Oak It Up
Barrel-aged beers are some of the finest, most complex, and sought-after beers produced. Often imitated, though never truly replicated, oak barrels provide characteristics that are otherwise unobtainable. These come from a slow ingress of oxygen to the aging beer, flavors and tannins from toasted oak, as well as character from the spirit or other beverage that was previously aged in the barrel.
Often requiring a minimum of a year in the barrel — and sometimes much more — the resulting beers undergo a loss of water through evaporation and gain additional alcohol and flavor from the spirit previously aged in the barrel. They regularly push double-digit alcohol levels and are bursting in flavors; perfect for slow sipping and deep contemplation.
With the required investment in time, it’s important to get barrel aging right. So, with the help of four professionals who regularly release some of the best wood-aged examples around, we explore the technique of barrel aging. Let’s meet the pros:
Corey Artanis: Co-Founder and Director of Brewing and Blending at 3 Sons Brewing Co. (Dania Beach, Florida)
Sean Buchan: Co-Founder and CEO at Cerebral Brewing (Denver, Colorado)
Paul Grenier: Co-Owner and CEO at Mortalis Brewing Co. (Avon, New York)
Jordan Ziegler: Vintage Barrel Master at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, California)
How big is your barrel program and what styles have you barrel-aged?
Corey: We average an annual production of 150 barrels. We generally barrel-age stouts and barleywines, but have aged a Baltic porter, strong ale, imperial sour, and we currently have a wild ale in wine barrels.
Sean: We have 130 barrels in our clean program and 35 in our wild program, along with two 15-bbl mixed-culture foeders. The bulk of our barrel aging program is focused on barrel-aged imperial stouts, but we also dabble in barrel-aged barleywines as well as saison and other wild ales. Recently we’ve been enjoying working with barrel-aged lagers. In 2022, we took home a gold medal at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers for a Chardonnay barrel-aged helles (check out a clone recipe for this beer below). As one of our favorite adjuncts, we’re always experimenting with new and unique barrel blends.
Paul: We have around 50 barrels right now and we are aging everything from imperial stouts to barleywines and even some fruited sours.
Jordan: We currently have a little over 1,000 casks filled in our program, which is roughly about 1,650 barrels in liquid. Over the years the styles that we have aged in barrels range from imperial stouts, milk stouts, imperial brown ale, smoked porter, blonde barleywine, imperial extra special bitter, browniewine, Munichwine, wheatwine, Baltic porter, Belgian quadrupel, and even Oktoberfest that is aged in wine barrels (BYO ran a clone recipe for Oaktoberfest in the March-April 2023 issue, online at: www.byo.com/recipe/firestone-walker-brewing-co-s-oaktoberfest-clone).
What attributes does barrel-aging add to a beer?
Corey: So many! Each depending on what previously aged in the barrel and for how long, the type of wood the barrels are made of, barrel size, char level, and how long you rest the beer in the barrel. All of these variables will enhance the flavor profile, aroma, and texture of the beer in
different ways.
Sean: When we choose to age a beer in a barrel we’re typically looking for three things — spirit character (assuming it’s a freshly dumped barrel), oak, and micro-oxidation. All three of these elements take time to develop, so it’s important to taste along the way in order to track them. Barrel age statements will have significant impacts on both spirit and oak, so it’s important to know what was aging in the barrel beforehand and for how long. Micro-oxidation is our tool to round out the sharp edges on our beer and develop deep, complex flavors, but if left for too long this can become a detriment.
Paul: That really depends on the barrel. You can get everything from cherry, oak, extreme tannins, vanilla, and so on. I think the better question is what attributes you are looking for, because I bet you could find a barrel to add those flavors!
Jordan: Oh, man. Where to start, ha! The beers that we design for barrel aging come out of the fermenter a bit blocky and rough around the edges but end up rounded out and balanced after resting in barrels for 12 months or longer. The char from the barrel offers carbon filtration of the beer as it rests over time. After 2–4 months you can notice a significant ABV increase from the booze inside the barrel, usually around 2–5% by volume depending on how freshly dumped the barrel was by the distillery. Around the 6–12 month mark you start to see the compounds from the oak start to shine: Vanillin provides notes of natural vanilla, lactones (trans and cis) give us notes of coconut. Furfurals (5-methyl and 5-hydroxymethyl) give off notes of toasted bread, butterscotch, and caramel. Finally, eugenols (trans and cis) give off hints of spice and clove.
What checks and preparation do you put barrels through prior to filling them with beer?
Corey: We buy our barrels from reputable brokers who put the barrels through a series of tests and fortunately we don’t have many issues with them. When we receive our barrels, we make sure the bungs haven’t been knocked out and there’s no serious physical damage. If the barrels have to sit for several weeks, we will rehydrate them by standing them up on their head, soak with hot water for 10–15 minutes, flip over and repeat to the other end. The biggest issue we’ve had with barrels are the ones with head bungs (rum and brandy barrels). It’s always good to add some barrel wax around a head bung before you fill them as a precaution.
Sean: We typically receive freshly dumped barrels and aim to fill them as quickly as possible. Before filling, we give each barrel a once-over to ensure there is no structural damage that could cause problems for us later and a quick sensory evaluation after we take the bung out. After that we’re good to purge them with CO2 and fill with beer.
Paul: Getting them fresh is super important. After you work with a trusted broker for some time you can eliminate some variables like if the broker does pressure testing, but we always test the barrel heads for a while to make sure they can hold liquid on top of the barrel and it’s not soaking into the barrel.
Jordan: I usually start with a visual inspection on the outside of the barrel for cracks in the staves or gaps in the heads where the chime and croze meet. If I find anything that I suspect will leak liquid I can use wax or putty to seal it up. A hot rinse goes a long way to not only swell the barrel staves, but to get rid of any mold and grime that’s on the outside of the barrel during aging at the distillery. After the hot rinse I take a pitcher mixed with iodine and water and scrub the area surrounding the wooden bung, followed by a few heavy sprays of 70% isopropyl. This allows me to sanitarily remove the wooden bung to inspect the inside of the barrel and insert a new rubber bung before filling with beer.
What’s the typical lifespan of a barrel that arrives at your brewery look like?
Corey: We only use them once here. Not to say you can’t use them more than once, but that’s our practice.
Sean: Most barrels are only used once in our clean barrel program. American oak whiskey/Bourbon barrels are much more porous and thus, allow more oxygen ingress than French oak wine barrels. That extra oxygen can lead to off-flavors like acetic acid in mixed-culture beers, so we typically don’t move them to our wild program after they’ve finished aging a barrel-aged stout or barleywine. Wine barrels in our wild program, on the other hand, will get used until we’re not happy with the character of the culture within it — often seeing 4–6 uses before they’re retired. We could easily go beyond that in many cases, but we’re constrained on space, so we’ll often retire barrels to allow us to bring in fresh barrels with more
wine character.
Paul: The vast majority of our barrels are single use and don’t get reused in the aging process. However, if we find something special or are looking for a special flavor, we have been known to double barrel a beer or swap barrels in the process.
Jordan: Spirit barrels are only filled once with beer. We usually sell our spent spirit barrels to a cooperage or a broker once emptied, or we give them away to fellow employees for miscellaneous projects. We also use medium-toast American oak barrels to ferment our Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale in the Firestone Walker Union system, and each barrel can be filled up to 32x times before being retired and considered “neutral.” Once the Union barrels are considered neutral, we ship them down to our sour facility (Firestone Walker Barrelworks) for sour beer production.
When in the process do you add the beer to barrel?
Corey: We transfer our stouts and barleywines to the barrels after the beer has reached terminal gravity and post centrifuge.
Sean: On our clean side, we go through primary fermentation then transfer to a brite tank for conditioning for an additional week or so. At that point we begin to check cell counts and when we’re below 5–10 million cells/mL we’re ready to fill.
The process is quite different for our wild beers. We have some that are barrel-fermented and others that see a primary fermentation in stainless with Saccharomyces, then see the addition of one of our mixed-cultures at the point of filling. It’s one of the reasons we love our wild program so much — there are so many individual variables you can change to achieve different results.
Paul: After we have checked the barrel and it meets our standards, the beer can be added. This happens after final fermentation is completed. We typically do not ferment in barrels.
Jordan: Cold side. I like to crash cool/condition the beer for at least five days before sending it to barrel. Crashing the beer will allow yeast and trub to settle out, and I like to dump that stuff out of the tank the day before filling barrels to avoid developing off-flavors or autolysis during the aging process.
What is the range of time you’ve aged beer in barrel, and what factors impact that time?
Corey: We typically age our stouts and barleywines 18–28 months. The biggest factor is flavor pickup. The beer is ready when it tastes ready.
Sean: We currently have one Bourbon barrel that’s been home to an imperial stout for nearly 60 months. While it’s certainly an outlier, we do tend to target longer aged barrels for our imperial stout program. Our average age is around 24–28 months for most releases while our Endeavor bottle members are likely to see 30+ month age statements fairly frequently.
We live in a very dry climate so aging beer this long often leads to pretty significant loss. When we empty a 53-gallon (200-L) barrel after 2–3 years of aging we’re typically losing about 25% of the product that we put in.
Paul: We have learned so much over the years in this process. Especially when you consider so many variables like climate control, temperature change, age of the barrel, what’s going inside, what flavors are you looking for, who your barrel broker is, how fresh the barrel was. I could talk for hours on this because of the significant impact of these variables. For an imperial stout, we start looking at it after 14–18 months and see how it evolved over time and then try to plan a course after that.
Jordan: 12-24 months is our sweet spot for most of our barrel-aged beers, although we have gone longer. Since the Bourbon barrels allow micro-oxygenation into the beer, the more time in the barrel means more dissolved oxygen getting into the beer. At some point the compounds from the oak become saturated. In our experience, we seem to achieve our desired extraction from the barrel sometime in that second year in barrel.
Is your barrel room temperature-controlled? What temperature range/humidity/etc. should a homebrewer try to achieve for barrel-aged beers?
Corey: Our barrel room temperature fluctuates between 75-85 °F (24–29 °C). No humidity control. When I used to barrel age my homebrew I really didn’t worry about temperature range/humidity/etc., mostly because the barrels I used were 5- to 15-gallons (19- to 57-L), so the time in barrel was quite short and those things didn’t affect the beer as much. I would definitely suggest aging at warmer temperatures vs. colder, if it’s an option. Also, if there’s somewhere you can age that has big swings in temperature from night-to-day, this will help expand and contract the beer inside the barrel, thus giving you more flavor pickup.
Sean: Our barrel rooms are temperature controlled between 65–75 °F (18–24 °C), but that’s mostly due to the fact that they’re located in the same buildings as our taprooms. The temperature and humidity levels you target should be dictated by your goals for the beer. Larger temperature and humidity swings will cause the beer to pull into and out of the oak and often speeds up the development of barrel character. Smaller swings in those variables are going to keep the beer on a more consistent, but possibly slower, path to developing the flavor profiles you’re after.
Paul: Our barrel aging facility is not really temperature controlled. We really love it when the warmer months expand the oak staves to absorb more beer and when the colder months contract to push that beer back into the barrel carrying with it some of those amazing flavors in that oak.
Jordan: We keep our barrel room at 50 °F (10 °C) all year round. Keeping our barrel room at a constant temperature eliminates temperature fluctuations and contracts the barrel, allowing the beer to penetrate deeper into the staves for a cleaner extraction. As a homebrewer I would just try to keep it in a cool, dark place that has the least amount of temperature fluctuations.
Have you used oak spirals/cubes/other barrel alternatives to amplify the oak character when barrels go neutral (or for other reasons)?
Corey: Negative. I have used some spent Black Swan honeycomb barrels for aging and they were quite nice. Black Swan mills a honeycomb-like pattern in the barrel staves to increase the internal surface area, thus speeding up the aging process.
Sean: We’ve used amburana (a Brazilian hardwood) spirals with great success several times. These were added to the brite tank after barrel aging to add additional character. While we could source amburana barrels, they’re extremely expensive and it’s much easier to dial in the desired flavor profile on an intense wood type like amburana using something like spirals.
Paul: Our current process really doesn’t utilize cubes or spirals. We have found the best results come with time and fresh barrel selection.
Jordan: We use a lot of different oak spirals, staves, and barrel bung inserts to amplify our beers. I just made a beer called ParAmburana that I infused with amburana oak from Brazil, which gave off a lot of confectionary notes like gingerbread, snickerdoodle cookies, and autumn spices to the beer. I am also working on a triple-oaked barleywine that has been aged in rye whiskey barrels with single-forest French oak barrel bung inserts added, and then finished in red wine French oak barrels. The possibilities are endless with wood products.
What should homebrewers keep in mind when working with smaller (5-15 gallon/19–57 L) barrels?
Corey: On 5-gallon (19-L) barrels I would taste a sample two weeks in and continue to taste every 4–5 days thereafter until you’re happy. With 10- to 15-gallon (38- to 57-L) barrels I would usually taste a month in and every week thereafter. Lastly, source local/fresh barrels whenever possible!
Sean: The most important thing to consider with barrel sizes is that the smaller you go, the larger the surface area-to-beer ratio. This means you’ll have a much more significant flavor impact on a beer aged in smaller barrels than you will one aged in a larger one. Sometimes this can give you your desired flavor profile faster, but it can also lead to over-extraction and ruin the balance of your beer if you
aren’t careful.
Paul: We still use some smaller format barrel today! Those 5- to 15-gallon (19- to 57-L) barrels are awesome; the best advice I could give is that they take less time and to taste them often. Usually, you get a lot of spirit flavors from them depending on the previous occupant, so it’s important to understand that when crafting those liquids going inside.
Jordan: Unfortunately, I do not have any experience aging beer in 5-15 gallon barrels. I, personally, would use oak staves to infuse my homebrew at that scale. You can get some decent oak character after aging on staves for 6–8 weeks.
Other than stouts in Bourbon barrels, are there other beer style/barrel combinations that you’re particularly fond of?
Corey: Barleywine in Bourbon barrels!
Sean: We love playing with specialty barrels for our imperial stouts — some of our favorites include rum, apple brandy, BLiS Maple Syrup Bourbon, and XO Cognac. On the mixed-culture side, we’ve really enjoyed the interplay of saison with the herbal elements of spirits like Rhum Agricole and Tomcat Gin.
Paul: We love our rum barrels at Mortalis. Nothing gets me going quite like designing a new Tiki cocktail in beer format with a Hydra base. We have also been known to dabble with pear brandy from time to time as well.
Jordan: Barleywines aged in rye whiskey barrels have really caught my attention lately. I like to work with barleywines because they tend to have varying levels of sweetness and malt depth, which makes them a great candidate for blending. You can blend in a sweeter beer to amplify another beer that seems too dry or lacking definition on the finish.
What qualities in a beer make it a good candidate for barrel aging?
Corey: I like a lower roast stout with higher final gravity (FG). I feel the lower level of roast is more approachable/palatable and the higher FG will help balance the alcohol pickup from the barrel. So, use debittered roasted malts as a substitute for black malt and roasted barley. You also want to keep your IBUs on the lower side for balance; 40–45, sometimes lower. Play around with it.
Sean: The key to designing beers for successful barrel aging is planning for the future. Our barrel-aged stouts, for example, are designed with more hop bitterness and roasted black or chocolate malts knowing that the bitterness will fade over time and the roasted flavors will mellow out and become more complex. We purposefully design our clean barrel-aged beers to have harder edges at first, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t love how your beer tastes going into barrel. Off-flavors do not, however, diminish with age — so make sure your fermentation is healthy and complete.
Paul: Gravity is super important in this process. Understand that barrel aging can thin a beer out and that it might not have quite the viscosity it had going into the barrel as coming out of the barrel so plan accordingly and brew a thick beer to help it survive the long slumber.
Jordan: I aim to have the finishing gravity on my barrel beers to stall out significantly higher than a normal beer, usually around the 8–14 degrees Plato (1.032-1.056 specific gravity). I feel it’s important to have some sweetness and malt depth to balance out the flavors imparted from the barrel. You also want to have a higher ABV going into the barrel compared to most normal homebrews. Alcohol is one of the main drivers behind the extraction of the compounds from the oak, the more ABV going in means more extraction.
When do you make adjunct additions (whether it’s coffee, fruit, or a full-on pastry stout) in barrel-aged beers?
Corey: For adjunct beers we add everything post barrel aging. I feel tasting a beer after aging gives me a clearer picture of what adjuncts will pair best with the final blend, or unblended flavor profile of the beer. Viscosity, oak, roast, alcohol, and sweetness all play big rolls when deciding adjuncts.
Sean: Nearly all of our adjunct additions are post barrel aging, with the exception of vanilla. Vanilla beans are hand-processed and dosed in the barrel, typically at a rate of 0.5–1 lb. (220–450 g) per oak barrel. This allows for greater exposure time and, ultimately, a more nuanced and complex vanilla character. Adjuncts like coconut, cacao nibs, nuts (almond, macadamia, pecans, etc.) are all added post barrel aging in our adjunct dosing vessel. This tank is essentially a mobile brite tank with a false bottom that allows us to steep or recirculate on ingredients without clogging our pump. Coffee gets the same treatment but we get the beer as cold as we can in order to limit oxidation-derived off-flavors (think green pepper/jalapeño).
Adding ingredients post barrel aging allows us to maximize their impact and achieve a much fresher flavor profile of your targeted adjuncts.
Paul: 95% of those additions are done after the barrel aging process is complete for us. This really allows you more control of flavors you want to bring to the beer without going too far in one direction and not being able to come back.
Jordan: We add our adjuncts post barrel aging. A lot of the aromas from the adjuncts are very volatile and are usually the first to fade over time. I want to add them on the back end so I can allow them as much opportunity to be bright and aromatic. I feel like if you were to add adjuncts prior to aging they can become over extracted or even muted. Our preferred method is steeping/recirculating the adjuncts, which allows us to monitor the progress and taste each addition along the way.
On to the Recipes
We’ve soaked up a lot of advice from our pros, and now it’s time to put it to use. Following are clone recipes graciously provided to us by each of these brewers. While each is aged in barrel at the commercial level, and intended as such even for smaller batches, homebrewers have the option of going the easier route of using oak alternatives.
3 Sons Brewing Co.’s Summation clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.154 FG = 1.074
IBU = 40 SRM = 60 ABV = 10.5%*
The easiest way to replicate this huge beer on a homebrew scale is with an extended boil and the addition of malt extract to assist in hitting the high gravity. As you can see in the recipe, Director of Brewing Operations Corey Artanis loves to layer lots of different malts in imperial stouts for added complexity. This is the base recipe for Summation, which 3 Sons often brews variations of with added flavors like coffee, vanilla, and more. If you wish to create a variation with adjuncts, add after barrel aging.
*ABV calculated prior to barrel aging. At 3 Sons, this beer usually finishes close to 13% after 18–28 months in barrel.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) dark dried malt extract
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) 2-row pale malt
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) Maris Otter malt
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) Golden Promise malt
1.9 lbs. (0.9 kg) flaked oats
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt
14 oz. (400 g) caramel Munich malt (60 °L)
14 oz. (400 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
14 oz. (400 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
8 oz. (225 g) wheat malt
5 oz. (140 g) Weyermann Carafa® Special III malt
5 oz. (140 g) Briess Blackprinz® malt
5 oz. (140 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
12.6 AAU Columbus hops (120 min.) (0.9 oz./26 g at 14% alpha acids)
Yeast nutrient
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III), Omega OYL-011 (British Ale V), or LalBrew Verdant IPA yeast
LalBrew CBC-1 (if priming)
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
It is recommended that you repitch yeast from a previous batch of beer for adequate pitch rates. If that is not easily attainable, a large yeast starter made up in advance (if using a liquid yeast strain) or pitching 3 sachets of dried yeast is recommended.
Mash the grains with a liquor-to-grist ratio of 1.15–1.25 qts. per lb. (2.4–2.6 L/kg) at 158 °F (70 °C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear of particles then start the burner and run off into kettle. Sparge to collect 8 gallons (30 L). Boil for 2 hours, adding hops at the start of the boil. Add the dried malt extract in the last 10 minutes of the boil. Check the gravity and, if needed, add additional extract to bring it up to 1.154.
Chill to 65 °F (18 °L) and add yeast nutrient according to manufacturer’s instructions. If using a liquid yeast, you will need to aerate extremely well and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment at 68–70 °F (20–21 °C).
When fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized for 3–4 days, drop temperature to 52 °F (11 °C). Drop yeast or rack beer off of it into a secondary vessel purged with CO2. Hold for an additional 5–6 days in secondary and allow to rise to ambient temperature. Rack into a 5-gallon (19-L) Bourbon barrel purged with CO2, leaving just a little head space. Allow your taste to guide you in how long to keep the beer in the barrel, first tasting after a week or two. When ready, rack to a keg and force carbonate or bottle. If bottling, pitch a cask-conditioning yeast such as LalBrew CBC-1.
3 Sons Brewing Co.’s Summation clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.154 FG = 1.074
IBU = 40 SRM = 60 ABV = 10.5%*
*ABV calculated prior to barrel aging.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) dark dried malt extract
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) light dried malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt
14 oz. (400 g) caramel Munich malt (60 °L)
14 oz. (400 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
14 oz. (400 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
5 oz. (140 g) Weyermann Carafa® Special III
5 oz. (140 g) Briess Blackprinz® malt
5 oz. (140 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
12.6 AAU Columbus hops (120 min.) (0.9 oz./26 g at 14% alpha acids)
Yeast nutrient
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III), Omega OYL-011 (British Ale V), or LalBrew Verdant IPA yeast
LalBrew CBC-1 (if priming)
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag (or two muslin bags so they are not packed in tightly) and submerge in 6.5 gallons (25 L) water as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). When that temperature is achieved, remove grain bag, allowing to drip into the kettle. With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract until dissolved. Return to heat and bring wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the start of the boil. Follow cooling, fermenting, aging, and packaging instructions in the all-grain recipe.
Tips for Success: To time your barrel aging correctly with smaller barrels you’ll need to sample regularly after the first couple weeks in the barrel. Artanis recommends buying 2-inch (5-cm) stainless finishing nails and drilling a hole into the center of the head of the barrel BEFORE you fill it for easy access to pulling samples. Hammer a sanitized, stainless steel finishing nail in the hole and fill the barrel. After pulling samples, spray the nail with some isopropyl to sanitize before re-inserting it.
Oak chips soaked in Bourbon can be used to finish the beer on the homebrew scale if you do not have a barrel. Age the chips in just enough Bourbon to cover them for a week, and then add the chips to the beer for another week or more. Consider adding the Bourbon too.
Cerebral Brewing Co.’s Standard Practice clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.045 FG = 1.007
IBU = 19 SRM = 5 ABV = 5%
Stouts and barleywines aren’t the only styles you should consider aging in barrels. This helles lands on the other end of the flavor intensity threshold and is perfect for any occasion. This beer received a gold medal in 2022 at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers.
Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Weyermann Barke® Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Weyermann Barke® Munich malt
5.5 oz. (155 g) Weyermann Carafoam® malt
2 oz. (56 g) rice hulls
2.5 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (90 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 1.7% alpha acids)
1.7 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 1.7% alpha acids)
SafLager W-34/70, Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager), or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use enough water to have a moderately thick mash at 1.4 qts./lb. (2.9 L/kg). Cerebral uses rice hulls to help the lauter, though depending on your system this may not be necessary. If using, a small amount should do. Mash your grains at 149 °F (65 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge slowly and collect enough wort to result in 5.5 gallons (21 L) after a 90-minute boil. Boil wort 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.
When the boil is complete, chill wort to 50 °F (10 °C) and pitch yeast. Ferment at this temperature. When fermentation is complete, lager at as close to freezing temperature as possible for four weeks and then rack to a freshly emptied Chardonnay barrel. Lager further, in the barrel, for an additional six weeks.
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate as usual.
Cerebral Brewing Co.’s Standard Practice clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.045 FG = 1.007
IBU = 19 SRM = 5 ABV = 5%
Ingredients
4.8 lbs. (2.2 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich dried malt extract
5.5 oz. (155 g) Weyermann Carafoam® malt
2 oz. (56 g) rice hulls
2.5 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (90 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 1.7% alpha acids)
1.7 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 1.7% alpha acids)
SafLager W-34/70, Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager), or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Add the crushed Carafoam® to a steeping bag put it in 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle. Heat to 170 °F (77 °C). When temperature is achieved, pull the grains, allowing them to drip back into the kettle, and continue heating up to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated. When the boil is complete, chill wort to 50 °F (10 °C) and pitch yeast. Ferment at this temperature. When fermentation is complete, lager at as close to freezing temperature as possible for four weeks and then rack to a freshly emptied Chardonnay barrel. Lager further, in the barrel, for an additional six weeks.
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate as usual.
Tips for Success: If you can’t get your hands on a freshly emptied Chardonnay barrel, soak oak chips, cubes, or other barrel alternative in enough Chardonnay to cover for a few days. Add the oak to your lagering vessel and continue lagering six weeks prior to racking off the oak.
Mortalis Brewing Co.’s Ophion clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.160 FG = 1.068
IBU = 25 SRM = 85 ABV = 12%*
This is a huge beer that requires a huge amount of fermentables and an extended boil to hit the target gravity. An oversized mash tun that can handle 23 lbs. (10 kg) of grain will be required to brew a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. An alternative is to sub out some or all of the base grain with malt extract. This is the base recipe for Ophion, which Mortalis has released numerous variants of over the years with differing aging times and occasional adjunct additions like vanilla beans, coconut, and more.
*ABV is calculated prior to barrel aging.
Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.5 kg) Briess 2-row pale malt
2.75 lbs. (1.2 kg) Crisp Maris Otter malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) maltodextrin
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) black patent malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) Weyermann Carafoam®
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) flaked barley
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) flaked oats
12 oz. (340 g) Briess chocolate malt
12 oz. (340 g) Crisp brown malt
4 oz. (110 g) roasted barley
8 oz. (230 g) rice hulls
Dextrose (if needed to boost gravity)
7.5 AAU Warrior hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 15% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Willamette hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Yeast nutrient
SafAle US-05, Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
LalBrew CBC-1 (if priming)
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
It is recommended that you repitch yeast from a previous batch of beer for adequate pitch rates. If that is not easily attainable, a large yeast starter made in advance (if using a liquid yeast strain) or pitching 3 sachets of dried yeast is recommended.
Mill in the grains and add rice hulls to avoid a stuck mash. Mash the grains at 158 °F (70 °C) for 60 minutes. Adjust mash PH 5.3 if necessary. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear of particles, then start the burner and run off into kettle. Sparge to collect 10 gallons (38 L). Boil for 4–5 hours, depending on evaporation rate, with the intent of transferring about 5.5 (21 L) gallons into the fermenter. Add hops at times indicated and the maltodextrin near the end of the boil. Take a gravity reading near the end of the boil, and if gravity is low add dextrose as needed to achieve the 1.160 gravity before the end of the boil.
Chill to 65 °F (18 °L) and add yeast nutrient according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If using a liquid yeast, you will need to aerate extremely well and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Ferment at 68–70 °F (20–21 °C).
When fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized for 3–4 days, drop temperature to 52 °F (11 °C). Drop yeast and rack into a secondary vessel purged with CO2. Hold for an additional 5–6 days in secondary and allow to rise to ambient temperature. Rack into a 5-gallon (19-L) Bourbon barrel purged with CO2, leaving just a little head space. Allow your taste to guide you in how long to keep the beer in the barrel, first tasting after a week or two. When ready, rack to a keg and force carbonate or bottle. If bottling, pitch a cask-conditioning yeast such as LalBrew CBC-1.
Mortalis Brewing Co.’s Ophion clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.160 FG = 1.068
IBU = 25 SRM = 85 ABV = 12%*
*ABV calculated prior to barrel aging.
Ingredients
6.5 lbs. (2.9 kg) light liquid malt extract
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Munich dried malt extract
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) maltodextrin
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) black patent malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) Weyermann Carafoam®
12 oz. (340 g) Briess chocolate malt
4 oz. (110 g) roasted barley
Dextrose (if needed to boost gravity)
7.5 AAU Warrior hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 15% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Willamette hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Yeast nutrient
SafAle US-05, Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
LalBrew CBC-1 (if priming)
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag (or two muslin bags so they are not packed in tightly) and submerge in 6.5 gallons (25 L) water as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). When that temperature is achieved, remove grain bag, allowing to drip into the kettle. With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract until dissolved. Return to heat and bring wort to a boil.
Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the start of the boil and maltodextrin in the final 10 minutes. Take a gravity reading near the end of the boil, and if gravity is low add dextrose as needed to achieve the 1.160 gravity before the end of the boil time.
Follow cooling, fermenting, aging, and packaging instructions in the all-grain recipe.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s Parabola clone
(5-gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.032
IBU = 45 SRM = 70 ABV = 10%*
Parabola is arguably Firestone Walker’s most notorious barrel-aged beer and is released as a vintage beer each year. This imperial stout is thick with bold yet balanced flavors of chocolate, charred oak, vanilla, black cherry, and coffee.
*ABV calculated prior to barrel aging.
Ingredients
15 lbs. (6.8 kg) Golden Promise pale malt
2.6 lbs. (1.2 kg) crystal malt (20 °L)
1.8 lbs. (0.8 kg) Briess roasted barley
1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
14.4 oz. (410 g) Simpsons Crystal Dark malt
11.3 oz. (320 g) oat malt (with husk)
8.8 oz. (250 g) Chocolate malt
8.8 oz. (250 g) Weyermann Carafa® III malt
Malt extract or brewers crystals (if needed to boost gravity)
8.3 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (30 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1.5 oz. Hallertau Tradition hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale), Wyeast 1098 (British Ale Yeast), Imperial A01 (House), or SafAle S-04 yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Mash the grains at 145 °F (63 °C) for 30 minutes and then ramp to 151 °F (66 °C) until conversion is complete. A single-infusion mash could also be done at 149 °F (65 °C). Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains and top up as necessary to obtain approximately 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort (depending on evaporation rate, this may be higher or lower for your system).
Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops as per the schedule. With 10 minutes remaining in the boil, take a gravity reading. If short, add malt extract or brewers crystals to bring the gravity up to 1.106. This is a preferred method vs. extending the boil.
Chill to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63 °F (17 °C). Aerate the wort if using liquid yeast and then pitch the yeast. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) and when complete perform a diacetyl rest at 70 °F (21 °C). Rack to a CO2-purged spirit barrel and age until your desired taste is achieved. The larger the barrel, the longer the beer can be aged in it. Once flavor profile is achieved with a distinct wood and Bourbon character, it’s time to package. Carbonate to 2.5 v/v or prime and bottle condition.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s Parabola clone
(5-gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.032
IBU = 45 SRM = 70 ABV = 10%*
*ABV calculated prior to barrel aging.
Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.5 kg) pale liquid malt extract
2.6 lbs. (1.2 kg) crystal malt (20 °L)
1.8 lbs. (0.8 kg) Briess roasted barley
1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
14.4 oz. (410 g) Simpsons Crystal Dark malt
11.3 oz. (320 g) flaked oats
8.8 oz. (250 g) Chocolate malt
8.8 oz. (250 g) Weyermann Carafa® III malt
Malt extract or brewers crystals (if needed to boost gravity)
8.3 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (30 min.) (1.5 oz./42 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1.5 oz. Hallertau Tradition hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale), Wyeast 1098 (British Ale Yeast), Imperial A01 (House), or SafAle S-04 yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag (or two muslin bags so they are not packed in tightly) and submerge in 6.5 gallons (25 L) water as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). When that temperature is achieved, remove grain bag, allowing to drip into the kettle. With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract until dissolved. Return to heat and bring wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops as directed. Follow cooling, fermenting, aging, and packaging instructions in the all-grain recipe.
Tips for Success: Regarding hops, Firestone Walker suggests any German noble-like variety will do, but recommended Hallertau Tradition or American Willamette as the first choices.
Parabola is a great base for coffee, vanilla, or other adjuncts. Feel free to play around with adjunct additions after barrel aging this beer.
Oak chips soaked in Bourbon can be used to finish the beer on the homebrew scale if you do not have a barrel. Age the chips in just enough Bourbon to cover them for a week, and then add the chips to the beer for another week or more. Consider adding the Bourbon too — Parabola picks up about 3% ABV during barrel aging, so a little extra Bourbon won’t hurt.
