Although trendy, barrel aged beers actually date back a few centuries. And with something as active in fermentation, there were a few pitfalls in the old days. Indeed, an extraordinarily large vat that burst in 1814 flooded London streets with aged porter.
Eight people drowned in the memorable disaster.
Maturing beer in used bourbon barrels is, however, a much more recent phenomenon — though one fraught with admittedly lesser dangers. While the combination of charred wood, oxidation and the remnants of whiskey impart unique flavors, the staves fend off sterilization easier than stainless steel, leading to the risk of a tainted product.
“It’s always scary,” said Ron Chips of Kelsey Creek Brewing. “You’re putting beer with residual sugars into a porous vessel.”
Brewers pursue bourbon barrels because the risk is well worth the reward. The barrel aged porter currently on tap at Kelsey Creek Brewing shows hints of toasted caramel and smoky wood on the nose, indicating a nuanced and flavorful beer to follow.
The porter carries hints of soft ash, gentle malt, toffee and toasted wood, along with the more familiar light brewed coffee and sour bite, which lends a surprisingly light mouthfeel.
Chips has produced a heavier bourbon barrel aged brew in the past — a stout. This time, however, he opted for the medium-bodied style. To allow the whiskey aromas space to roam, he skipped the final addition of hops.
“When I first smelled it I thought ‘wow,’” he said. “It’s not over the top in any way.”
Chips sought to rein in the bitterness and whoa down overt residual sugars. Otherwise, it’s a fairly standard porter, relying on a pale malt, a chocolate malt and a crystal malt.
His real trick was impatience at the beginning, patience the rest of the way.
You see, he arrived to pick up two barrels acquired from George Dickel by Hooker’s House, a Sonoma distillery, before they finished extracting the last of the damp edges from the staves. But Chips then determined to let the beer rest in the barrels for an extended time — seven months.
During this time he kept his hands off the barrels, not even to top them off. The natural evaporation process cost him a few gallons — something he considered a benefit.
“That tends to concentrate the flavors,” Chips observed.
Yet time, porous wood and the spirit that still resided in the staves also worked to smooth over any sharp edges. Kelsey Creek’s barrel aged porter is even tempered. Though layered with normally noisy impressions — rough hewn toffee, charred wood and the like — the flavors prefer lounge on the palate rather than run rampant.
“That’s the thing I like about it,” Chips said. “It’s well balanced.”
The beer is available until the taps run dry. Kelsey Creek has been mum about its existence, serving from an unmarked spigot and refraining from advertising it on their board. So there is plenty on hand, at least for the moment.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
