Show us your Barrels

[barls]

mines a fence oak octavos barrel.

 

[Yob]

mines a fence oak octavos barrel.

lolz, white picket or treated pine?

 

[barls]

treated pine.

french oak. you munchkin I'm going to go back to my wiezenbock

 

[sstacey]

For home brewers, is there any taste advantage using barrels above using charred oak chips soaked in scotch? Can I get the same result without all the serious cleaning, cooperage costs, etc.

 

[Yob]

What serious cleaning? Cooperage costs?

Mate, we're talking years of use and then $80 to make new.. Not that bad really...

You call it "the same" I say you don't have a barrel...

 

[idzy]

For home brewers, is there any taste advantage using barrels above using charred oak chips soaked in scotch? Can I get the same result without all the serious cleaning, cooperage costs, etc.

Surface area and oxidisation are the main factors. Both adding unsurpassed flavours comparative to other methods.

 

[sstacey]

Thanks Idsy.
Yob, my original post was asking how many beers you can put through these and whether they require serious cleaning between beers to prevent infection. Or do you just hose out the yeast trub with water? Someone needs to write a detailed wiki on how to manage barrels in the home brewery.

 

[Yob]

I can't answer how many as I'm still going, I've cycled about 5 kegs through thus far with little if any signs of character loss.

Never had cause to flush it yet.

 

[sstacey]

Yob, I assume you are using 18L kegs and the barrel is about 100L. So by cycling 5 kegs through, are you drawing 1 keg worth off the barrel and then refilling with a freshly fermented batch - so you have a mix of fresh and old beer in the barrel? Or are you doing it batch wise by filling the barrel and ageing, then emptying the whole barrel into 5 kegs and refilling the barrel with fresh beer again?

 

[Yob]

Keg at a time, I don't want to empty it

Solaire, so adding fresh beer to the barrel and blending as it comes out with fresh as well usually

 

[sp0rk]

For home brewers, is there any taste advantage using barrels above using charred oak chips soaked in scotch? Can I get the same result without all the serious cleaning, cooperage costs, etc.

Chips have a lot of end grain, which leads to high tannin extraction, but they work very quickly
Mini staves/dominoes have a much lower end grain, so lower tannin extraction, these work a little slower, but still give reasonably quick results (I use these in my stouts & porters, and some other hobbies)
Actual barrels have next to no end grain, so very little tannin extraction, but require longer aging, the end result is a much richer and pleasant

 

[RobW]

Thanks Idsy.
Yob, my original post was asking how many beers you can put through these and whether they require serious cleaning between beers to prevent infection. Or do you just hose out the yeast trub with water? Someone needs to write a detailed wiki on how to manage barrels in the home brewery.

I have a 5 gallon barrel that had previously held port but subsequently gone pretty manky.
I've cleaned it with percarbonate and it's currently filled with Starsan so I'm pretty happy that it's clean but I'm not sure how much barrel character is going to remain.
I assume a fair bit will be scrubbed out.

 

[Yob]

You're going for a funk barrel?

 

[sp0rk]

A 110 litre barrel is called an octave, about the only people with them are Yalumba who have them made specially for a wine called "The Octavius". Second hand octaves are highly sought after, expect to pay well for them.

50 litres barrels are mostly display barrels, be careful they are often waxed or otherwise effed up because it's not considered a serious size (surface area to volume ratio is too high)

I was talking to an old greek bloke who has a little winery (I think at Merriwa) and he says he has some in those sizes
Next time I see him at the markets I'll see if he can help me out, otherwise I guess we'll just have to get at least 4 or 5 of us together to fill a 225L

 

[idzy]

Thanks Idsy.
Yob, my original post was asking how many beers you can put through these and whether they require serious cleaning between beers to prevent infection. Or do you just hose out the yeast trub with water? Someone needs to write a detailed wiki on how to manage barrels in the home brewery.

There are really good podcasts on Sour Hour regarding barrel care, storage, treatment and cleaning. From memory starsan and citric acid is your friend.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Keg at a time, I don't want to empty it

Solaire, so adding fresh beer to the barrel and blending as it comes out with fresh as well usually

Solera. The literal meaning is actually the base the barrels are sitting on.

 

[sstacey]

Thanks for all the answers. The blend of old and new beer sounds a lot like old London porter. I'll listen to the sour hr. I still think someone should write a comprehensive wiki on barrel ageing. It would be an excellent post.

 

[Yob]

Solera. The literal meaning is actually the base the barrels are sitting on.

Note that unless you are using muliple barrels, you are not technically using a solera system, you're just part emptying.

Planning on transferring my Bourbon RIS barrel to my French Oak port.. So I will be, just isn't yet

 

[sstacey]

Yob, do you worry about air spoilage while you are part dispensing, or do you replace the air with CO2 before refilling? Did you add any brett yeast to the barrel?

 

[Mardoo]

I heard on BrewStrong that there's a homebrew book on barrel aging that is about to come out.