Roll Out the Barrel

Published July 18, 2010 at 3:21 p.m.

Most Americans are used to beer with a brewing date of last week, so it might come as a surprise that there is growing interest in the ancient art of producing barrel-aged brews, beers that have spent time in barrels that may have been previously used for spirits such as bourbon or even wines the likes of chardonnay. (Cask-conditioning, which often takes place in stainless containers, is a variation of this process.) The beer may undergo a secondary fermentation and become naturally carbonated; it may take up flavors contributed by the barrel’s previous occupant; it will almost surely become more complex with inevitable air exposure, fraternization with microbes and the like. And it’s happening right here in...

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