I have previously written on the occasion of another Baltic Emperor from the PINTA Brewery that brewers often use used barrels in which wine or stronger spirits were stored to age beer. This process can be carried out in two ways. A significant minority of brewers decide to wash and rinse the barrels thoroughly so that as little as possible of the aromas of other alcohols as possible are transferred to the beer, but the prevailing opinion is that the residual spirit in the barrel can be an excellent taste addition to the beer. In addition, the residual spirit helps to keep the inside of the bar clean, so that traces of the yeast that are left in the beer are deprived of food.
It is extremely important that the barrels do not remain unused for too long after emptying, as drying the barrel too much can lead to various problems. Leaking is essential, but not only that, as it is equally important to preserve the taste of the previous beverage, and longer downtime causes unwanted bacteria to develop. Therefore, it is recommended to fill barrels with beer a few days after emptying the previous drink.
Not every beer is suitable for such barrel lagging. Indian Pale Ale and other hop beers, for example, are generally not suitable for ageing, mainly because ageing in barrels results in a muted hoppy aroma. Beers with a higher ABV content and beers with a higher residual sweetness are suitable for ageing, as oak tends to "dry out" aromas.
In turn, the Imperial Baltic Sea is perfect for aging in barrels after stronger alcohol, which is why the Pinta Brewery is willing to experiment with aging in barrels. The Imperial Baltic Porter presented today was "aged in freshly emptied American bourbon barrels and rum from Barbados with vanilla" and then blended to add complexity to the beer.
Dark brown opaque beer with a beige rich head. Very aromatic, perceptible notes of vanilla, bourbon, coconut and chocolate. The taste is not so sweet, balanced, bourbon, vanilla, molasses, cereal coffee, caramel and chocolate. The character of the base has been changed from a heavily hopped base to a more barrel-like one. Very tasty, one of the best in the series of the Baltic Emperors from PINTA Brewery.
