What was the first barrel aged beer?

I remember reading somewhere that Goose Island claims that Bourbon County is the first.

 

Jesskidden...

 

I'm assuming you mean non-Lambic in the modern era, that would be Bourbon County Stout - 1992

 

I wish I had an exact date, but the Bull & Bush in Denver has been brewing since 1/1/97. They started aging their beers in barrels only a few years afterward thanks to their affinity for whiskies and access to barrels. I'm sure there might have been a few earlier ones, but they were definitely one of the pioneers over here in the states.

Edit: Looks like BCS definitely pre-dates this one by a few years!

 

Waiting for Marquis

 

So then for the purposes of your question would "barrel characteristics" include the influence/taste of simple oak (or whatever wood was used to make the barrel)? Or are you specifically asking about the characteristics of bourbon or some other liquor that previously occupied the barrel?

If the former, I think you'd have to go back a long ways (centuries probably) in Europe. If the latter, then from what I've read Goose Island was the first brewery to put beer in used Bourbon barrels to deliberately pick up Bourbon characteristics.

 

No idea!
Barrel ageing is as old as the hills of course but to do so with the specific intention of leaching out flavours from the previous contents is a different matter.
Beer was routinely barreled and left to age for several months before bottling or sent away for sale.
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/maturing-bass-pale-ale.html
Vatting beer (barrels are of course specifically casks of 36 gallons UK or 31 gallons US) was done on an immense scale particularly for porters - vats contained up to 20000 barrels and could be 60 feet in diameter.
The intention though was not to imbue the beer with oak , in fact this was to be avoided at all costs , it was to stale the beer. Brett of course was found in the oak.
Greene King still do vat one of their brews http://www.beer-pages.com/stories/strong-suffolk.htm

 

I cannot dig up specifics right off the bat but did Sam Adams beat Goose Island to the barrel aging punch with Triple Bock?

 

Fish Brewing in Olympia had the wine barrel-aged Leviathon in the mid 90s but I think Goose Island claims to be the first.

 

I have always heard that BCBS was the first american brewer to bourbon barrel aged a beer. I know that Lost Abbey put Cuvee De Tomme in barrels back in the late 90's or early 2000's.

 

Hair of the Dog has been doing it since 1994. But looks like BCS has been in it since 1992

 

ISO: 1992 BCS