Bourbon Cask Ale

Brewme · 10-24-2008, 08:21 PM

Anheuser Busch makes a Bourbon Ale once a year that I really like (1 of 2 beers I like from them). Has anyone had experience in making something like this beer? I assume I would need a bourbon barrel during secondary fermentation?

**Revvy** · 10-24-2008, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewme

Anheuser Busch makes a Bourbon Ale once a year that I really like (1 of 2 beers I like from them). Has anyone had experience in making something like this beer? I assume I would need a bourbon barrel during secondary fermentation?

A lot of people use bourbon soaked oak cubes, shavings, or chips in secondary to get that effect....Yesterday I did a search on it on here for a beer I'm brewing...if you do a thread search you will find a ton of info on it...You can even use Jack Daniels Oak Chips, but you still have to sanitize them.

And I'm wondering if AB actually cask ages their beer, or goes the same route I'm talking about....

Of course if you can lay your hands on a bourbon barrell that would be cool..

Brewme · 10-24-2008, 08:46 PM

Here is what I found on it...

For those who appreciate a smooth, robust brew with rich aromas, this seasonal offering is brewed with dark roasted carapils, caramel and two-row barley malts and imported Hallertau and Alsace hops. It is then aged on bourbon oak casks and whole Madagascar vanilla beans.

chriswilkes33 · 10-24-2008, 09:12 PM

The North by Northwest brewery in Austin has a whiskey stout that is nothing more than a stout aged in old whiskey barrels. Basically it just combines the two best things to ever hit my mouth. It is a really good brew but if you dont like whiskey (like my wife) then you wont like it.

seawort · 10-24-2008, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewme

Here is what I found on it...

For those who appreciate a smooth, robust brew with rich aromas, this seasonal offering is brewed with dark roasted carapils, caramel and two-row barley malts and imported Hallertau and Alsace hops. It is then aged on bourbon oak casks and whole Madagascar vanilla beans.

am I the only one that thinks "aged on" means they use chips just like we were saying?

carnevoodoo · 10-25-2008, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seawort

am I the only one that thinks "aged on" means they use chips just like we were saying?

In my head, it is a giant fermenter with a few actual barrels thrown in full of weights.

In reality, who knows.

**Saccharomyces** · 10-25-2008, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chriswilkes33

The North by Northwest brewery in Austin has a whiskey stout that is nothing more than a stout aged in old whiskey barrels. Basically it just combines the two best things to ever hit my mouth. It is a really good brew but if you dont like whiskey (like my wife) then you wont like it.

Woah. Really?

When it is on tap PM me. I will buy you one for clueing me in.

I love NxNW.

**Saccharomyces** · 10-25-2008, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnevoodoo

In my head, it is a giant fermenter with a few actual barrels thrown in full of weights.

In reality, who knows.

Most wines these days are aged in stainless tanks using oak chips.

Who knows. As long as it tastes right....

**Revvy** · 10-25-2008, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seawort

am I the only one that thinks "aged on" means they use chips just like we were saying?

Considering that's how "beech aged Budweiser" is done I'm not surprised...I know that plenty of craft brewer's actually use barrels, in fact there was a thread about it yesterday, a micro brewery was going to give some barrells away...But Inbev/Annheiser Bush? I doubt that the pencil neck geeks in accounting would allow for what would be required....but the sure as heck allow their marketers to have free reign to describe it that way. I could be wrong...

But it doesn't matter...unless you have access to toasted oak barrels, the best bet to get the same effect is the way mentioned before, when I said there was a ton of threads explaining how to do it on here....

I'm doing it with half a batch of my Old bog road brown ale...I threw in a pound of rauchmalt when I brewed it last weekend, then I'm going to rack half the batch into one of my 3 gallon fermenters over some toasted oak chips soaked in bourbon...

I'm thinking with some time it may be something special.

PseudoChef · 10-25-2008, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy

Considering that's how "beech aged Budweiser" is done I'm not surprised...

This is done for completely different purposes. It is not for flavoring, it is to help flocc the yeast quicker. By spreading the chips on the bottom of the lagering tanks, the yeast have more surface area to settle on and won't be in the final product. This is one of the reasons why they're able to get the beer out so quick to the public.

And really, what's so different about oak chips/cubes than a barrel rather than aesthetics? With oak chips/cubes, you can easily adjust surface contact amounts with the beer - resulting in quicker or slower leeching of the wood-flavoured compounds as the brewer desires. With a barrel, you're locked into a set surface. Barrels are also harder to sanitize and keep the staves with a tight seal. Finally, with chips, you can easily get a fresh char if you desire.