The next big thing in beer
By Frank DiGennaro
Take stock at any of Philly's top bottle shops and you'll find a wide array of barrel-aged brews decorating the display cases.
Highly sought-after bourbon barrel aged releases from top brewers can be found gracing the shelves of Local 44's back-room or lining the counter at Beer Heaven, and for good reason. Expert bourbon barrel aging can contribute vanilla and caramel notes that perfectly accentuate the deep and dark malt bills of imperial stouts and barleywines. But now that practically every brewery is making a beer in this style, trendsetters have moved on to something new. Many of them have found their inspiration at the winery, aging the brews in spent wine barrels, and one local brewery is helping to lead the way.
Victory Brewing Company, based in Downingtown, PA, has gotten into wine-barrel-aging with the release of Red Thunder, a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel aged version of their big porter, Baltic Thunder. This coming March they will also be releasing a Chardonnay barrel aged version of the dangerously drinkable 9 percent alcohol-by-volume beer, Golden Monkey. They age the beers in barrels from a winery in nearby Chaddsford.
"We felt that both of these ales could be allowed to take a wine-directed tangent for," says Bill Covaleski, brewmaster at Victory. For him, it was all about accentuating the flavor of the base beers with notes only wine-barrels could impart. “We felt that any residual acidity of the wine that the barrels had absorbed might add clarity to the fatter, fuller bodies of these beers,” says Covaleski. Red Thunder hits on all of these qualities, transforming the base porter into a big, chocolaty, dried fruit dessert beer balanced by a hint of acidity and drying tannins on the finish.
The possibilities for wine barrel-aging are endless thanks to the virtually infinite amount of grape and oak combinations generated by the wine industry. Craft-brewers have plenty of room for experimentation—which is just what they like best.
Pick up one of these examples of wine-barrel aged beers at a local bottle shop:
- Victory Red Thunder, $14.75 for a 25-ounce bottle, available at The Bottle Shop, 1837 E. Passyunk Ave., (215) 551-5551
- Russian River Consecration, $20 for a 13-ounce bottle, available at The Bottle Shop, 1837 E. Passyunk Ave., (215) 551-5551
- Scaldis Prestige de Nuits, $59 for a 25-ounce bottle, available at The Foodery, 324 S 10th St., (215) 928-1111
- Allagash Interlude, $27.45 for a 25-ounce bottle, available at The Foodery, 324 S 10th St., (215) 928-1111
- JW Lees Harvest 2010 Vintage, $13.95 for a 12-ounce bottle, The Foodery, 324 S 10th St., (215) 928-1111
Table Matters is an online magazine at the intersection of food, drink, and culture, published by Drexel University's Center for Cultural Outreach.
