The wood, and ‘From the Wood’

Ted Rice, Marble Brewery, tends to his barrels

This is the wood. And . . .

From the Wood

This is From the Wood.

Pretty nifty packaging, don’t you think?

The current Draft magazine features “The Top 25 Beers of the Year.” You can view the list here, but you have to pick up the magazine itself to see nice all the bottles and labels (The Lost Abbey Angel’s Share Grand Cru, Saboteur, Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, Dogfish Head Bitches Brew, et al.) in their glossy glory. Although From the Wood is among the 25 beer chosen it is not pictured. You can probably figure out why.

It was available on draft only, and there wasn’t really much of it. In that sense it stands as proxy for thousands of small-batch beers sold this past year in the United States. Some terrific, some terrible, most somewhere between.

Ted Rice, director of brewing at Marble, took a bit of From the Wood to the Great American Beer Festival because he likes to have something out of the ordinary to serve to attendees. That meant he was required to bottle enough beer for the Professional Judge Panel (the people who decide who wins GABF medals) evaluate. He packaged a few extra bottles to have to taste when the judge sheets came back. The bottle pictured was the last of those. The beer inside was good, but I didn’t take notes. They wouldn’t have been as evocative as those in Draft, so a bit of the description that appeared there:

“Figs and plum immerse the tongue before simultaneous waves of spicy bourbon and funky Brett wash back. Instead of battling for attention, the bourbon’s vanilla notes meld seamlessly into the flavor, achieving a stunning level of sophistication.”

This beer wasn’t just a happy accident. Rice put a strong dark beer brewed with a yeast strain that hails from Belgium in bourbon barrels he’d used twice previously, so the bourbon character was muted. He added Brettanomyces, but not with the intention of creating a “yeast gone wild beer.”

Curiously, or perhaps not, the beer did not advance past the first round at GABF, where judges evaluate a dozen beers and pass three on to the next level. Rice entered it into Category 12, Experimental Beers, because he decided the presence of Brett excluded it from the wood- and barrel-aged category, but that it didn’t qualify as “sour” (the alternative barrel choice).

One judge thought it should have been entered in the barrel-aged category, another in the sour barrel category. The third wrote, “. . . very drinkable for as much as it has going on.”

In the photo at the top Rice is taking samples of beer aged in “fresh” bourbon barrels, the contents of which will be blended into Marble Reserve (if they are ever ready, sigh). Then the barrels will be used again. Eventually, perhaps on third use, Rice might see about replicating “From the Wood.”

Beers that spend time in wood are a small percentage of a percentage point of Marble’s business, and Marble (which will brew a little over 8,000 barrels this year) is a brewery that few people outside the immediate area have even heard of. That makes it like most of the breweries (including brewpubs, obviously) in the nation. A GABF medal or a mention in a national magazine doesn’t have the financial implications that it does for nationally, or internationally, distributed brands like Dogfish Head and Duvel (also on the list).

But it validates the beers for customers (“I knew that was a good beer”) and makes brewers smile. So I asked Rice a totally unfair question: Which would you prefer, having a beer, specifically this one, win a GABF medal or be named one of the 25 beers of the year by a magazine on newsstands across the country?

He thought about it over night before emailing his answer:

“Having won several GABF medals, I know it’s a thrill. After reading the review of FTW in Draft magazine, it gave me chills and a certain glow, much in the same way a GABF medal does. What’s special about the Draft Top 25 is the colorful review for all beer lovers to see, that a judge’s tasting notes or gold medal could not convey. For this beer, which did not neatly fit in a style guideline, I’ll take the Draft Top 25. From the Wood was selected amongst the beers and breweries of the world, not just one style or country. That’s pretty special.”

6 thoughts on “The wood, and ‘From the Wood’”

  1. Great write up on the not so well known brewery making oh so great beers! The mention in the top 25 is further affirmation. When I saw that I was excited for them to be amongst top brands that are easily findable…

    As for the beer and it’s Brettanomyces nuances, aged in a well used whisky barrel which held a strong dark beer… sure wish I could’ve sampled this beer…

  2. “sure wish I could’ve sampled this beer”

    You and about 50 million other beer drinkers. I don’t get excited anymore about these limited releases. If they are there I’ll try them but I wouldn’t cross the street to seek one out. Too many great beers that actually are available to fret the small stuff.

  3. Wow! what a significant reply. It’s reassuring to hear you wouldn’t cross the street to seek a beer out as that means more great beer for myself and the 50 million other people that might actually appreciate the hard work and artistry that a small brewer puts into each batch. As high and mighty as you are how do you ever even enjoy beer if you wont cross the street to seek one out? Enjoy your IPA, and always remember, its just beer, no one is fretting the small stuff.

    By the way you might want to rethink your maths, because “50 million beer drinkers” that want this beer would mean that roughly 17% of the USA is drinking craft beer. Which is not true its right around 5% making for about 15 million craft beer drinkers and the percentage of those drinkers that would fit the niche of this beer is maybe about 5-10% of that 5% so its actually myself and somewhere between 1.5 million to 750,000 people.

  4. first stater, Chad, before this escalates everybody take a deep breath.

    I understand what first stater is saying and I also understand Chad’s interest in a well done barrel/Brett beer.

    I would only point out that this was a “limited release” in the mold as that some crazy people travel long distance to try, standing in line overnight and spending a bunch of money. It was a beer available to those in the region.

    Much like the Reserve, being tapped today (see, I knew if I complained . . . ), which some people might line up for. I’ve got more than a street to cross to get there but when I do this evening I will be starting with the dry hopped pilsner on cask. But not because it is limited (thought 10.8 gallons certainly qualifies).

  5. I don’t know if this will come as news to anyone, but those magazine “best of” lists are complete bullshit – they are used to boost circulation. Try looking at an audio or computer or home or holiday magazine and see how many times you find “10 best audio receivers,” “10 best computer programs”, “10 best homes ideas” or “10 best holiday locations.” These lists aren’t worth the paper they (used to be) printed on.

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