Barrel-aging is nothing new for Firestone Walker’s Matt Brynildson. He got his first exposure to the process while working for barrel-aging pioneer Goose Island in Chicago, and for the better part of two decades has been exploring the impact of wood, aging, and blending in the development of beer flavor at Firestone Walker. A post-pandemic initiative at the Paso Robles brewery, the Brewmaster’s Collective, has created new occasions to explore processes and approaches through collaborations with a range of brewer friends, and in this episode Brynildson is joined by two collaborators—Henok Fentie of Stockholm, Sweden’s Omnipollo, and Enzo Frauenschuh of Gundelfingen, Germany's FrauGruber. Together, they take a look at the similarities and differences in barrel-aged stout brewing in the United States and Europe. Along the way, they discuss:
building recipes that can support strong flavors
finding the balance between sweetness and drinkability
artful flavor composition
maintaining some semblance of house character through collaborations
expressing barrel notes cleanly through lean and well-attenuated beers
temperature impact on barrel expression
varying ingredients based on the continent
developing flavorful bases both through English malts and with blends of Pilsner and Munich malts
managing barrel-entry gravity for long term success
planning for adjuncts in recipe design
adjunct addition processes and extraction efficiency
And more.
Note: Firestone Walker is a media partner of Craft Beer & Brewing
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