The notes from the 'Oak tankard' description above apply equally to this. I used to say this was 'with alternate light/dark staves', but this isn't strictly accurate. Sometimes the alternate staves are indeed light/dark, but often the difference between the staves is more subtle, just a matter of different shades or even of grain pattern. The difference in colour between the 'light' and 'dark' staves is obvious, but yet it is still quite a subtle contrast. Many people like these because they show the 'coopered' nature of the tankard well, but without the stronger contrast that you get from mixing two different woods.
I don't usually mix colours in the tankards without hoops, but I think the light/dark effect works quite well with Oak.
