Craft Beer & Brewing Course
The Mechanics of Barrel Aging with Avery Brewing
In this pro course, Avery Brewing Barrel Herder Andy Parker walks you through the ins and outs of receiving, preparing, filling, and emptying barrels with practical tips and equipment recommendations throughout.
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This course is intended for operating or aspiring commercial breweries.
Avery Brewing (Boulder, Colorado) is known for its “extreme” barrel-aged beers, such as its 19 percent ABV 5 Monks “Quintuple,” so it’s no surprise that the man behind this madness, barrel-aging guru Andy Parker, has the knowledge to teach you how to:
- Evaluate and treat new/used barrels
- Reuse barrels
- Select barrels
- Rinse, prepare, and fill barrels
- Select your bung
- Deal with leaks
- Determine aging times and conditions
- Taste your barrels
- Debarrel and blend
- and much more!
About the Instructor
As “chief barrel herder” for Avery Brewing Co., Andy Parker oversees one of the more expansive barrel-aging programs of any brewery in the US, producing both clean and sour hits like the bourbon barrel-aged Uncle Jacob’s Stout as well as their new widely-distributed Raspberry Sour. Parker is well-known among professional brewers as a consummate brewer’s brewer, with a deep knowledge of mixed-culture fermentation and a finely honed palate. Despite his penchant for brewing 15%+ barrel-aged stouts, Parker consumes more pilsner than any other style of beer.
Course contents
6 chapters, 22 lessons, 57m of video
Chapter 1
Course Introduction
- Avery's Barrel Program10:44
- Course Introduction1:18
Chapter 2
Receiving Barrels
- Evaluating and Treating Barrels4:30
- Reusing Barrels 3:01
- Receiving Barrels Wrap-Up2:23
- Fresh Is Best
Chapter 3
Filling Barrels
- Rinsing, Preparing, and Filling Your Barrels6:23
- Selecting Your Bung1:57
- Dealing with Leaks2:12
- Aging In Barrels6:53
- Topping Off Barrels1:16
- Tasting Your Barrels3:37
Chapter 4
Debarreling
- Debarreling9:21
- Example Setup2:09
Chapter 5
Barrel Aging Tips for Homebrewers
- Where to Get a Barrel
- What’s Good for the Goose
- Taste It, But Be Patient
- Getting the Most Out of Fruit Additions
- Preventing Infection
- Blend It
Chapter 6
Wrap Up
- Takeaways1:07
- Thank You
What students say
Really educational information on so many things that are important with barrel aging. Procurement of barrels, screening barrels, hydration, sampling, filling, de-barreling, minimizing O2, and just general storage/aging recommendations with humidity and temp. Great job!
This class did not disappoint. I find that the best classes on Craft Beer & Brewing are taught by those brewing beer on a commercial level. This one was no exception. I feel like I can go out and barrel age anything right now after this class.
Thank you so much. This course was wicked informative and I greatly enjoyed it.