Why aren't there more Scotch barrel aged beers?

well, to be called a "scotch" it has to be distilled in Scotland (actually this may have changed recently, don't quote me on that) but especially an American brewery probably isn't going to shell over the $ to get a barrel sent over from merry ol Scotland. Probably not financially viable for most.

 

Scotch barrels can be reused, but bourbon barrels can only be used once for bourbon. Therefore bourbon barrels are much cheaper after they've been used. Plus, imagine what it would cost to ship empty barrels from Scotland...

 

Wonder if the scotch barrels would impart an overpowering flavor to the beer as well, in addition to the financial issues. Of course you could blend to make it less strong I suppose.

 

scotch is just whiskey, theres nothing stronger about it necessarily than any other whiskey from Texas or canada or wherever. It's just a regional thing as to what you can call it.

 

No overpowering flavor. Try one or more of the Ola Dubh series. Depends on the choice of whisky.

 

Good question/thread that I have been wondering myself. Bourbon barrel is overdone. I want to see some scotch ales aged in scotch barrels "looking at you Old Chub". I just had De Dochter van de korenaar, aged in ardbeg barrels. It was way too sweet. The whisky is already sweet enough, didn't need to make the beer a sweet Belgian dark. But yeah, the ones that are being made are usually over seas(closer to Scotland). Also looking to try more Brandy/port barrel aged beer this year.

 

Well, have you ever tried Laphroig? Now that is a STRONG whisky. Not so much abv, but the smoky/peaty flavor is REALLY overpowering.

 

A couple to try
Orkney - Dark Island Reserve
Any of the Harviestoun Ola Dubh variants

 

Ever heard of peat?

 

*Insert "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jays here*
They'll be the priciest beers on the market, but I can't wait to try a scotch-on-scotch ale

 

Yes and no. In terms of alcohol percentage, yes. But not taking into account the vastly different flavor profiles of scotch (in general) and bourbon (in general) one is bound to oversimplify the issue. Notwithstanding the financial difficulties that American breweries face trying to get scotch barrels, bourbon's flavors just blend better with beer (though I like scotch by itself 100X more than bourbon) IMO.

 

Scotch is made from barley
Whiskey/bourbon from corn
Rye from.......... rye

 

Exactly

 

Speaking in generalities, the peat flavor in most scotch whisky barrels adds a completely different character to beer than the relatively sweeter bourbon profiles. As for the economics, shipping barrels between Scotland and the US happens on a huge scale, but only in the other direction. Glenmorangie distillery in Scotland, for example, tends to employ used Jack Daniels barrels for its whisky. JD uses fresh barrels, ages for 4-6 years and then breaks down the barrels and ships them to Glenmorangie. The reverse direction, for brewery beer aging purposes, would not be on nearly the same scale and would have to be random and one-off. Bourbon barrels are plentiful in the US in comparison.

 

He's referring to the primary flavor of scotch.

 

If this was a good idea, and the main obstacle was the cost of barrels and shipping as some of you propose, why wouldn't a Scottish brewery or even an English one do this? They have them you know. Why would you assume that an American brewery has to be the one to do it?
Seems there may be other issues. Or perhaps they already have already tried it...

 

Oops! Meant to reply to the guy that said "Isn't any different than US bourbon"
Plus, depending on the scotch (region where it came from to be precise), the flavors are pretty different.
My original point was that yes, anyone CAN make scotch/malt whisky, but very few are making single-malt whisky from barley here in the US.

 

Well, have you ever tried Laphroig? Now that is a STRONG whisky. Not so much abv, but the smoky/peaty flav is REALLY overpowering.

Whisky does not equal bourbon, or any other corn based spirit. It is an umbrella term used to refer to several varieties of grain based spirits.

scotch can be made from just barley (single malt or blended malt) or a variety of different grains (single grain or blended grain), which commonly include corn, as well as rye, wheat, and... Well... Barley.

Bourbon must be, by law, at least 51% corn, but also commonly includes barley, rye, and wheat.

Rye, in the United States, must contain at least 51% rye in the mash bill... Same story pretty much as bourbon. Although, in canada it isn't even required to contain rye at all, strangely enough.

 

To be fair only Islay Scotch has a peaty iodine flavor to it.