Stouts that get better by the year

On Nov. 10, The Bistro in Hayward, Cal., hosted the West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Fest. The one-day event gave brewers from the Rockies to the Pacific a chance to show off their best (and most complex work).

One of the more popular concepts was to age a stout in a bourbon barrel, giving the heavy, hearty beer an even more powerful flavor. Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Six Rivers Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Co. all submitted stouts to the bourbon (or whiskey) barrel aged competition.

Stone Brewing's whiskey barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout took second in the category. The brew matured to a whopping 10.8% alcohol by volume during its time in the oak barrel.

Creating "big" or "extreme" stouts appears to be a point of pride for many Western breweries.

The Great Divide Brewing Co., based in Denver, Col., makes a 9.5% oak aged Imperial Stout known as Yeti.


North Coast Brewing Co., from Fort Bragg, Cal., brews an 11.6% Old Rasputin X Anniversary Stout that ferments in bourbon barrels for up to one year.

The big, barreled beer trend stretches as far East as Michigan, where Founders Brewing Co makes its Kentucky Breakfast Stout (10% AC) by storing the brew in bourbon barrels for two years. However, a simple Beeradvocate search indicates that once you go farther East than Michigan, barrel aged stouts are few and far in between.

I'm not sure if the extreme stout is a good thing. According to the reviews I've read, these brews tend to taste more like brandy or whiskey than actual beer. Quite often, the review ends by saying that a slight hop taste comes in at the end, which appears to be the only attribute that distinguishes these beers from their distilled cousins.

The American habit of making things bigger and more innovative is certainly not something to undermine. However, beer is a simple pleasure.

The Europeans embraced the concept of good beer long before Americans, yet Europeans never decided to toy with their tried and true recipes. Americans, on the other hand, seem to be rushing to create the next crazy beer, something so off the wall that people will just want to try it.

Perhaps its the thrill of the challenge that motivates these brewers, because I can't imagine them brewing these high alcohol, strange tasting beers for the general public.