In this special episode, two 2023 gold-medal-winning breweries discuss their methods and approaches to making wood-aged sour beer. First up is Kyle Vetter, founder of 1840 Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose kriek-inspired "I Don't Want To Wait" won gold in the fruited wood- and barrel-aged sour beer category. He hits on the details behind how the beer was made, including:
using oak as an ingredient not just a vessel
building body with alternative brewing grains
selecting barrel stock to best support fruit
preparing fruit and aging over six months
selecting Brettanomyces strains
And more.
Then, we're joined by Joel Stickrod and Spencer Longhurst of Nashville's Barrique, who talk through the methods behind their gold-winning Wet Hop Strata 2023, including:
open-top fermentation in wooden barrels
building a blending library with four schools of wood-aged beer
using high loads of unmalted Tennessee wheat
brewing with aged Cascade hops
long-term aging on wet hops
building compelling blends of old and young beer
And more.
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