Meer over Barrel Aged
Choosing by barrel
- Bourbon and whisk(e)y: under American rules, bourbon has to age in new, charred oak barrels, so a used barrel can't be used for bourbon again. Toasted or charred wood can give notes of vanilla, caramel, toast, nuts, coffee or cocoa.
- Rum, port, sherry and wine: you can taste something of what was in the barrel before, in balance with the beer.
- Wood without a previous drink: the BJCP keeps this separate; here it's all about the wood itself.
According to Brew Your Own, a bourbon barrel that is filled for the second or third time gives off less bourbon aroma. And ageing on wood doesn't necessarily give a wood flavour, writes the Brewers Association, but it does give its own character. Tannins from the wood can make the body seem fuller and the finish drier.
Choosing by base beer
Barrel aged is a treatment that can be applied to any beer: flavour, strength and colour depend on the base beer. Mostly strong, full-bodied beers go into barrels, because they can best handle the extra flavours. Also take a look at imperial stout, barleywine and pastry stout. With sour styles such as Flemish red and lambic, ageing on wood is part of the style itself: see sour beer.
What you'll find at Hoptimaal
Breweries you'll often come across here: Jackie O's, Barreled Souls, Revolution Brewing, Perennial Artisan Ales, Clandestin, Badlands, PINTA Barrel Brewing, Bereta, Tired Hands, Transient Artisan Ales and The Veil. With many beers, the name mentions the barrel, the year, or both. For every beer you see the current Untappd score.
Serving and storing
A good starting point: 10–13 °C in a tulip or cognac glass. Strong beer, generally from 8%, lends itself to ageing. Store it cool, at a constant temperature and in the dark, upright (with a cork: on its side), and ask the brewery how long it can be kept. CraftBeer.com recommends tasting after six months and then once a year.
Buy barrel aged beer at Hoptimaal
At Hoptimaal you can buy barrel aged beer online or in our shop at Leeghwater 5 in Amersfoort. You order them one at a time. Order before 3 pm on working days and we ship the same day. Shipping within the Netherlands is free from €75.
Choose by barrel. With many beers, the name mentions which barrel it was, and if it held bourbon, whisky, rum, port, sherry or wine, you can taste something of that.
Frequently asked questions
Does barrel aged beer always taste of whisky?
No. There are also rum, port, sherry and wine barrels, and barrels that held no drink before. According to the BJCP, the wood flavours should support the base beer, not dominate it.
Is a barrel aged beer still good after the best-before date?
It's usually not spoiled. The best-before date (THT) is a quality date, not a spoilage limit, and drinks with 10% alcohol or more don't even need one. Strong beer can get better with the years, but it can also go downhill, especially if it's stored badly.
Since when has bourbon barrel aged beer existed?
Ageing on wood is old, but deliberately putting beer into used bourbon barrels only began in the mid-1990s, in the United States, according to beer writer Jeff Alworth. More in the Beer School on barrel aged.
Can you order barrel aged stout online?
Yes, by the bottle. Most of our barrel aged beers are imperial stouts, along with barleywines, among others. You'll find all imperial stouts, barrel aged or not, at imperial stout.
