Barrel Project

During the spring/summer of 2020, Boomstick Brewing Co. in Corner Brook ordered a big shipment of oak barrels to start up a barrel aging program. Boomstick very graciously worked with Newfermenters to add a few barrels onto their order to make shipping costs feasible for us and help us start our own homebrew barrel aging program.

Newfermenters ordered two group barrels, and Newfermenters admin Bill Burton ordered a third barrel for personal projects which is discussed on this page as well. The Newfermenters group barrels are a 200L Jack Daniel’s barrel, pictured below in the top row, and a 225L Cabernet Sauvignon barrel, pictured below on the bottom left. Bill’s barrel is a 225L Chardonnay barrel, pictured below on the bottom right. The barrels are stored at Bill’s place.

Commercial Barrel Aged Examples

The first barrel aged beers from Boomstick are available now, it’s a pair of stouts called “Time Scientist“. The same base beer was aged in two kinds of barrels, half was aged in Jack Daniel’s barrels and half in Buffalo Trace barrels. These beers are super interesting to compare and contrast and see how different barrels impart different character to the same beer. Be sure to keep an eye out for future barrel aged releases from Boomstick, the bourbon barrels were not their only foray into barrel aging.

In addition to Boomstick and Newfermenters, Ninepenny Brewing in CBS also ordered some barrels in the same shipment and currently has beer aging on oak as well. Keep an eye on Ninepenny to find out when their barrel aged beer will be released.

Newfermenters Homebrew Barrel Aging

Check out the Barrel Aging Practices & Procedures page for specific details on the Newfermenters barrel aging process from brewing through to packaging.

Each of the Newfermenters beers which has been aged in these barrels is described on it’s own page, links can be found below.

Jack Daniel’s Bourbon Barrel

Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel

Chardonnay Barrel