The Naked Pint (32 page)

One man’s trash...Today craft beer has seen a huge resurgence of barrel-aged brews. The popularity of barrel-aging has been spearheaded by those brewers who are excited by the risks involved and seek the unique flavors wood can impart. They know it may take several batches before they figure out how best to age their beer. This often involves mixing different vintages of aging ale in the same way that Belgian brewers mix different-aged Lambics to create the perfect Gueuze. Barrel-aging is a commitment; it takes space, money, patience (sometimes you have to dump your beer and start all over again), and a watchful eye.

So what happens to a beer aged in a barrel? The wood is porous (as is a cork in bottle-aging) and lets in a small amount of oxygen. This is possible because the alcohol (or sometimes just water in the beer) evaporates slightly. This evaporated part is poetically known as the “angels’ share” (which, incidentally, is the name of a rare and beloved Belgian-style ale from the brewery Lost Abbey out of California). As this oxidation happens, chemicals are created that change the flavor of the beer. In beers that don’t benefit from aging, like lighter low-alcohol beers, oxidation can create a wet-cardboard flavor. In bigger, high-alcohol beers, oxidation can bring about a sherry-like flavor or sometimes a metallic flavor. The sherry flavor can be a nice addition to certain beers but may not be great in others. It’s a bit of a crapshoot sometimes. The sharp flavors of a hoppy or sour beer also tend to dull during this process, just as the sharp flavors of fruit or drying tannins can mellow out when bottle-aging wine.

Barrels used for aging beer tend to be oak and are often barrels that have been used to age bourbon or whisky, giving the beer flavors from these liquors and sometimes bumping up the alcohol percentage because of remnants of alcohol in the wood. Some daring breweries, like Russian River from California, make use of wine barrels that have been used for Chardonnay, Cabernet, or Pinot Noir, hoping to add a vinous complexity to their beer. Although other woods have been used, like cedar and chestnut, oak seems to be the easiest to work with and the most dominant in aging.

Barrel flavors are hard to control because one barrel may have different characteristics from the next. And if a barrel is used once to age a beer, then its second aging will often be dulled. For example, if the barrel had been used to age bourbon, then the second time it is used for beer aging it usually won’t have the same amount of bourbon flavors to offer. So if consistency is desired, brewers must mix batches from various barrels or age in freshly used barrels every time. This can be costly and involves a lot of tasting and perfecting, which is often why barrel-aged beers fetch a higher price in liquor stores, craft beer bars, and restaurants. Most barrel-aged beers will say so on the label, as this is a point of pride for the brewer. Some will even tell you what kind of barrel was used and for how long; others will let you in on how many beers were blended together to create a big brew, such as a Barleywine. If you haven’t had a barrel-aged beer, get on it; these are often remarkable beers that again expand your concept of what craft beer can offer.

Here are some of our favorite barrel-aged brews:

A
s we mentioned when talking about Porters and Stouts, dark beer suffers from a lot of stereotypes, and people new to beer seem to shy away from the darker brew. We’ve pointed out some dark beers that are much lighter in body and flavor than one would expect (see Chapters 4 and 5)—beers that aren’t so high in alcohol and that are easy enough for a new craft beer drinker to get into. These are
not
those beers. Imperial Stouts and Smoked beers are definitely on the bigger side, not always because of alcohol content but because of a bold flavor profile. These are beers that benefit from having a bit of beer knowledge under your belt, simply so you can appreciate their complexity instead of being put off by their intensity. Graduating to a level in your Beer Journey where you can appreciate these beers is exciting, even titillating. These are beers that grab your attention and dominate your palate (if you’re into that sort of thing).

On the more eccentric side of beer styles are smoked beers. They may even be the most fetishistic of this chapter due to their unusual flavor. These are beers made from malt that has been smoked over a flame (see, kinky!). Historically, in the absence of a kiln, malt was often dried in the sun, but aside from that, drying malt over an open flame was the only option. This of course produced smoke, which seeped into and flavored the malt. Smoked beers often have a sweetness underneath the smoke, which can be chocolaty and nutty, or a bit spicy. These beers tend to have a hop presence that dries out that sweetness, but the hops are not usually present as a strong flavor, and smoked beers are therefore typically low in bitterness.

The most famous smoked beer is the Rauchbier. Rauchbier (
rauch
means “smoke” in German) is a German style, primarily out of Bamberg, that is made from malt that has been smoked over an open flame using beechwood logs. (The malt is often actually dried in a kiln, but with the logs and flame underneath.) Rauchbiers range anywhere from 4% to 7% ABV and have such a pronounced smokiness that people often compare the taste to bacon or smoked meat. Rauchbiers are brewed in the substyles of Marzens (toasty seasonal lagers), Weizens (wheat beer), and Urbocks (“original Bock” beer), using the lager or ale process, depending on the style. Schlenkerla, one of the most famous breweries in Bamberg, even makes a Helles that has a touch of smoke due solely to its proximity to the smoking area during the brewing process. After the Rauchbiers at Schlenkerla are brewed, they are then matured in a 700-year-old cellar for six to eight weeks, allowing the smoke to mellow a touch. The beer is served at the brewery straight from oak barrels, keeping the history and tradition alive. Though people often taste a Rauchbier and exclaim, “It’s good, but I couldn’t drink a whole glass of it,” Schlenkerla brewery advises drinking two or three, claiming that once the taste buds grow accustomed to the smoke, the beer gets exponentially yummier. (We can vouch for that!)

Besides Rauchbier, American brewers make their own smoked beers, using smoked malts for Porters, Stouts, Brown Ales, American Lagers, Scotch Ale, and so on. Experiments with smoke can be a thrilling process for craft brewers who want that little something special in their brew.

Beer with smoky flavors can be a challenge to the palate but, we think, a good challenge. After all, you’re moving up in the beer world; time to face challenges head-on. A small percentage of people are predisposed to loving smoky flavors; others appreciate sitting round a campfire but don’t like smoky flavors in their food and drink. So this style will shock the hell out of many of you, but keep an open mind; there is a time and place for every style of beer. The next time you serve BBQ or any smoked meat, try pairing it with some smoked beer, and dazzle your taste buds with these fine choices: