So I’m sitting here enjoying a Cab Sauv that I aged in new American Oak for 18 months, third go around in the barrel. I’m wondering what style of beer would work well in this barrel. I was thinking a Saison/Farmhouse Ale with some brett? I really don’t know what pares well with wine barrel aging.
Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?
I think a Saison would be very nice. Really any mixed fermentation beer could work. A pale sour beer would be nice 60/40 Pils and Wheat. This would really let you taste the flavor that the wine barrel adds to the mix while adding another layer of complexity.
Flanders Red?
Sounds intriguing. That goes on the list of possibilities.
Oud Bruin would be another choice.
You may still have a lot of tannins in the barrel, not enough perhaps for red wine, but perhaps overpowering for a saison. I made a barrel-aged saison with a used barrel and I found it undrinkably tannic. Taste frequently if you decide to do a saison.
I have aged a lot of beers in wine barrels. I have found the flavors of Belgians and Saisons go much better in wine barrels than in whiskey barrels. Darker Belgians go great in red wine barrels and lighter Belgians/Saisons go well in white wine barrels. I also aged some barley wine in brandy barrels which turned out fantastic.
I think the subtleties of wine barrels actually compliment many styles of beer, but Belgians are the ones I worked with the most.
How long did you age?
This barrel was new and used 3 times for approximately 40 months total but that is a guess without looking at notes.
Let me ask, were the beers of a higher ABV and how long on average would you age?
This one also intrigues me. I’ll have to explore the beer. I don’t think I’ve ever had one unless it was at a beer tasting event and definitely haven’t brewed one.
Thanks!!
ABV anywhere between 5% and 13%. I usually don’t age many beers longer than a few weeks to a couple of months in any barrels. I think you pick up all the character you need in a few weeks without it getting over oaked, unless you are deliberately adding brett or bacteria - which I have done a lot of as well.
I know it isn’t the most popular view but I am a big fan of pale/light beers in red wine barrels. Saisons, tripels, pale lagers, strong ales, pale ales, etc.
I agree with the comment above that the barrel is probably still too tannic for all but the heaviest of styles for any kind of long term aging of beer. Maybe run another wine through that suits a lighter oak profile or run a beer through planning to pull and replace after a few weeks.
Tannin issue aside you can go a lot of directions with the barrel but once you add brett or LAB to it you really can’t get them back out so think carefully about whether you want to run any clean beers through it before committing it that direction.