scratch is a fun and rewarding process – once you’ve perfected your recipe, you can rest assured that you’ve created something truly unique and delicious.

So, if you want to try your hand at the art of beer making, pick up some supplies, follow this guide, and create a unique craft beer that will impress your friends and family!