Barreled Souls (2020)

http://barreledsouls.com/

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36073/

Info from Barreled Souls Website:

Hours

• MONDAY CLOSED
• TUESDAY CLOSED
• WEDNESDAY 4.00 PM - 10.00 PM
• THURSDAY 4.00 PM - 10.00 PM
• FRIDAY 4.00 PM - 12.00 AM
• SATURDAY 12.00 PM - 12.00 AM
• SUNDAY 12.00 PM - 08.00 PM

Barreled Souls Brewing Co. is owned and operated by Chris Schofield and Matthew Mills. Chris and Matt both grew up in Wells, ME and have been friends since the fourth grade. The idea of opening a brewery together came up many times over the years, usually while imbibing on some stellar examples of the craft. The conversation got serious in the summer of 2012 and two years later Barreled Souls was open for business.

About the Brewery
Matt and Chris set out to create the kind of beers they would want to drink and the kind of brewery they would want to spend time at. This meant focusing on making a large variety of beers, using unique ingredients and processes paired with a large, comfortable and professionally run tasting room that carries 12 varieties on draft.

The brewery operates a fifty gallon brewing system. All of the beer produced at the brewery undergoes primary fermentation in oak barrels. The fermentation system is based off of the Burton Union system, which was a method of fermenting beer developed in England in the 1800’s. The benefits of this system are really three-fold.

• When beer actively ferments in the presence of oak it begins to break the oak down releasing some tannins into the beer along with some flavor and aroma compounds. These compounds create subtle but noticeable changes that occur in all of the beers resulting in a “house character”.
• The physical dimensions of the barrels themselves create a very comfortable environment for the yeast. The rounded wall of the barrel help the liquid churn and rotate during fermentation allowing the yeast to more easily move around. The fact that the barrel has a much lower width-to-height ratio reduces that atmospheric pressure on the yeast keeping them healthier leading to better fermentation characteristics.
• The primary purpose for using the Burton Union system is to allow for a means of re-capturing a healthy and active yeast crop to use for subsequent batches. As the beer ferments, yeast is driven up to the surface by the CO2 created as the yeast multiply. The yeast that rise to the top are the healthiest and strongest yeast cells in the batch. By filling the barrels almost to the top, this “top crop” of yeast is pushed up and out of the barrels and into a catchment system that allows the yeast to be captured and re-used in subsequent batches. Over generations the yeast acclimate to the system resulting in a selectively bred strain the flourishes.

Frequently Asked Questions about Barreled Souls


Q. Do you serve food?
A. We do not, but you’re welcome to bring food with you. We also have occasional food trucks- Facebook usually has this information.

Q. Do you have any offerings besides beer?
A. No, we do not. Non-alcoholic beverages are ok to bring with you.

Q. Can I bring my kids?
A. Yes you can- but please keep in mind we only have beer available, so plan accordingly!

Q. Are dogs allowed in the tasting room?
A. Unfortunately, we cannot have dogs inside. But we have a large outdoor area where they are welcome to hang out.

Q. Can I fill my own growler or a growler from another brewery?
A. Per state law, we can only fill our own branded growlers. We also cannot fill growlers past 10pm.

Q. Are you cash only?
A. No! We accept cash and all major credit cards.

 

My first year in the Bottle Society, the process seems to run really smooth and I'm excited about the releases to this point.

Any BA's from the society get in on the Barrel Program? A group of my friends had our video consultation for our barrel last night.

 

Will do! We had a large enough group to make it pretty affordable for each person. Based on our consult it seems like we have a good recipe/barrel plan that they were excited about getting to try. They also said we can take part in person during the different stages of the process if we want. Really seems like a fun experience. I am also hoping to be able to swap bottles with other groups in the program.

 

Yeah, I had a planned pick up a couple weeks that I cancelled. Wish I had my bottles!

 

Nice, hopefully I’ll see you at an event. Big Bang release included a couple member bottles.

 

We have the basic recipe plan and know the base brew at this point. Their brew plan is 5-6 weeks from now, so they will give us the exact barrel choice options in 3-4 weeks to make sure the freshest barrels as possible can be used. Seems like it will be a ton of fun! Our group is split between full shares and some half shares. Full shares will end up with about 10 bottles so ends up being fairly easy $$ total and reasonable haul.

 

Double Tuna....and you forgot the Poland Spring Vodka Barrel selection!