Despite the category downturn in craft beer in recent years, for some styles, enthusiasm still runs high. “We’re killing it with barrel-aged beer,” says Chris Schermer, beer buyer at Joe’s Wine & Liquor in Memphis, Tennessee, whose customers regularly seek out “hip” new products, particularly those produced locally. Knowledgeable about Bourbon, these customers are particularly fond of brews aged in barrels from the likes of Buffalo Trace and W.L. Weller, he says. Joe’s stocks up to 20 different barrel-aged beers, priced from $5 a 12-ounce bottle to $45 a 750-ml.

Other retailers also report surprisingly strong trends for barrel-aged beer. Colt Snodgrass, owner of the two-unit Iron & Glass Taproom & Bottle Shop in Illinois, says that while the brews have traditionally been more popular during cold weather months, lately he’s seeing strong demand during other times of the year. His on-premise/off-premise hybrid stores stock up to 30 different barrel-aged beers, priced from $6 to $50 a 750 ml., while at least one of the brews is always available on draft at the Romeoville, Illinois location. In Burlington, Vermont, meanwhile, Marc Gelsomino, beer and wine manager at Beverage Warehouse, says that despite slower tourist traffic, sales of barrel-aged beers—while still a niche—have remained “pretty consistent.” The store offers up to 30 different expressions of the style, priced at $15 and up a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans.

“During the pandemic, we saw a really big increase in interest for high-abv barrel-aged beers,” says Adam Hall, brand manager at Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing. “That led to a lot of exploration, and since then we haven’t seen those numbers diminish.” Indeed, barrel-aged beers account for a significant 15% of Boulevard’s volume, he notes, with sales of the Rye on Rye brand alone up 40% through October 2025. The brewery began aging beer in barrels in 2008 with Bourbon Barrel Quad and today counts an inventory of between 5,000-7,000 casks. Among its partners is the nearby Holladay Distillery, with Quad aged exclusively in its barrels. “It’s been a match made in heaven and it tells a really good Missouri
story,” Hall says.

Founders Brewing has also been a longtime participant in the barrel-aged beer space, with the KBS brand produced for some 20 years. An imperial stout, KBS is brewed with chocolate and coffee and aged in Bourbon barrels. Among its limited-timeoffering variants in 2025 were KBS  Hazelnut Fudge and KBS Iced Latte. “We did a bit of a departure with Iced Latte,” says Founders’ head brewer Jeremy Kosmicki. An imperial golden ale, the brew was crafted with a blend of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla, and aged in Bourbon barrels. Golden in color but with “some of the familiar notes of KBS,” Iced Latte was designed for sipping in warm-weather months, the brewer says.

At Revolution Brewing, the Deep Wood series of barrel-aged beers is comprised of about a dozen limited-release offerings, packaged in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans. According to Marty Scott, the Chicago brewery’s barrel program manager, Deth’s Tar and sibling Café Deth imperial oatmeal stouts combine for the highest-volume brews of the 15-year-old series. Fans of Deep Wood releases previously available only on draft can now purchase the brews as limited-run 19.2-ounce cans.

Also part of the Deep Wood series, Thundertaker barrel-aged rye stout is a collaboration brew between Revolution and Binny’s Beverage Depot that has been produced for the last three years. “For each vintage, Binny’s selects Bourbon and/or rye barrels from Buffalo Trace and Sazerac,” explains Scott. “Once emptied, those barrels come to Revolution, and we then age in those barrels for roughly 18 months.” The beer is sold exclusively at the liquor store chain and at the brewery. “This is often one of our most anticipated beer releases of the year,” Scott notes. “And it often sells out quickly at both Binny’s and the brewery.” Similarly, Iron & Glass has partnered with Flipside Brewing on a barrel-aged imperial stout utilizing a Thornton Distilling single barrel and Joe’s Wine & Liquor has collaborated with Living Water Brewing on a brew aged in a Four Roses barrel.