When River North Brewery founder Matt Hess first discovered amburana wood, he immediately wanted to use it in a recipe. The wood, which comes from trees native to South America, offers a distinct profile with spicy notes of cinnamon. Hess thought it would aptly complement one of the brewery’s signature high-alcohol beers.
After receiving some amburana samples, Hess’ team made an imperial saison aged on amburana wood spirals. It turned out well enough that River North decided to enter the beer into the 2023 Great American Beer Festival competition.
However, the Brewers Association, which organizes the event, derailed those plans.