Beer and the Bourbon Boom

I got into bourbon a while back, never as deep as I'm into beer now but it was my drink of choice. I was never a big beer drinker, but I started with jack and cokes "at the club" when I was young. Just chose that for no other reason than it's all I really knew about and didn't want to be floundering at the bar showing my inexperience.
I eventually came to enjoy the taste of bourbon itself and settled on Maker's Mark as my bourbon of choice. Every bar had it and it wasn't overly sweet. I'd start ordering it on the rocks. Eventually I transitioned to ordering it neat, I enjoyed the heat, and this was my way of drinking bourbon for about 3 years. I'm not sure why I stopped, it just kind of fell off, maybe because I was getting more into special herbs as an after work relaxation device than alcohol.

So I can really appreciate extremely boozy beers when it comes to bourbon, or any whiskey barrel beer in general. Rum barrel beers are ok, and port barrel beers are weird, but bourbon barrel seems to fit just right with heavier styles like stouts and barleywines.

I know the price of getting a used bourbon barrel on the homebrew scale has significantly increased in the past couple years, and from what I understand coopers are in higher demand than ever, but that's just what I heard to the grape vine's drunken conjecture.

 

tell that to Anderson Valley's Wild Turkey one lol
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/193/86545/

 

Haven't had a BBA beer I didn't like. Don't drink Bourbon though.

 

75% of my cellar = BBA beers

 

Have you had this one? http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/430/18698/

 

Yep. Meh.

 

I was referring specifically to the higher end sipping whiskeys.. I've got no issue with a Jack and Coke or a Jim and Ginger

 

Beer and Bourbon are the only things I drink....... I do have an unhealthy addiction to Moxie though.

 

Addiction to Moxie is indeed unhealthy!

Cheers!

 

Maybe the leftover oak chips from MGP's industrial whiskey production? Great article recently how this MGP companies whiskey is bottled by dozen of so called craft distillers.

 

I am unfamiliar with MGP so I can’t make any comments specific to them.

I think you are suggesting making Bourbon Oak Chips from ‘old’ (i.e., used Bourbon Barrels). I am not a commercial brewer but on the face of it, that sounds like an idea that can work?

On the topic of MGP vs. ‘other’ Bourbon makers, some breweries are particular on which Bourbon Barrels they use. I had a chance a few years ago to have a lengthy discussion with the person in charge of the Goose Island barrel program (John Laffler). He (Goose Island) only used Heaven Hills barrels (at least at that time). Below is something I wrote up for a beermail about my conversation with John):

“I was at Capone’s last Friday for their Goose Island and Shawnecraft events. Matt sent the Goose Island representative over to talk to me. He was a nice guy and ironically (to your post) the barrel aging guy. I really don’t know a lot about BCBS but we had a great conversation none the less. I enquired about how long they ‘age’ their beers and he replied that they want to go through two ‘seasons’: one cold period and one warm period. He mentioned that they put a lot of beer in the barrels last fall (November?) so those beers have gone through one cold season so after this spring/summer they should be ready for bottling.

I asked him if obtaining enough barrels is a problem and he said that it is. They utilize barrels from Heaven Hills Distillery (he mentioned a specific year like 14 year old barrels). He mentioned that he obtains his barrels from a ‘third party’ person instead of dealing directly with Heaven Hills. He also mentioned that this third party guy is now ‘hawking’ these barrels to other breweries which is an irritation to the Goose Island guy; he stated that he purchases something like 80% of the third party guys barrels and therefore expects ‘preferential’ treatment. Apparently the demand for barrels is bumping up the price of barrels. The Goose Island guy told me what they cost in the past and what they are costing now but I don’t recall the exact prices.

I also spoke to Mike Gretz Jr. later in the evening (Gretz Beverage is the SEPA distributor for Goose Island). He mentioned in our conversation that the Goose Island barrel facility is a two story warehouse that occupies an entire city block. He also stated that it was ‘packed’ with barrels.”

Cheers!

 

I would probably look at the introduction and heavy marketing of sweet whiskies in recent years. Honey, maple, etc. They can't keep Jack Daniel Tennessee Honey on shelves around Boston as the demand from Masshole bros is off the charts. At some point those guys grow up and order real whiskey. I would also point out that there has been a lot of growth from women. I know my wife drinks whiskey at least 50% of the time when she orders a drink. 3+ years ago, it was fruity cocktails and wine.

 

I love good bourbon, I have since the sixties. call me wierd I have quite a few of these aged beers and I am not a really big fan. some are really nice do not get me wrong but it sure as hell, is not the reason love beer. I do not seek any of them out.

but this stuff is a big fad atm.

 

MGP: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...bly-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana.html#

I would think they'd have a massive supply of barrels, or more likely bourbon soaked oak chips. I assume they don't actually barrel most of the stuff.

 

LOL, not surprised you get a fad going and they find a way to short cut things and suck money out of fools.

 

Legally it can't be called "Bourbon" unless it is aged in a new, charred oak barrel.

 

Yes they could get some Bourbon flavor from soaked oak chips, but then they'd be mislabeling their beer if they called it "oak barrel" or "bourbon barrel aged." This would leave them open to lawsuits for false advertising/labeling. To avoid that they'd have to call it "oak aged" or "bourbon aged."

Cheers!

 

:-)

I suspect their head brewer already realizes things didn't work out for that beer.

 

Tom, what if they aged the beer on pieces of wood from Bourbon Barrels?

Cheers!

 

Jack,

Still would be mislabeling/misleading to call it Bourbon barrel aged when it was not aged in the barrel. Doesn't mean someone hasn't done it but...

If I were a commercial brewer I'd certainly not take that risk when I could use a wording that was accurate even if some folks managed to draw the wrong conclusion. (For example I've seen folks on this site complain about not getting any Bourbon flavor from "oak aged" Yeti, which of course uses just simple oak chips in the aging tank. )