Top Barrel Aging Programs

you cant ignore the wild ales!!!

 

Crooked Stave
Cantillon
Russian River
Firestone Walker
The Bruery

Agreed, Jolly Pumpkin is great too!

 

I'm not going to list programs but I will list some rad non-wild barrel beers I've had in the last year or so:

Bull and Bush Tank Town Brown (aged in Pappy 23 barrels)
Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Stranahan's barrels)
Dry Dock Bligh's (Stranahan's barrels)
Marble Reserve Ale (no clue)
Epic Big Bad Baptist (whiskey barrel)

 

Cascade needs a little love.

 

My friends Adam and Fred say hi.

 

Cherry Adam from the Wood was incredible.

 

Foothills

 

Two of the best are in the general SoCal area: The Bruery and Firestone Walker.

 

This thread needs more Avery.

 

Firestone Walker
Kuhnhenn
Kuhnhenn
Firestone Walker
Laffler

 

Deschutes
Firestone Walker
The Bruery
Hair of the Dog

 

Goose Island and Firestone Walker.

 

Don't forget Block 15. They are doing some incredible stuff

 

Original post said in the states...but sean is holding his own. Another sean in VT at lawsons is no slouch. quote="maximep, post: 679482, member: 385186"]no mention of Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen or Hill Farmstead???

¡C'MON S

 

in no particular order..

Goose Island - Maybe the only brewery I'd include based on the strength of one beer alone (BCBS). I've always enjoyed it, but now that it's available here in NJ I'm really falling in love with it. Doesn't hurt that BCBCS, BCBVS, Rare, and King Henry are all also fantastic (Bramble Rye, you can continue standing in the corner over there). Hopefully I'll get to try some Cherry Rye.

Firestone Walker - Parabola, Abacus, and Double DBA are all fantastic. The anniversary beers have ranged from absolutely sublime to just "good". I can't wait for bottles of Velvet Merkin next year.

Cambridge Brewing Company - If I was ordering this list I might have to put them first simply for their versatility. No one else that I know of is churning out both malty and sour barrel aged beers of the quality that Cambridge is. Bad Knees, Blunderbuss, Cerise Cassee, and Kriek du Cambridge are all world class.

Weyerbacher - Another brewery that puts out a wide range of barrel aged beers (though not quite as good as CBC's). Insanity is one of the more underrated -bal barleywines out there (and relatively easy to find at that), and Heresy is pretty solid barrel aged stouts. Not to mention sours like Rapture, Riserva, and Sour Black. Also, not buying more Whiskey Brown Ale at the Sour Black release still haunts me.

Russian River - Not only do they brew great beers, but they do a phenomenal job of matching base beers and types of barrels.

Cigar City may be pushing for a spot soon, as I've got some Leon and Cognac Barrel ISS in my fridge for consumption in the near future.

 

H F is as hard to get as.........well I don't know, its just fn hard to get!!

 

Real talk

 

I'd add The Bruery as a close runner up to my five above. I love me some Black Tuesday, and at the rate their anniversary beer is improving every year via the solera method, it's really going to be something special in the near future. The barrel aged sours are just a little too hit and miss for me though.

 

Firestone Walker!!!

 

De Molen - carbonation issues seem a thing of the past. Recent stuff has been great!