Barrel Aging FTW or not?

I do like them, and I don't think it's a cop out. Or at least I don't mind it. If it results in more good beers I'm all for it.

 

It's not surprising that a mediocre base beer would be a mediocre/good beer when barrel aged. To have a great barrel aged beer, you really need to start with a good base product. Take Adam From the Wood, this is a great beer, but the base beer is also great. The barrel will help a beer in terms of complexity, but it's not the magic bullet that can make a meh beer turn into an amazing beer.

 

What if you barrel aged Budweiser? I'm serious. If you took a bland adjunct lager and barrel aged it, what would happen?

 

I like the barrel aged. I think it imparts decent flavors to the RIGHT beers. Some aren't awesome, some are.

Some are doing it because it's in right now.. I think the beers for the most part need to be decent before it can be aged. Aged in bourbon, or wine, or plain oak, and the beer takes like crap, it'll be woody crappy beer.

 

I like beer. I like bourbon and whiskey. I like oak. Makes perfect sense to me. I've had some epic barrel aged beers, and some that were a complete mess. Same as any other style. It is a hot trend right now but I'm not really complaining.

 

I agree with all of this. I would like to add that as a brewer I prefer to make a "blank slate" so to speak of a beer before I add flavor/spice/wood. I try and avoid going too heavy on any hops, or using too strong of a yeast that will overpower the flavors I am looking to get. I have a porter on oak right now and I purposely made it quite a simple and even boring porter so the oak would be the highlight.

 

Agreed. I like bourbon, it's my other crutch, other than beer.

Put them together, and if I could add a taste of my ol' lady to the mix, it would be the only thing I've ever drink!!!

 

If the base beer isn't to my liking, I'm not going to try a Barrel Aged version of it. I don't see the point of it.

 

Just avoid cedar barrels (Cigar City). IMO, cedar makes a beer taste like a science experiment gone bad. Bourbon and oak are the gold standard for me.

 

Big plus one to this. For example, ba storm king (dark intrigue) doesn't interest me in the least, cause storm king is average. BA speedway, however, interests me to no end, cause speedway is a really really good beer.

 

Be fair...there are plenty of cop-outs. Cocoa nibs FTW? Brett FTW? 100 IBU FTW? Vanilla beans FTW? The possibilities are endless, just use your "experimentation" and "imagination."

 

I like cocoa nibs and 100 IBU, and vanilla.

WINNAR!

 

Would you age that base beer in a barrel?

 

Damn right.. I'd make a Chocolate Creme Brulee Bourbon Stout out of it.

 

I dont think its a cop out or anything as much as it is just an experiment (which almost always turns out well). The barrel aging adds alot of complexity to the beer imo, and I don't see a reason why people would be against it. If you have an above average beer and turn it into an amazing beer by barrel aging, what is wrong with that? Make the best beer possible that you can that people will enjoy, barrel aged or not.

 

I disagree. Not every brewery and their sister do barrel aging, and of the ones that do, it is only a very small percentage of their overall offerings.
Look at Dogfish - If we are talking specifically about Barrel aging and not oak aging, they dont really do much if anything. Most others maybe do 1 or 2 a year.
Of course there are the exceptions like the Bruery and FW who have whole programs.
I want to walk into a bar and have the option of getting something barrel aged. I mean be honest, have you every walked into a bar where 90% of the beers are barrel aged?? No, it's usually 1 or 2 at the most and then the breweries regular offerings and seasonals.
I saw the show you are talking about and the brewery in Spokane is an exception. That said, I would still give their beers a try before judging.

 

I think that's illegal, which is why more brewers don't do that.