The use of wooden vessels for storage, transportation, fermentation or aging of beer is deeply rooted in history. Today’s talented brewers are innovating, experimenting and enthusiastically embracing the seemingly mystical complexity of flavors and aromas derived from wood.

From the souring effects of microbes that take up residence in the wood to the character drawn from barrels or foeders, this book covers not only the history, physiology, microbiology and flavor contributions of wood, but also the maintenance of wooden vessels. Readers will explore the many influences of wood as a vehicle for contributing tremendous complexity to beers fermented and aged within it. Wood & Beer: A Brewer’s Guide is as much about wood as it is about beer, and the mysteries that arise when the two come together.

Wood & Beer: A Brewer's Guide

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Frank Boon
Foreword by Wayne Wambles
Introduction

1. The History of the Barrel, or There and Back Again

Romans and (Celtic) Countrymen—Wood Replaces Clay
Vessels of Wood—Barrels, Boats, and Brewing
Messages in Barrels—Regulation, the Hanseatic League, and Other Alliances of Trade
Barrels Across the World—Exploration and Industry
The Sun Also Rises—the Shifting Nature and Use of the Barrel

2. Cooperage

3. Wood & Wooden Vessels

The Wood Before Time
American Oak
European Oak
French Oak
The Oak of Other Regions
Harvesting, Splitting, Dressing, and Seasoning
Vessels of Wood—About the Size of It
Curiosities and Anachronisms—Other Wooden Vessels Used for Brewing

4. Wood Maintenance

Cellar Design—from Zero to Infinity (and Beyond)
Cellar Ambiance—Temperature, Humidity, and Other Factors
Inspecting New Barrels, and Barrels New to You
Basic Cooperage Tools
Repairing Leaks in Barrels
Evaluation and Care of Foeders

5. Flavors from Wood

Materials Extracted from Wood
Seasoning, Bending, Toasting, and Charring 201
What Happens When Beer Contacts Wood?
More Arcane Processes and Effects of Extraction
Other Wood-Related Products and Processes You May Not Have Thought Of

6. Flavors in Wood

Sour and Sour—Skinning the Cat
Voodoo Magic—Inoculation, Re-inoculation, and Keeping It All Going

7. Blending and Culture

The Fifth Element

Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Index