Wood & Beer: A Brewer's Guide

by Dick Cantwell, Peter Bouckaert

Join authors Dick Cantwell and Peter Bouckaert as they tell the story of the marriage between wood and beer from Roman times through medieval Europe to modern craft brewing. Cooperage is a long and venerable craft and here the authors give a description combining the evocative and technical. The smells, the heat, choosing the wood, drying, fashioning staves, steaming, firing, and assembling into a perfect container―at least perfect until the bunghole is drilled to accommodate the precious contents. Barrels and foeders have gone from an oddity of traditional breweries to a commonplace feature at the heart of the craft brewing industry. It is estimated that 85% of US breweries now use wood as part of their process. Maintaining wooden vessels requires care and meticulous organization of cellar space. The authors discuss the vagaries of temperature, humidity, seasonal changes, mold, and evaporation, and how breweries new and old deal with these challenges. The basics of selecting, inspecting, cleaning, and maintaining barrels are detailed. Finally, of course, the wood must be united with the beer. The complexity and variations that govern how wood imparts flavors to beer can be overwhelming. The authors guide the reader through wood's characteristic flavor compounds and the nuances of toasting and charring. Oak is the focus, American, French, and Eastern European, but other woods get their due. As well as intrinsic flavors, the microflora that take up residence in a barrel or foeder are the living, beating heart of a barrel-aged beer, able to create sour and unique beers of fascinating complexity. The authors pepper the text with stories and experiences from some of the giants of the craft brewing scene, discussing how they monitor their barrel programs and taste and blend their beers to create something truly special. All this will inspire professional and amateur brewers alike. At the end of the book the authors give some helpful advice on wood aging for homebrewers, including the uses for chips, cubes, spirals, staves, powders ... and the odd chair leg. Get ready to embrace the mystical complexity of flavors and aromas derived from wood.

Genres: Brewing, Beer, Booze, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2016

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some sections are beyond my current skill level as a brewer. But some really cool info in here even for a layman like myself.

[Christopher Murtagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book.

It is just the right book for three people. The microbrewer who has done almost everything, wants to stand out from the other microbrewers with their industrial units full of gleaming stainless steel cylinders, who is a believer in the extra layers of complex flavours locked within different woods and the bacteria and wild yeast inhabiting the woods, and the charring and the toasting of the woods and marks of the whiskies and the rums and the wines of the old occupants of the woods. The microbrewer who likes to do things that are hard, that are risky, that are wildly successful and wildly not at times. This book is stuffed full of info essential to that brewer, as well as stories, histories of previous intrepid microbrewers. If that microbrewer was on the fence about committing to such an expensive and possibly unnecessary journey into the world of wood and beer I am sure that this book thrown squarely at his head will be enough to push him from his perch on the hypothetical fence, for him to land down on the correct side of it. (For them.)

The second person who would like this book is the absolutely batshit gold medal winning home brewer. This book isn't that much aimed at him, but he or she is used to that. And he or she will no doubt find enough material bendable to their uses. As well as a lot of fascinating, well written bits and bobs. Some of it pretty funny even. What do you give the one who already knows everything about brewing? This book.

The third person is me. Loved it.

[Ramon van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Widely regarded as the one must-read book for brewers that want to dive into barrel aging or anything else related to the combination of oak and beer. It's easy to see why.

The authors manage to convey why they are authorities on the subject and explain everything very clear, making this both a nice read and a reference book for future use.

Yes, it goes very deep into topics that I'll never actually use, but I think it's still important to know where we came from and how experts in their fields like making geuze and using foeders still do their thing today.

I don't see myself replacing a stave in a barrel anything soon, but I did gain a lot of new insights that hopefully put me several steps ahead towards my bucket list item of barrel aging my own beer.

[Hershel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very dense and is more geared to the microbrewer that is starting to venture into using barrels. There’s a whole section on repairing a barrel that as a homebrewer you aren’t likely going to need.

The relevant parts of the book for home use are the flavor profiles and the appendix. The idea of blending could be fun as is the other wood uses. The use of woods other than oak seems really interesting but finding sources might be difficult.

Overall a great book if you want to know history, cooperage methods, a lot about oak and what flavors come from it.

[Max Finnance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authoritative text on all things having to do with the intersection of wood and beer. This book takes a deep dive into the history of barrels and barrel making technology, the biology of wood (and why certain woods make better barrels than others), biochemical breakdowns of flavor development from wood contact, as well as some philosophies of barrel blending. I wish there was even more information (and maybe a summary chart?) regarding comparing flavor contributions from different species, but the information that is provided is great.

[Jm Rollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information. Sometimes gets too bogged down in the technical descriptions.

Only real complaint is that for a book on brewing, why are there no recipes? The book talks about the need to design recipes specifically for barrel aging, but then gives no guidance on what needs to be different about the recipe development process.

[Chop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up just because. I gave it three stars because it is built for brewers which is great! I am not one, I just love beer so wanted to learn more about it. Super detailed and even cooler that Peter owns Purpose Brewing and is the closest brewery to my house :). Great book to keep on the shelf if you are a home brewer!

[Paul Klammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential and singular reference that may have been titled better as 'Understanding oak barreling of wine, spirits, and beer. Not only readable and enjoyable, but a key reference work for this topic. Highly recommended.

[Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense. Definitely intended for brewers, homebrewers and serious beer nerds.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

By no means is this light reading, yet it is an exceptional book about the interplay between wood and beer and the history and maintenance of barrels and foeders.

[Gus Grosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long explanation on everything to do with wood with brewing. Not a how to of cooperage, but an overview.

[Darren Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 of the new year was a little bland and maybe too technical. But definitely gave me a new appreciation for coopers and the art of the barrel

[Michael Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limited subject matter, but a necessary reference for anyone trying to move to the next level in brewing. I'm going to have to add it to my library. I wish they had spent more time identifying the specific flavors associated with the specific chemicals provided by contact with wood.