Why a foeder and why from Foeder Crafters?

Adding a foeder to your operations not only adds a beautiful show piece but it can also help diversify offerings. A beer brewed in a foeder versus its stainless steel counterpart will have some noticeable differences in mouthfeel as well as flavor. Our vessels are specifically designed to prevent air ingress, to make a more controllable result and scale back the acidity that can often occur via oxidization.

Why oak?

Historically oak barrels were standard equipment, but over time stainless steel has largely replaced them. Utilizing oak in fermenting and maturing can provide your beers with complimentary flavors and add depth. The mouthfeel will often seem rounder and richer. Oak can imprint a sweetness and provide balance between bitterness.

What makes American oak special?

The level of tyloses in American White Oak creates an incredibly dense, and hardy wood. Tyloses occurs during the process of sapwood turning into heartwood, thus creating the perfect wood for building airtight and leak-free tanks! In addition to superior tyloses, the composition of this species of oak, has a high amount of vanillin, lipids, and lactones. During aging American oak imparts a coconut and vanilla, spicy sweetness whereas French Oak or Hungarian Oak brings more of a savory spice and the wood is more tannic and less dense.

How does toasting effect the Oak?

The toasting level selected can vary from gently to dramatically impacting the flavor. As the heat applied to the oak breaks down lipids, oak lactones, vanillin and eugenol the flavors from each can be decreased or increased. Lipids can impact mouthful on a brew, and by utilizing heavier toasting the lips breakdown further and are pulled to the surface.

Eugenol – clove-like flavor

Vanillin – vanilla and sweetness

Lipids – affects mouthfeel

Oak lactones – coconut aromatics

Stave drying and harvesting

We proudly utilize Missouri white oak. All of our oak is sourced within a 100-mile radius of our shop. Once harvested, our oak is air dried for roughly 2 years before it enters the kiln to hit our target moisture %. This process ensures that the oak is free of any pests or infections and allows the oak to naturally dry, avoiding any checking or degradation that can occur if dried too quickly.