Casks, oak-barrel aging and complex full-bodied flavor is synonymous with wine. But craft brewers are changing that. Today, craft beer brewers are doing more with exotic ingredients and time-honored processes typically reserved for grapes. Courting millennials who are thirsty for variety and uniqueness in small-run releases, leading brewmasters are constantly testing new ingredients.
Citrus-flavored yuzu wood and slightly gamey beef hearts aren’t flavors usually on tap, but Samuel Adams isn’t afraid to ask “what if” and test anything to arrive at its seasonal additions. All ideas – and tastes – are considered to create just the right profile, Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams at The Boston Beer Company, says.