How to build a Foeder

Outside Benelux, Foeders are a rarity.  Most people don’t even know what they are.

They could be described as extra-large barrels used in the production of sour beers, for example.  What is important, however, are the properties of a Foeder.

Their size is important because of the wood-to-beer ratio that is much lower in traditional barrels.  A high wood-to-beer ratio allows a much slower ingress of oxygen than would be possible with the smaller barrel, allowing a more complex maturity to develop in the beer.

One Foeder has a number of advantages over its equivalent number of barrels.  Not only does it require much less space, but there is also the benefit of a more consistent product when beer is matured in a single container.

One of the largest concentration of Foeders outside Benelux can be found at Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing Company.  Here is a time-lapse of how their Foeders are built.