Town Hall Brewery's Barrel-Aged Beer Week starts tonight

Bourbon barrel beer bash at Town Hall

​If you like your beer with wood, then this week Minneapolis Town Hall Brewpub is the place for you. The first beer of the brewpub's 2012-Barrel Aged Beer Week will be tapped tonight at 6, kicking off a week-long celebration of big brews that have spent time in bourbon and whiskey barrels. A new beer will be released each day through Saturday and will be available on tap at the pub until it's gone.

Barrel-aged beer is beer--typically high in alcohol--that has been aged in a barrel that was previously used to store another alcohol, such as whiskey, bourbon, or wine. It might stay in the barrel for weeks or sometimes even years. Over the aging period the beer takes on the character of the barrel wood and the liquor that was previously housed in the cask. The malt, hop, and yeast of the underlying beer becomes infused with woody oak, creamy vanilla, and the flavors of whiskey and wine. It's a good thing.

Michael Agnew

Barrel-aged beer picks up flavor from the barrel

​Town Hall Brewmaster Mike Hoops and founder Pete Rifakes personally toured distilleries to hand-select the barrels for this year's beer selections. Those beers and the days of their release are:

• Monday, February 20: Buffalo Bock (German-style Weizenbock aged in a Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel)
• Tuesday, February 21: Wee Jack (Scottish-style Wee Heavy aged in a Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey Barrel)
• Wednesday, February 22: Twisted Jim (American-style barleywine aged in a Jim Beam Bourbon Barrel)
• Thursday, February 23: Tumaltuous Rare (American Wheat Wine aged in an Eagle Rare Bourbon Barrel)
• Friday, February 24: Barrel Monkey (American Double IPA aged in a Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel)
• Saturday, February 25: Czar Jack (Russian-style Imperial Stout Aged in a Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey Barrel)

These are rare and limited-release beers. Hoops reports that there are only two to six kegs of each. I expect they will sell out each night. If you want to taste them, plan to arrive early or you may be too late.

Town Hall Brewpub is at 1430 Washington Ave. S in the 7 Corners of Minneapolis. The barrel-aged beers will be tapped each night at 6 p.m. The festival runs from Monday, February 20, through Saturday, February 25.

Cheers,
Michael Agnew
Certified Cicerone
A Perfect Pint