Barrell Aged Beers: Pricey and Delicious

There is a decent article and interactive feature on the NY Times website right now. I do have to complain about one thing Eric Asimov writes:

But in the last decade or so, brewers have given barrels another look. Inspired by winemakers, whiskey producers and even lambic brewers, who never stopped using barrels, these brewers see oak barrels not as storage vessels but as tools that can make beer more complex and interesting.

I think that bit is less reportage and more assumption. The way he uses the word "even" when tossing in lambic brewers. The largest inspiration for barrel aging came from lambic brewers, period. Do I have actual verification for this? Well no, I am just a two bit blogger, not a writer for the bleeding NYT. But you know it and I know it.