At the Summit: Tips from Your Barrel Maker

Phil Burton has been in the barrel business for more than 40 years, but it’s only within the last decade that he has noted a surge in demand from breweries across California. Burton’s business, Barrel Builders, has been serving the Napa Valley region since 1972. Back in the 1970s, barrels were shipped unassembled and put together by coopers at wineries. Barrel Builders was one of the first and only cooperage industries in the state, with a long history in serving wineries and a more recent history in serving breweries. With the number of craft breweries and barrel aging programs growing all over California, barrels are increasingly hard to come by and the importance of care and maintenance becomes even more important.

Join Burton at the Summit to learn the history of the cooperage, the impact of wood on the flavor of beer, the rise in use of barrels to meet consumer demand for sour beers and barrel aged beers and, most importantly how to care for your barrels and make them last for years to come.

Burton will be speaking at a TapTalk on the floor of the expo hall on Friday, September 9 at 3:55pm. For a full list of TapTalks and educational sessions click here. For one-day tickets to Friday events, purchase online today.