Barrel-Aging Beer with DC Homebrewer Jake Grover

Homebrewer Jake Grover caught the craft beer bug when he moved to Washington D.C. in 2006, even though the city didn’t host many beer bars at the time. “There was basically Bier Baron, or the Brickskeller then, and The Reef, which no longer exists—it’s Roofers Union. There was no Meridian Pint, no ChurchKey, there were none of the great beer bars that we have today. So, it was kind of difficult to get good beer.”

Partly inspired by necessity, Jake started homebrewing. In the edited-for-clarity conversation that follows, Jake—who recently won “Best in Show” in the D.C. State Fair Homebrew Competition—describes his first brew session, talks about his barrel-aging setup, and offers up a recipe for his winning beer.

DC Beer: Let’s talk about your first brew session. Can you describe it?

Jake: I wanted to brew a beer for my partner Lisa for her birthday. I heard about Shenandoah Brewing Company in Virginia that would brew batches on your behalf, and I thought that would be a really great bi