Wood & Beer: A Brewer's Guide

by Dick Cantwell, Peter Bouckaert

Overview

Join authors Dick Cantwell and Peter Bouckaert as they tell the story of the marriage between wood and beer from Roman times through medieval Europe to modern craft brewing. Cooperage is a long and venerable craft and here the authors give a description combining the evocative and technical. The smells, the heat, choosing the wood, drying, fashioning staves, steaming, firing, and assembling into a perfect container—at least perfect until the bunghole is drilled to accommodate the precious contents.

Barrels and foeders have gone from an oddity of traditional breweries to a commonplace feature at the heart of the craft brewing industry. It is estimated that 85% of US breweries now use wood as part of their process. Maintaining wooden vessels requires care and meticulous organization of cellar space. The authors discuss the vagaries of temperature, humidity, seasonal changes, mold, and evaporation, and how breweries new and old deal with these challenges. The basics of selecting, inspecting, cleaning, and maintaining barrels are detailed.

Finally, of course, the wood must be united with the beer. The complexity and variations that govern how wood imparts flavors to beer can be overwhelming. The authors guide the reader through wood's characteristic flavor compounds and the nuances of toasting and charring. Oak is the focus, American, French, and Eastern European, but other woods get their due. As well as intrinsic flavors, the microflora that take up residence in a barrel or foeder are the living, beating heart of a barrel-aged beer, able to create sour and unique beers of fascinating complexity. The authors pepper the text with stories and experiences from some of the giants of the craft brewing scene, discussing how they monitor their barrel programs and taste and blend their beers to create something truly special.

All this will inspire professional and amateur brewers alike. At the end of the book the authors give some helpful advice on wood aging for homebrewers, including the uses for chips, cubes, spirals, staves, powders ... and the odd chair leg. Get ready to embrace the mystical complexity of flavors and aromas derived from wood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938469213
Publisher:	Brewers Publications
Publication date:	06/07/2016
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Peter BouckaertPrior to relocating to the U.S. in 1996 to become New Belgium Brewing Company's brewmaster, Peter brewed for a decade at Brewery Rodenbach. Peter earned the equivalent of a Master's degree in brewing and fermentation technology from the University of Ghent, Belgium, as well as a Quality Engineer degree from CKZ Krtrijk. Peter's mantle includes awards from the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival and a handful of other beer accolades. He was honored to be awarded the 2013 Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing by the Brewers Association.Dick CantwellDick Cantwell is among the most well-respected and experienced craft brewers, co-founding Elysian Brewing Company in 1996, where he served as head brewer until its sale to Anheuser-Busch in 2015. Cantwell is currently head of production at Magnolia Brewing Company in San Francisco, CA. In 2004, Cantwell received the Brewers Association's Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing. Additionally, he has written for various beer magazines, authored Barley Wine with Fal Allen, Brewing Eclectic IPA and The Brewers Association's Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery, Second Edition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword Frank Boon xi

Foreword Wayne Wambles xvii

Introduction xxi

1 The History of the Barrel, or There and Back Again 1

Romans and (Celtic) Countrymen-Wood Replaces Clay 2

Vessels of Wood-Barrels, Boats, and Brewing 4

Messages in Barrels-Regulation, the Hanseatic League, and Other Alliances of Trade 6

Barrels Across the World-Exploration and Industry 9

The Sun Also Rises-the Shifting Nature and Use of the Barrel 12

2 Cooperage 15

3 Wood & Wooden Vessels 33

The Wood Before Time 40

American Oak 43

European Oak 45

French Oak 47

The Oak of Other Regions 49

Harvesting, Splitting, Dressing, and Seasoning 50

Vessels of Wood-About the Size of It 54

Curiosities and Anachronisms-Other Wooden Vessels Used for Brewing 57

4 Wood Maintenance 61

Cellar Design-from Zero to Infinity (and Beyond) 62

Cellar Ambiance-Temperature, Humidity, and Other Factors 70

Inspecting New Barrels, and Barrels New to You 73

Basic Cooperage Tools 84

Repairing- Leaks in Barrels 86

Evaluation and Care of Feeders 101

5 Flavors from Wood 115

Materials Extracted from Wood 118

Seasoning, Bending, Toasting, and Charring 301 123

What Happens When Beer Contacts Wood? 127

More Arcane Processes and Effects of Extraction 134

Other Wood-Related Products and Processes You May Not Have Thought Of 136

6 Flavors in Wood 141

Sour and Sour-Skinning the Cat 148

Voodoo Magic-Inoculation, Re-inoculation, and Keeping It All Going 162

7 Blending and Culture 167

The Fifth Element 186

Appendix A 189

Appendix B 195

Bibliography 199

Index 209

Editorial Reviews

A definitive book on sourcing wood, the complexities of the coopering process and even the finishing oak maturation and compounds that make their way into your book. This book is a must-add for your library.

Tomme Arthur

Two of my brewing idols have created an indispensable brewer's guide to understanding and using wood in the production of beer. Peter Bouckaert and Dick Cantwell have painstakingly collected and skillfully weaved together an impressive wealth of information and experience that brewers of any level will find intriguing. This is the book that I've been looking for since that life-changing first taste of barrel-aged stout, which altered my brewing path forever.

Matt Brynildson