Barrel age without Kentucky

That's true, I think I've seen that most Bourbon averages in age at about 4 years or so , higher end twice that. So yes it's a projection , but theirs a war right now for market share for the small batch high price offerings. Angels Envy I believe is experimenting with wine barrels from Ca, opening a new market for expensive Bourbon. BRrels should be readily available for the forseeable future.

 

I think barrel-aging would have still caught on if there were no bourbon barrels to be had but as others have opined, probably at a slower pace and to a smaller extent. I really dig all kinds of wine barrels for various applications (reds AND whites) plus I have had a number of Rum barreled beers that were exceptional. Port, sherry, apple brandy, scotch...all are gaining traction and have resulted in some very nice beers.

Still bourbon is such a natural. I am one of those who drinks a lot of the spirit on its own as well. Probably too much.

 

Yes and Goose Island still doesn't send all the variants to KY or even Bourbon Cty for that matter! Haha.

 

Yeah, Angel's Envy finish their bourbon in port barrels and their rye whiskey in rum barrels.

 

Would it still have happened? Sure. Would it have caught on so quickly? Ehhhh. We might have more/better variation if breweries had to use wine/rum/tequila barrels to start out though.

This is one thing going on I don't understand. Gin doesn't go in barrels, so are they just dry hopping with gin botanicals?

 

Dunno... But Upright is getting gin barrels from somewhere... Both their Anniversary Saison and Special Herbs claim to be aged (or partially aged) in gin barrels. Also De Garde has a few as well that are supposed gin barrel aged...

 

Yeah I mean I've seen it all over too, and like many of them that I've had. But gin isn't barrel aged, so I am confused. It's like if a brewery started saying "Vodka barrel aged!"

 

Barrels have been repurposed for as long as bourbon has had the requirement its aged in only new oak barrels. One of my favorites is Tabasco sauce. It starts with a pepper mash aged in used bourbon barrels so in essence every Tabasco brand sauce is bourbon barrel aged even though they aren't advertised as such. Its funny when I do see brands that claim they are barrel aged on the labels and people think its a new thing.

History of bourbon barrel usage mostly by the UK but still interesting.
http://www.bruichladdich.com/article/why-bourbon-barrels

 

If not bourbon, it'd be wine and neutral wood barrels.

 

There are a few barrel aged gins around. A few examples http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/national/17581/The_Best_Barrel_Aged_Gins.htm

 

If I am remembering correct, many distilleries don't actually own their barrels, they lease them (similar to how many breweries lease kegs). So, at the end of the lease, the barrels go back to the owner of the barrels who then resells them.

A quick Google search led me to:
http://centralcoastleasing.com/Wine-Industry-Equipment-Leasing-products.html

 

Is part of using the barrel to get the oak flavor as well? As a side, I dislike bourbon (stems from a traumatic experience when age 14, splitting a quart and puking for hours) but I recently picked up a bourbon stout to try. Is it going to be real bourbon flavored or just a hint? Only reason I'm game to try it is I recently had a slice of bourbon pecan pie and I liked it.

 

AE sources its whiskey (thus far). it doesn't sound quite right to say: "their bourbon or rye". . .

 

My favorite barrel aged beer is Oaked Arrogant Bastard. I prefer the flavor a standard oak barrel adds to the beer. When aged in bourbon barrels, to me, anyways, the bourbon flavor usually tends to overpower the original characteristics of the beer instead of enhancing/adding to them. My preferences may be an anomaly, however. While this doesn't really answer the question, the fact that Oaked Arrogant Bastard is rated quite higher than BBA Arrogant Bastard, suggests that the barrel aged craze could have taken off minus the existence of Kentucky bourbon barrels.

 

I watched a documentary on Tabasco and was surprised to learn they age the peppers in barrels. People are always looking for a marketing angle. My dad and I are always finding new root beer and sharing it together, he's not a beer drinker, and recently found one that said gluten free. Almost all soda is gluten free and would assume only small producers that use yeast to carbonate and maybe add flavor has gluten...but don't quote me on that.

 

apples and oranges... barrel aged brews have been used for different styles, and barrels from whisk(e)y, to wine, to spirits and on and on and on..

there is no best... only favorites.

 

I'm of the group that thinks bourbon barrels are just ideal - the lush, sweetness of bourbon is so good with stouts, barleywines, and even strong pale ales, like Curieux and Doom. Other whiskies seem a little drier and thinner, adding an elegance, but not always the "decadence" of bourbon. Rum barrels seem to have some applications in the pales and pumpkins that I've liked. Tequila barrels seem questionable - not bad, but not as natural a marriage as the others. For sours and wilds, wine barrels are stunning. I've had one gin barrel pale, and it was interesting but not something that going to take off.

 

Yeah but in my mind you dont need to do that if you have a strong product that can stand on its own without buzzwords and heavy handed advertising but theres no shortage of people who will put that on their products anyways.

My father and I used to joke about advertising like that. We came up with a whole line of candles with compeletly true but unnecessary advertising claims such as "....they even work in the dark!" Just from how much we've noticed BS like that in the past.

And BTW if you like craft root beer I got some I can send you a local brewery has a blonde root beer its root beer but its got a bit more vanilla even edging on cream soda. BM if your interested we can always include some beers for ourselves. Who knows maybe you could even get me an IPA lol.

 

It is a fad and as such, it will pass...

 

There is approximately 4.3 million people in the lovely bluegrass state. There are more barrels full of bourbon in the state of Kentucky than there are people. So, just let that sit a minute. (I'm going to be lazy and not search) but there is somewhere around 4.7 - 4.9 million barrels of bourbon in Kentucky. Bourbon law (which will always be followed, and if it's not then the product will not be called bourbon) says that you have to use new, charred barrels. So, think how many bourbon barrels are available for purchase all the time. You want to barrel age a beer? Well, buy a bourbon barrel. It can only be used once. True most go to Scotland and other large contracts, but small scale they are readily available. Hell, I was in Lexington 3 weeks ago and the dang liquor store had them stacked down the hallway by the registers for sale. There were 20 of them at least. Also, if you run a big liquor store and order a barrel's worth of bourbon then guess what...most distilleries send the barrel it came out of with your order.

Point is I would venture to say our industry uses them because they are easiest to get and add wonderful characteristics to our beer.