One might consider a wooden barrel the fifth ingredient in beer after water, malt, hops and yeast. Brewers use them to impart additional flavors into the beer. But why barrels — bourbon in particular ...

David Flaherty is the marketing director for the Washington State Wine Commission. This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of Nation's Restaurant News. The ...

This weekend explore a showcase of brewing craftsmanship and innovation that only happens here in Chicago. “The Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer” is a balance of art, science, wood and bourbon ...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- This year the Chicagoland area is invited to North America's largest and most prestigious barrel-aged beer festival, drawing thousands to the west side. The annual Festival of Wood & ...

Barrel-aged beer is a prestige product that can burnish brewers’ reputations and bottom lines. But it’s difficult and costly to make. Where do beer lovers turn when they tire of IPAs and pilsners?

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Brewers and attendees from throughout the U.S. will visit Chicago for the industry's rarest and most unique craft beer, cider, mead and perry. The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild ...

CINCINNATI -- Beer, bourbon barrels and brewers will collide this weekend in the Windy City for a competition of epic proportions. This weekend the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild will host the annual ...

The allure to a beer aged in a spirit barrel is immediately easy to grasp. Spirits such as whiskey, after all, contain much more powerful and intense flavors than can be found in even the most syrupy ...

October is arguably the best month for beer. This year, a little bit of October arrived early, and it isn't going away. With its caramel-plum-sweet, slightly-smoky complexity, the bourbon-draped ...

In recent years, it's become almost a requirement for America's craft breweries to experiment with barrel aging beers. Sales of barrel-aged beers have increased 20 percent in the last three years ...