We are inching closer to the end the of year. With that, we’re inching closer to the end of this (year’s?) Jar of Destiny challenge. The first of two beers we have to present is from the BJCP category 33 A. It is a Wood-Aged Beer and here is what Mike did with his pick.
Wood Aged Beer Recipe
As a point of clarity, the 33 A category stipulates that these beers are brewed on “just wood”. It can’t be a used Bourbon barrel, for instance, it should only be wood. With the timeline we gave ourselves, which is only a few months, Mike brewed this simple Amber ale recipe with the addition of wood while it conditioned.
For a 3.5 US Gallon Batch
Grains
76% Rahr Standard 2-Row malt
20% Vienna malt
4% Chocolate Rye malt (170° L)
Hops
1 ounce (28 g) of Warrior hops
Yeast
Kveik Voss
Wood
2 ounces (56 g) of Hungarian Oak Cubes, aged for one week.
Original Gravity: 1.064
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 6.5%
Our Thoughts
The color is a dark copper. It has nice orange tones in it. Mike opined if he had added a tiny amount of roasted barley if there would be more red tones. Most of the color is coming from the Chocolate Rye.
The aroma has good malt notes coming from the Vienna malt. I picked up some esters from the yeast and maybe some vanilla from the Hungarian oak.
The taste has a nice blend of malt and wood with the Warrior providing the needed bitterness in the aftertaste.
We think this beer came out well especially with the accelerated pace that was needed to have a beer ready in two months. The Kveik yeast fermented quickly and the smaller batch size allowed for shorter contact time with the wood to impart flavor.
Can’t wait to get a gift of this beer for Christmas.
BREW ON!
Paul McAllister
Hi fella’s, curious about how you treated the wood cubes if you didn’t soak in spirits, in terms of avoiding any infections etc. I think I have read frequently that there is a risk of infection if you dont do this, would be interested to hear your thoughts. Cheers
John
Hi Paul – Mike says no pre treatment was done. He kegs the beer and it stays cold. He might be concerned if he was bottling beer that a contaminating microbe might be an issue. Steaming the cubes did cross his mind. That’s the route he’d take if he was concerned so as to not lose the woody goodness to the spirit or boiling water. Hope that helps.