Happy New Year! We had an incredible year in 2019 and we couldn’t have done it without your support. Thank you!
For 2020, we’re working on some big ideas (stay tuned). It’s an exciting time—not just for us but also for the industry, as brewers and distillers keep pushing the boundaries of flavour innovations.
We’ve been partnering with breweries to supply them with oak casks for producing barrel-aged beers, which have been making waves since the 1990s. What makes it exciting right now is the diversity and complexity of flavours that are popping up.
And brewmasters: we think 2020 will usher in a brand new barrel-aged beer trend and we’re uniquely positioned to place you at the centre of it.
The most popular option for experimenting continues to be bourbon barrels. If you age an imperial stout in a cask that contained some of the world’s finest bourbon, you’re going to get layers of sophisticated flavours in every sip: think roast coffee and spiced chocolate notes that draw you in; a smooth hit of smoky oak and hints of sweet vanilla imparted by the wood; and finally, the sweet aroma of bourbon and a velvet mouthfeel that lingers on the palate. It’s the best of both worlds in a glass, especially when our barrels come from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries (we offer barrels from a few different sources, contact us to learn more).
Same deal with whisky. You’ll get a similar flavour profile as bourbon but whisky brings sweeter maple and honey notes that can balance out your sour mash flavours.
Looking for a sweeter-tasting experiment? Rum will add molasses and sugar cane flavours to your brew, and even tropical notes of coconut. The summery scent has high appeal, and it’s a great option for balancing out a sour or hoppy finish.
Unless you’ve been sampling genever in Amsterdam, barrel-aged gin might not immediately come to mind. But a wood-kissed version of this lighter body spirit can infuse your brew with botanical notes that work well with sour, wheat or tropical-flavoured beers.
But why stop there? We’re taking it one step further with cocktail barrels that blur the line between beer and spirit. This is the trend to watch in 2020. And right now, we’re the only company in North America that can offer cocktail barrels for your brew.
Negroni, Maple Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Mai Tai, Margarita, and more –if you want your beer to have hints of your favourite cocktail flavours and the toasted oak notes of an aging barrel, we’ve got you covered.
We offer 10 L (2.6 gal) and 20 L (5.2 gal) barrel sizes, or a 5 L for smaller experiments. Lead time is 90 days to ensure the flavours are soaked into the wood, so make sure you allow enough time for us to get you set up to create a brew that will stand out from the rest.
Our ability to customize your flavour experiment means there’s truly something for everyone. So consider giving cocktail barrel-aged beers a try in 2020 and be prepared for your experiment to stand out from the rest.
