Ex wine barrel for sour beer

[Stiftung]

Hi all,


I am looking to buy a wine barrel to make sour style beer in. I've found one I'd like to buy but I have a couple of questions>

How long is too long between when it had wine in it to when I fill it with wort? The one I have found is a burgundy-style barrique, 228L for $220. It had wine in it until late november and if I got it I plan to use it within the next few weeks?

Also, what is the best way to prep these for the wort cleaning wise?

I'm sure I would be able to use it, but if it's too long between having anything it I suppose it might be wiser to wait for a fresh one and not stress too much about the cleaning process. If that's the case does anyone know anywhere in particular I can tee up a fresh barrel straight out of the winery?

I'd be glad to hear from anyone who has used or uses wine barrels with any tips they can pass on too?

 

[bevan]

should be able to get the info you need from here

http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Barrel

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

A winery run by a professional will have washed and sulphured the barrel as soon as it was emptied. If it was "soused" in November it should still be OK (best practice is to redo it every 2-3 months).

Ask the source of the barrel how it's been kept since November.

"Sous" is water with citric acid and about 1000 ppm SO2 in it. Usually about 5% of the volume of the barrel eg 10 - 15 litres in a Bq. Burning a sulphur candle or using a shot of SO2 directly from a sulphitometer also work but generally don't last as long so should be redone more frequently.

 

[Stiftung]

Great info thanks, I'll see if I can find out.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

If the barrel has been empty for a while you will want to fill it will water to swell the wood & seal it, before cleaning & sanitising and finally filling with beer.
A bunch of us recently came into possession of 100 litre ex Shiraz barrels, some leaked water for up to a week.
Here's an info sheet prepared by NHB for that purpose

 

[Stiftung]

Ah yes, I read about the soaking and re-swelling. Thanks for the directions, I've printed it out for future reference. With a quick google I found a place nearby that sells potassium metabisulphite $7.50 per 500g, pickup from their warehouse. They also do the citric acid for 12.95 per Kg

 

[Stiftung]

I just spoke to the guy selling the barrels. Most were intended for furniture, some were rinsed/cleaned others still had wine residue, a couple of brewers got in early and took some after inspection.

He reckons he's going to have a few more runs coming up and he's going to put the word out that he needs at least 1 cleaned properly and stored appropriately until he can deliver it to me, so I'm going to hold off till I get a call back.

He also mentioned that he's going to have some 200L Jack Daniels, and some port barrels that have had port in them for 18yrs, not sure how they fit in with what I want but I might look into it.

If anyone's interested in something, he advertises on Gumtree: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/epping/other-home-garden/top-quality-wine-barrels-half-barrel-planters-free-delivery-/1130728764

 

[Feldon]

FYI - noticed in the Sept 2016 issue of 'All About Beer' magazine a brief review of a new book titled Wood & Beer: a Brewer's Guide.

Might be of interest to those using barrels etc.



The publisher's blurb says: The use of wooden vessels for storage, transportation, fermentation, or aging of beer is deeply rooted in history. Today's talented brewers are innovating, experimenting, and enthusiastically embracing the seemingly mystical complexity of flavors and aromas derived from wood. From the souring effects of microbes that take up residence in the wood to the wood character drawn from barrels or foeders, this book covers not only the history, physiology, microbiology, and flavor contributions of wood, but also the maintenance of wooden vessels. Explore the many influences of wood as a vehicle for contributing tremendous complexity to beers fermented and aged within it. Wood & Beer: A Brewer's Guide is as much about wood as it is about beer, and the mysteries that arise when the two come together.

You can view selected pages of the book for free on Google Books at: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=H9dcDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22wood+%26+beer%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjiwt_jjJHSAhVHu7wKHQWwA3sQ6AEIGTAA#v=onepage&q=%22wood%20%26%20beer%22&f=false

(The above mentioned magazine issue also had an article called 'Slow Beer', about aging beer in wooden vessels.



You can download a PDF copy of the mag for free from the Internet Archive at : https://archive.org/details/All_About_Beer_-_September_2016?
(go to page 32 of the magazine, or page 35 of the PDF)