The Session #138: The Good in Wood

The SessionThis month’s edition of The Session is hosted by Jack Perdue of Deep Beer, who is asking us to consider beer and wood. In The Good in Wood, Jack says:

Wood has been used for millennia to store, transport and flavor beer, wine and spirits. Today, the relationship between wood and beer has regained its popularity with brewers and drinkers as observed in the prevalence of bourbon-barrel-aged beer and sours. This topic is deep and wide and meandering, romantic and historic, personal and professional.

I will suggest a few themes to stir your imagination on “The Good in Wood” but of course you can choose your own path.

  • Historic uses of wood through a beer lens
  • Physical characteristics of wood and that relationship with beer
  • Professional and personal experiences such as wood-themed beer festivals or tours
  • A favorite wood-influenced beer style or experience, e.g. your first bourbon barrel-aged beer, a special Flanders red moment or why you don’t like a lambic
  • Other, let your imagination run as crazy as a wild ale

The timeliness of this topic is terrific because here in Bend, we happen to have a wood-aged beer festival every year at the end of August: The Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer, Cider & Whiskey Festival.

The Little Woody 2016

When this festival first began in 2009, it was all local, and all wood-aged beers in some manner. Some were aged in barrels, some were aged on spirals or oak chips. As it grew, the fest invited breweries outside of Central Oregon to participate, added whiskey tastings, and added cider. Non-wood-aged beers crept in too, though as every brewery typically brings two beers, at least one of those does incorporate wood in some fashion.

There have been some outstanding beers at this festival and there is typically a wide range of styles that highlight the wood contributions in some way, which makes a great showcase for what wood can offer to beer. I’ve tasted beers that have run the gamut from spirit barrel-aged barleywines and imperial stouts, to Belgian-influenced creations, to wood-kissed IPAs, to sour and wild beers expressing everything from toasted oak to nail polish remover.

It’s pretty incredible the contribution even a little bit of wood can have, especially if it’s been soaked in distilled spirits. One of the first years of The Little Woody I enjoyed a beer from Three Creeks Brewing, a 4.6% ABV session rye ale, that was aged with oak spirals that had been soaked in Grand Marnier. I don’t know how many oak spirals were used, but it was mellow and flavorful. Another year there was a tequila barrel-aged lime session ale from Wild Ride Brewing that I gave high marks to for originality.

And those were simply two of quite a few interesting beers over the years.

The Little Woody is a good event, medium-sized in that it still has a small, intimate feel to it while straddling the line on “large” due to the attendance. So it fits into a bit of a sweet spot for me in that it fits an interesting and diverse niche without being uncomfortably large.

But really, it’s about the wood. If you can somehow make it to Bend, Oregon at the end of this month, this is an event to attend. Barring that, seek out similar festivals near you—they’re around.

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