Barrel Aging and its Effects

Question 1

What is a barrel, cask, or tun?

Answer 1

This is a hollow cylinder container, traditionally made of wooden staves bound by wooden or metal hoops

Question 2

Small barrels are called what?

Answer 2

Kegs

Question 3

What is an “aging barrel” used for?

Answer 3

to age wine, distilled spirits (whiskey, brandy, or rum), beer, tobasco, and balsamic vinegar.

Question 4

Distilling alcohol creates chemical byproducts called ______.

Answer 4

congeners

Question 5

Congeners can vary from

Answer 5

beneficial, to bad and poisonous

Question 6

The good congeners

Answer 6

happen to be quite stable

Question 7

The bad congeners do what over time?

Answer 7

break down over time

Question 8

Aging a distilled product allows what to happen?

Answer 8

the proper amount of time to pass

Question 9

allowing the proper amount of time to pass results in what?

Answer 9

in decreasing the amount of bad tastes and poisons, and increasing the amount of good flavors and aroma components.

Question 10

Almost any material undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to this>

Answer 10

oxygen

Question 11

When wine or spirits are aged in a barrel…

Answer 11

small amounts of oxygen are introduced as the barrel lets air in.

Question 12

bc wood is ____ this is allowing only small amount of air to passion and out of the barrel

Answer 12

porous

Question 13

The porous wood is helps in controlling the rate …

Answer 13

at which congeners are oxidized

Question 14

What does the term “angel’s share” mean?

Answer 14

so during the process in which the porous wood lets air in and out of the barrel in which this controls the rate at which congeners are oxidized, the ethanol will also oxidize (evaporate) allowing the ABV to drop slightly

Question 15

Early distillers called the process “angel’s share” bc

Answer 15

they saw the volume drop by itself and believed that angels watched over their products and then took some as payment.

Question 16

Warm climates will cause what?

Answer 16

faster chemical reactions

Question 17

these faster chemical reactions caused

Answer 17

changes to occur more quickly but also more harshly TF occasionally removing desirable components

Question 18

To better control these warm climates …

Answer 18

barrels are usually placed in cellars where temp can be regulated

Question 19

Strict barrel laws exist for:

Answer 19

bourbon, scotch and irish whiskies

Question 20

these strict barrel laws are made in order to

Answer 20

impart proper expected flavor and aroma char. expected from each style.

Question 21

There are two main types of wood used:

Answer 21

French

American oak

Question 22

French barrels:

Answer 22

impart smoky, spicy flavors with satin/silky textures

Question 23

American Oak Barrels:

Answer 23

impart heavier charring, gives stronger flavors of vanilla and smoke as well as notes of coconut and cream soda with a creamier texture

Question 24

Heavily charred barrels impart

Answer 24

stronger flavors of smoke

Question 25

Lighter charred barrels impart:

Answer 25

toasted subtle smoke

Question 26

Oak contains compounds such as:

Answer 26

lignin (polymer making plant rigid and woody)
tannins (yellow brownish bitter tasting organic substance, presented in some galls, bark, and organic plant tissue0
vanillins (chief flavoring compound in vanilla extract)
that all break down during the char

Question 27

there are also sugars called _______ which are caramelized from the wood as it is burned.

Answer 27

hemi-cellulose (a combination of 8 different natural sugars)

Question 28

What does charring the barrel to much will do what?

Answer 28

break down these compounds to far and thus negate their flavor contributions

Question 29

To much humidity cause more ethanol to ____

To little humidity causes more ____ to be lost and changes in ____

Answer 29

evaporate
water
ABV

Question 30

Water and ethanol act as what?

Answer 30

solvants and contain many compounds responsible for producing desired flavors and aromas

Question 31

Distillers in more humid climates

Answer 31

typically work with higher casks strengths to avoid losing too many flavor components

Question 32

As the American craft beer industry blossomed, some brewers began using_________ to age a few beers.

Answer 32

whiskey barrels

Question 33

The intent of using whisky barrels was to:

Answer 33

derive interesting flavors from the wood that were left over from its previous use

Question 34

Since _____ are only used once for whisky aging
they are readily, inexpensive, and contain enough ____ _____to flavor the beer if it’s eft there fore a while

What barrels are used this way?

Answer 34

bourbon barrels
enough residual character

whisky, rum , and wine barrels

Question 35

Barrel aging is not to be confused with _______

Answer 35

cask conditioning

Question 36

Whiskey barrels are not designed to hold a …

Answer 36

pressurized product and can not be used for fermenting (which produces CO2), unless they are vented (the cask is vented)

Question 37

The barrel aging process is just a _____ procedure in which

Answer 37

flavoring

fully fermented and finished beer is helped in a used barrel for a period of time

Question 38

often the brewer will simply “________” one of there products. Other times a _____ of _____ beers will be barreled

Sometimes a ______ ____ will be designed to take advantage of the possible flavor combinations

Answer 38

“barrel age”
blend of several beers
Special brew

Question 39

The end product must be:

Answer 39

re-carbonated and is usually blended with a significant volume of unbarreled beer prior to sale

Question 40

The length of time that a beer remains in the barrel can be as little as a ____ and as long as a____ or _____

Answer 40

week
few months
year

Question 41

The length of time depends on what?

Answer 41

the brewer
the type of beer
the intended result

Question 42

Why are barrel aged beers sold at a premium and are usually in a short supply?

Answer 42

bc of the extra time and expense involved