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For anyone who’s experienced a quality tequila shot with a crisp, ice-cold lager, it’s clear that hops and agave are delicious partners. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that beer aged in tequila barrels can create a sophisticated brew with nuanced flavors.
The process is straightforward, but the results can be profound. Freshly brewed beer is placed in casks that once held tequila and as it matures, the beer takes on a variety of flavors from the wood and transforms into something new.
“Once you start sticking beer in wood, it becomes functionally like wine,” says Whit Baker, brewmaster at Bond Brothers Beer Company. “You’re taking component parts and hoping to make something greater than the parts.”
Baker, a certified advanced cicerone, directs brewing operations at three locations in North Carolina and has experience with tequila-influenced beer. Baker once chopped down a giant agave piña and smoked it on a barbecue pit. He then threw it in with a saison, a pale-colored ale, and decanted that into tequila barrels to make a “mezcal beer.”
Matt Brynildson, brewmaster at Firestone Walker
“In the beer world, there’s nothing more craft or artisanal than barrel aging.”
— Matt Brynildson, brewmaster at Firestone Walker
Unlike aging beer in bourbon barrels, the use of tequila casks can be a more delicate process. Maturation can also take longer in tequila casks than those of other spirits. Baker says he doesn’t taste the impact of the tequila casks on the beer for at least a year, while those aged in bourbon barrels can take on a whiskey-beer quality in about six months.
“In the beer world,” says Matt Brynildson, brewmaster at Firestone Walker, “there’s nothing more craft or artisanal than barrel aging.”
If you’re ready to enter into a world of slow-maturing beer with a hit of agave, here are the brews to check out right now.
Tequila Sunrise by Firestone Walker
Food & Wine / Firestone Walker Brewing Company
“We were trying to use tequila in the way you would in a cocktail,” says Brynildson. Tequila Sunrise is aged barleywine, a strong ale well suited to tequila barrel aging.
This blond beer — Firestone Walker’s lightest in color — is aged in extra añejo tequila barrels and is a staple of the brewery’s barrel aging program. To make the Tequila Sunrise mimic its cocktail namesake, Brynildson carefully blends the tequila barrel-aged barleywine with another batch aged in barrels that contain cherry and orange bitters.
The cellar at Firestone Walker is cave temperature, about 50°F. This allows the brewer to age Tequila Sunrise a little longer, without picking up notes that emerge in beer that’s been barrel-aged for too long, such as soy sauce or sherry flavors.
“If we age cold, we really get more of that barrel,” says Brynildson. “It’s porous, allowing oxygen ingress, what winemakers call micro-oxygenation.”
The result is an excellent take on a barleywine reminiscent of the classic tequila cocktail, with body depth and cherry textures.
La Palomita by Goose Island
Food & Wine / Goose Island Beer Co.
Goose Island was a pioneer in the barrel aging movement, and it’s also where Brynildson learned his trade. In the early 1990s, Goose Island became one of the earliest brewers in the U.S. to experiment with the process. The brewery matured an imperial stout in a bourbon barrel during its days as a small brewpub. “They were the spark,” says Brynildson.
La Palomita is a saison, like Baker’s mezcal beer, but it resembles grapefruit soda. Though it may look like a fruit soda or radler, the effort to barrel age this type of beer shouldn’t be underestimated.
This inspired take on a sessionable saison has a rich, wheated quality and zesty grapefruit flavors up front, followed by toasty notes imparted from the agave and wood.
The Shroud by Bravery Brewing
Food & Wine / Bravery Brewing
While many examples of the tequila barrel-aged style are light in color, typical aged beers tend to be dark, robust ales, such as an imperial stout. The Shroud from Bravery Brewing has won numerous awards including a bronze medal at the 2024 World Beer Cup. This brew is a complex drink due to its aging process.
“We kind of pushed the limits this year, where we held it in tequila barrels for three years,” says Bravery co-owner Brian Avery. “We play with this beer quite a lot, putting it in different barrels [that have] different treatments.”
The Shroud’s aging process wasn’t entirely planned. It was originally intended to be bottled during the pandemic, but Avery felt that social distancing wasn’t conducive to serving the beer. A beer so unique had to be explained in person to his customers. The brewery has a community taproom in the Antelope Valley, located in northern Los Angeles County, California.
“When we tasted it, I didn’t think a few more months was going to be detrimental to the beer,” says Avery. “So, we just let it go, and every three to six months I was checking the beer and it was actually improving.”
The extra time smoothed and rounded out the flavors, as the tannins of the barrel added complementary notes. The result is a chocolatey stout that mingles with aromas of agave piloncillo and almond, which provided Bravery’s customers a much-awaited treat when it was finally served.
Minerva Imperial Tequila Ale by Minerva Brewery
Food & Wine / Cerveza Minerva
Minerva Imperial Tequila Ale is an American strong ale with a figgy profile. This is a world away from the bitterness that you’ll find in many modern craft IPAs. Intense hop flavors tend to fade in the barrel aging process.
Brewed by Minerva Brewery in Mexico, the country’s pioneer craft brewer is famous for its six core beers: Colonial, Vienna, Pale Ale, Stout, IPA and Lager Light. This expression has hints of oak and some flowery hop notes on the nose.
Tequila Cask Blonde by Innis & Gunn
Food & Wine / Innis & Gunn Brewing Co.
Available in cans, this Scottish-brewed blonde beer boasts citrus and tequila notes. Tequila Cask Blonde by Innis & Gunn is an easy entry point for someone who wants to try a lighter-bodied expression, especially if a full-bodied, robust beer seems too heavy. However, notable for some diehards, Innis & Gunn uses barrel chips in the brewing process rather than full barrel aging. Still, it remains an accessible example for those who seek to dive into the effects of oak on beer.
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