TRUE EXPRESSION OF CURIOSITY
Barrel Aged
The fusion of Oak & Beer is our true expression of curiosity and desire to create something complex & stimulating.
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Our Barrel Program
We have more than 350 barrels over 2 sites here in Finchampstead. Those barrels have come from a number of places and have a varied history to them. They host an enchanting mix of beautiful woods, historical intrigue and of course, beer geekery. Whether it be bourbon, rum, wine or even some gin barrels, we carefully choose the right barrels for the right beers to create the blends of flavours we’re looking for.
Why do we barrel age beers?
Well, it all comes down to flavour. Barrels have long been used in the making of alcoholic drinks. Whiskey gets that beautiful golden colour from the wood barrels it’s aged in - no doubt it picks up some flavour profiles along the way. Those old barrels are then repurposed for the ageing of beer. All that whiskey or wine which has soaked into the wood works with the beer to colour and complement over time.
With changes of temperature, the wooden barrels breathe, expanding slightly in the heat and compressing in the cold. It’s during those moments of expansion that the beer seeps into the wood, and is then forced back out as the barrel compresses.
It’s very difficult to tell quite how any beer being barrel aged will turn out. All barrels will be slightly unique, some may have hangovers of bacterias or yeasts which can give beers different flavour profiles (bacterias causing sourness resulting in something like a lambic, or yeasts like Brettanomyces causing that classic farmyard flavour).
Odyssey
Our Odyssey range is a collection of beers that have been blended. Sometimes a blend of the same beer in different barrels, sometimes very different beers that work together in a way that makes the sum greater than the individual parts. Blending is a journey and also a challenge, and we felt that the challenges faced in the Odyssey stories were an apt description for our beers
Maiden
Maiden is a labour of love. Our American style Barley Wine is aged in a variety of spirit and wine barrels, before being blended back together with a percentage of fresh beer, to create that year’s vintage. The barrels that have been used are left with 10% aged beer in them before being topped up with fresh Maiden, in what is a form of the Solera system. This means every vintage can be a totally different creation, despite coming from the exact same base. We believe that the beer improves each and every year because of the additional depth and complexity we're able to call on from the barrels as time goes by.
