Brewer interest is such that Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo, one of the most respected devotees of the process in the country, is exploring the possibility of a one or two day symposium on barrel-aging prior to the 2011 Craft Brewers Conference as a result of the popularity of his presentation on the topic in Chicago this April.

Everybody wants barrels these days. Kentucky Bourbon barrels made from white oak are the classic and most sought-after whiskey barrels because the unique physical and chemical nature of oak makes it strong enough to be shaped into a reliable cask and its pure wood characteristics add to the taste and aroma of the spirits it contains; the latter also serve as an agent to remove sulfur compounds from the liquid. Once a bourbon whiskey barrel has completed its first life, it is ready for a second one as a whisky or beer-aging vessel. Used wine barrels are generally used specifically for certain styles as opposed to the more random use of whiskey barrels and are risky because the possibility of infection.

Barrels come from a variety of sources. Brewers can obtain them from large commercial entities such as World Cooperage/Independent Stave Co. in Lebanon, MS, which is a branch of the largest cooperage in the world, operating since 1912. Kentucky Barrels LLC is another example of a major, long-standing purveyor which offers both new and used barrels. California’s Quality Wine Barrels has been selling refurbished barrels since 2002. Griffin Barrels represents a small entrepreneurial source built around personal service.

Companies in the business of selling barrels are just one of the options. Brewers also buy used barrels directly from local distilleries and wineries when they can, as well as from re-packagers who buy bulk shipments of whiskey and wine and bottle them under private labels for their clients.

Terry Hawbaker, brewer at the Bullfrog Brewery, a small brewpub in Williamsport, PA, for example, recently bought several 2005 French Oak red wine barrels from Quality Wine Barrels; the rest of the 18 barrels in his cellar were locally sourced from Mt. Nittany Winery near State College. And he is awaiting a shipment of Apple Brandy barrels from Lairds AppleJack in New Jersey.

On a larger scale, Colorado’s Avery Brewing, which has a 125-barrel cellar, gets barrels from two California vineyards, Red Zinfandel barrels California Norman Vineyards and Cabernet barrels from Plumpjack Vineyards. They also buy rum barrels from Gosling's Rum and whiskey barrels from Stranahan's Distillery. And they buy used Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Elmer T. Lee barrels from a local bourbon and whiskey bar.