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United States

Commercial bourbon-barrel ageing begins

A Chicago brewery aged imperial stout in used bourbon barrels, starting a practice now found worldwide.

1992

Why it matters

Created an entire category of strong beer and made spirit barrels a routine brewing input.

How well this is established

CertaintyWell attested. Broadly agreed across sources, though the precise dating or detail may vary between them.
When1992. Known to the year rather than to the day.
WhereUnited States

Styles this shaped

Traditions

  • American craft brewing — The post-1980 American movement built on intense hop character, reinterpretation of European styles, and rapid categorical change.

Either side of this

← 1989: The Beer Orders break the brewery-pub tie · 1993: Grodziskie dies out and is reconstructed →

See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.

Last reviewed 2026-08-16.

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