Our barrel-aged beers lend themselves perfectly to a moment of pure tasting pleasure. They can also be paired with cheeses such as Munster, Reblochon, or blue-veined cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Stilton, or together with a raclette with smoked raw milk cheeses, a plate of Corsican charcuterie, or a good meat grilled over a wood fire.
The brewers at Pietra embarked on this project with passion, mixing innovation and a return to the roots, since the beers were originally kept in oak barrels.
They explored the processes, and experimented beforehand to develop a way to find the right taste balance between beers and barrels.
They selected three recipes for ale (high fermentation beer) from the brewery and oak barrels that have been used to age whiskies and Corsican wines.
Six months of aging in these barrels are needed for the beer/barrel combination to develop all the desired aromatic complexity.
Samples are regularly taken to ensure the proper development of ageing. Taste, alcohol, acidity and microbial flora are key parameters monitored by brewers.
The development of a new flora in the barrel, mixing bacteria and yeasts naturally present in the wood, transforms the residual sugars into alcohol and gives rise to complex notes, atypical and sometimes acidic, to the beer. Also, beer aged in oak barrels has an intense and unique profile.