Centuries ago, wood barrels were simply vessels in which to brew and store beer. Brewers spent countless hours scrubbing and soaking barrels hoping to neutralize the wood’s influence on the finished product.

However, in the last decade, wood barrel —wine, rum, and whiskey alike — are getting another look by the master brewer. In general, the prized accents of natural woody notes, complex tannins and smoky char are highly sought after in the realm of craft beer.

Categorically speaking, “wood-aged” refers to any beer aged in a wood cask or vessel. This definition leads to many interpretations spanning the ale and lager spectrums. Though it’s still a niche in the overall industry, wood barrel aged beers merited their own category in the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, with more than 40 entries.

Michigan brewers stock a number of barrel aged offerings. Dragon’s Milk, the crown jewel of New Holland’s High Gravity series, is aged in old bourbon barrels made of oak. It’s available year-round, but the deep complex body lends itself to winter consumption.

All Jolly Pumpkin ales benefit from oak barrel aging, which provides a sense of balance to the somewhat sour profile found in Flemish style ales. Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja is an America Wild Ale with a sweet-sour contrast for anyone looking for a refreshing change of pace.

An interesting international take on wood barrel aging comes from the land of the rising sun. Japan’s Kiuchi Brewery has a long storied history of distilling premium rice wine, or sake. It was only 1996 when the first batch of craft beer rolled off the assembly line under the Hitachino Nest label. In recent years, casks used for sake production have been incorporated into the beer brewing process.

Housed in refurbished sake casks for several months, Hitachino Nest Extra High (XH) offers a unique twist on East meets West.

Nate Parsons is a contributor to AnnArbor.com and can be reached at modevin@yahoo.com.