Laurent Mariotte transcribed by Louise-Adélaïde Boisnard 8:00 p.m., November 13, 2021
Beer aged not in vats but in barrels ... This ancestral method has been brought up to date by some brewers to flavor their beverage.
Live from the Made In France Fair, the guests of the Table des bons vivants will give you details of this technique which is making a big comeback.
Beer is brewed in
stainless steel tanks
these days.
Large, easy to clean and above all neutral in taste and bacteria, they are ideal for making beer that is easy to control and with a controlled and stable flavor.
However, some brewers go back to the origins of beer making and decide to use
barrels or kegs to give new flavors
to their drink.
A playground for flavors
The barrels or barrels are made of wood, and depending on the variety chosen, it will diffuse
different flavors
.
For example, they can give
toasted, woody, vanilla or coffee notes
.
Obviously, there are differences from barrel to barrel in terms of flavors, which therefore does not allow to have a production with a homogeneous taste.
This is one of the reasons why large manufacturers avoid this way of producing and why independent breweries have reclaimed it.
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Reuse old drums
Some barrels have
already been used for aging spirits
.
They are therefore sought after to boil beer and thus make it take on the aromas that have been left by the previous alcohols.
The most sought after barrels are the old barrels of
whiskey, mirabelle plum or rum
.
Or those of cognac, armagnac or even wine.
A method that is similar to winemaking and which appeals to manufacturers and consumers alike in search of unique beers.