BeerBorg

Background on the situation. 3 weeks ago, a local brewery here in Louisville (Against the Grain) put out a message saying they were selling some of their barrels that were used to age their Imperial Barrel Aged stout called Bo and Luke ( http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26850/85986 ) I missed the chance to get one but little did I know my dad drove out their and got one for $30!! He gave it to me as a Christmas Present today! Here is my dilemma, however. I brew 5 gallons batches at a time, and this barrel is way beyond my capacity (50+ gallons?). So I am wondering what the best route would be to get the most out of this awesome barrel. I could get a bunch of people together to brew the same recipe to fill up the barrel, but that doesn't sound very feasible, or ideal. What would you recommend I do? Could I cut it up and use the oak pieces to add in a secondary fermenter? If so, how should I go about cutting it up? As only the inside wood is the parts that were soaked in bourbon/beer, not the outside. That's all I can think of for now, if you have other recommendations they would be greatly appreciated!

yankfan9 wrote: I could get a bunch of people together to brew the same recipe to fill up the barrel, but that doesn't sound very feasible, or ideal.

I actually know of homebrew clubs who do that very thing. Get together, everyone brews the same recipe scaled to their equipment and then just put it all in there.

That is cool! Ask your local brew club if they would use it and give u a share of the beer? Cut it in half and use them as large flower planters in the from yard? I really don't know what I would do with it, but it's cool either way!

I agree wit the homebrew club idea. it's a foot in the door, possibly joing in future. If joining isn't your thing, I think the uniqueness of using the famed barrel will set up a group brew.

Me personaly, I wouldn't cut it up to use the wood that way. Maybe making it a piece of furniture as is, coffee table etc.

I'm with Sox. If you cut it up, it will be gone. Put it on display until you can use it.

I agree soxfan...using it as furniture. I can see it as a nice pub table. You and a couple buddies standing around it talking about brewing. Your glasses full of home brew sitting on top. I wish I had one now.

Awesome ideas guys thanks, I am going to get into contact with the head of the home brew club here and see if we can work something out. If that doesn't work, it would make a cool piece of furniture!

I would put a tap handle on it.

The local club that I am marginally involved with has a stout going that was a club barrel brew. It is based on Bell's Expedition Stout. They brought in anyone who could come to brew the same recipe (listed below) to fill a 50 gallon barrel. Was fermented in two large barrel fermenters and then was just a week or so ago pushed into the barrel secondary, where it will sit for two or so months.


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Batch Size (fermenter): 6.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.120 SG
Estimated Color: 42.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 89.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.2 %
Boil Time: 120 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
25 lbs TF Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 86.4 %
1 lbs 2.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2 3.9 %
13.0 oz Caramunich 80 (75.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.8 %
10.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 1.7 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.7 %
6.0 oz Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.3 %
3.70 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 84.2 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 9 4.9 IBUs

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 28 lbs 15.0 oz
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 36.17 qt of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, , 4.22gal) of 168.0 F water

Cool! Still no word back from the home brew club right now, but I did get a reply back from Against the Grain about the barrel. Here is what they said

Against The Grain Brewery
Brant.... hopefully we catch you before you start this project.... Here's the deal. First and foremost, if youre going to brew into the barrel, rinse it very well with hot water... then empty as much of that out as possible. Then pour a bottle of bourbon (your choice, doesnt really matter, as its really only used as a sterilizing agent) in the bottle and roll it around, coating the inside of the barrel.... now its probably safe to use!
when getting a barrel that has already had beer in it, it is important to know that there could be bugs (bacteria) that you may not want affecting your fermentation. so its important to be diligent with cleaning and sanitation when using wood for aging beers.
now, to get the most out of it... well that depends on what you really wanna do. its always fun to brew with other people, so if you wanna have a party and have a bunch of folks (10 5 gal batches) brew into a barrel...why not? the thing is, youve got to let the beer attenuate out before you put it in the barrel, or you will have it sit on a ton of yeast that could autolyze and be gross. frankly this philosophy holds true for any beer you brew... so keep that in mind.
if you wanted to cut it up... do it i use a circular saw. cut it and take a torch to char the outside of the stave... once charred, soak it in bourbon for a week or so.... then put it in your attenuated beer.
really any way you go about this is fine... remember, its homebrew...so relax, dont worry, and have a homebrew.
happy holidays!

I don't know if I would cut it up, either. Furniture is a good idea. I was thinking, maybe you could use a vodka or some other neutral liquor, put it in the barrel to absorb some flavor, and then boil it to sanitize the bugs. Add to secondary or at bottling. I wonder if that would get some flavor into your beer from the barrel?

That's an interesting idea Jim-Bring the barrel to the beer. In fact, I might just pour boiling water into it, let it soak, then add that to my boil to sanitize and flavorize.