Who was the 1st to put a beer in a bourbon barrel?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by dogfishandi, Jan 28, 2013.

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  1. founder26

    founder26 Initiate (0) Sep 9, 2009 Michigan

    lol they didn't age a beer for 20 years in a barrel, they may have used a barrle that held bourbon in it for 20 years then aged the beer in said barrel for a few years.
     
  2. woosterbill

    woosterbill Pooh-Bah (2,733) Apr 6, 2009 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    It seems clear from the quote "Samuel Adams Utopias which is a unique blend of liquids, some aged nearly 20 years in a hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks" that the "liquid" that has been in the bourbon cask for "nearly 20 years" is indeed beer, not whiskey. Yes, it's insane. Yes, it's WAY longer than anyone else even dreams of barrel-aging beer, but that's why Utopias isn't like any other beer.
     
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  3. sandiego67

    sandiego67 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2008 California

    Did you find that funny enough to LOL?

    Quote from Sam Adams:

    The 2012 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias is a blend of liquids, some of which have been aged in a variety of wood barrels for 19 years. This long aging process enhances the beer’s distinct vanilla and maple notes, and its high alcohol content creates a heated aroma of ginger and cinnamon. As a result, Samuel Adams Utopias invokes the flavors of a rich vintage Port, fine Cognac, or aged Sherry while feeling surprisingly light on the palate. The brew has sweet flavors of honey, toffee, caramel, cocoa and vanilla, balanced by distinct notes of molasses, raisins, plums and berries.

    http://beerpulse.com/2012/09/samuel-adams-utopias-10th-anniversary-edition-coming-in-november/

    Goose Island started their BA programs in 1992 so it appears that I was mistaken on the dates and they pre-dated Sam Adams.
     
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  4. brewbetter

    brewbetter Initiate (0) Jun 2, 2012 Nauru

    I thought GI started Bourbon County in '94.
    Maybe it was the first Bourbon Barrel beer, maybe not, but it definitely was not even close to being the first barrel aged beer.
     
  5. founder26

    founder26 Initiate (0) Sep 9, 2009 Michigan

    did you find it that annoying that you had to put lol IN BOLD??? sheesh man lighten up, im a little tipsy right now so sue me!
     
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  6. gtermi

    gtermi Initiate (0) Apr 21, 2010 Texas

    Thanks for sharing that video, that was pretty cool.
     
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  7. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I'm going to clear all of this up, right here and now. It was me.
     
  8. Tashbrew

    Tashbrew Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2007 California

    Sam Adams was aging Triple Bock in large quantities in 1992 for the 1993 release. They were doing this at the Champale Brewery in Ceres, CA. Though Goose Island claims they started Bourbon County in 1992 there is little evidence of it until 1995. It would have been at the brewpub for which there was little room for such endeavors.
     
  9. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    The name of the winery in California where Triple Bock was barrel-aged was "Bronco".

    The Champale breweries were in Trenton, NJ [formerly Metropolis, also one of the US homes of Black Horse Ale] and Norfolk, VA. Champale was a malt liquor - well, still is apparently, marketed by Pabst now and brewed, last I looked, by The Lion.
     
  10. Tashbrew

    Tashbrew Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2007 California

    The home of '2 buck chuck'!
     
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  11. westcoastbeerlvr

    westcoastbeerlvr Grand Pooh-Bah (3,751) Oct 19, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Is it possible that BCBS was first put into barrels in 1992the but wasn't bottled and released until 1994 or 1995?
     
  12. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,291) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Surely doesn't look like you're from Minnesota, so you can't get away with using this grammar. :wink:
     
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  13. Tashbrew

    Tashbrew Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2007 California

    Nope, this was the Goose Island Brewpub...no bottling of BCBS until Fulton St. (or hand bottled for competition). Back then it was an absolute novelty.
     
  14. MichPaul

    MichPaul Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2012 Michigan

    For this reason??? I would hope it would reach a top beer list because it's really really good...
     
  15. thebigredone

    thebigredone Pooh-Bah (1,592) Dec 19, 2011 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I think I remember that Randy Mosher writes in Tasting Beer that the first people he can recall aging beer in Bourbon Barrels was a hombrewers association in/around Chicago. Major props to those guys for starting something awesome. If I remember correctly, that is.
     
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  16. Tashbrew

    Tashbrew Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2007 California

    Back when this started...brewers were under the watchful eye of the ATF, and state liquor control boards. So, for many brewers it was taboo to barrel age in used spirit barrels. The ATF/TTB didn't really go on record per se that "aging in used Bourbon Barrels" was 'ok' until 2004...

    Greg Hall's inspiration came from the homebrew club 'Brewers of South Suburbia' in Beverly IL. They would do a club brew of Imperial Stout and Ferment it in a used Jim Beam barrel. This gave Greg the idea to put GI imp stout in a barrel and age 100 days...
     
  17. krl2112

    krl2112 Pooh-Bah (1,682) Nov 10, 2012 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Agreed, but I believe it was based on its influence as the other beers in the top 20 were as well.
     
  18. dvelcich

    dvelcich Zealot (605) Feb 6, 2008 Illinois

    This is completely wrong. They have a barrel cellar that resides underneath the bar that is still used today to create the unique brews they put on tap there.
     
    steveh likes this.
  19. misterid

    misterid Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2009 Wisconsin

    whatever it was, it doesn't hold a candle to the previous years batch. i got off taste from the wood and some char from it probably sitting in the barrel too long.
     
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