[uisgue]

Has anyone experimented with aging your brew on any non-traditional woods? We've all heard of Beechwood, Spanish Cedar and of course Oak, but I have been experimenting with toasted Madrone (or Madrona). While oak is said to have notes of vanilla, it seems to me that the madrone imparts a hint of maple.  I don't think there will ever be madrone barrels, so I split up a piece of firewood into kindling size sticks and toast them on my propane grill. Then I add them directly to my cornies.  Since the sticks are longer than the diameter of the keg, they can't just float on top.

[erockrph]

Haven't tried it myself yet, but there was an excellent presentation at last year's AHA conference on alternative wood aging.

[jamminbrew]

I recently judged an IPA that had been aged on spanish cedar. Excellent beer, went on to get an HM in Best of Show. Madrone should work well too. Sample the beer every day or two, and when you've reached a flavor level you like, pull the wood out and drink!.