Drake's Barrel House: Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting Oasis

By Jason Henry Wed., Jul. 20 2011 at 11:55 AM

Categories: Beer

Photos by Jason Henry

Barrel-aged beer has proven to be more than a passing fad, but tap versions of these wood-aged beers can be elusive or destructive to your wallet.

Enter Drake's Barrel House, a one-stop shop for your oaky fix. This beery oasis is hiding in plain sight behind a San Leandro Wal-Mart.

On a recent visit, we spied nearly 20 Drake's beers on tap alongside guest brews from Berkeley's Jupiter and Triple Rock brewpubs.

There's beer in these barrels

Of the four taps dedicated to a rotating selection of barrel-aged beer, standouts included the Brewer's Droop Bourbon Barrel Barleywine and How Merlot Can You Go, a rich imperial stout aged in merlot barrels. At $2.75 for taster pours of barrel-aged beers, patrons can sample a wide rangewithout demolishing their coin purses.

Just how hot are barrel-aged beers? Of the current top five brews on Ratebeer, three have spent time in oak. And SFoodie is on the record with our love of Russian River Brewing's barrel-aged sour beers.

In addition to the bounty of liquid treasures available on the premises, Drake's Barrel House is a good option for take-home potables. Many of the beers can be taken home in growlers, and the brewery has just launched a "Brew-Rhino" program where customers can purchase a keg at cost on their first visit and swap it for a freshly filled keg whenever they return. Disclaimer: Although modeled after the propane swap system, these kegs won't power your grill. They will, however, make for one heck of a barbecue.

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