Beer is often fermented and stored in oak barrels, which, depending on various factors, plays a role in picking up the barrel’s flavours, characteristics, etc. Mostly the case for British ales such as Strong Bitter, other advanced processes have allowed the industry and those brewing to sidestep the barrel process and be able to use alternate methods.

Oak cubes, usually made from barrel staves, have been cut into small cubes and toasted to a certain level. Given their surface area, oak cubes can contribute desirable characteristics to beer in a relatively short amount of time, with common descriptors including sweet wood, vanilla, and subtle fruitiness.

An experiment was inspired by this old-aged process and was set in motion to evaluate the differences between a Strong Bitter briefly aged on oak vs. one that was not. The goal was to better understand how the impact of oak has on beer and what it takes to achieve this flavour.

Click here to see the results of this wood or not to wood process. 

Photo courtesy of Andy Carter/Brulosophy