Barrel Aged Beers

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kevputo
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Barrel Aged Beers

#1 Post by kevputo » Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:04 am

My amazing wife gave me a 5 gallon whiskey barrel as a birthday/father's day gift, so now I need to figure out how best to use it. Are there any good resources out there for the proper care & feeding of a barrel?

I'm particularly curious if there know if there is a typical progression in the types of beers that are aged in any given barrel. For example, if the whiskey/oak flavors will diminish over time, should I do a big beer like an imperial stout or barleywine for the first beer through the barrel, then get into smaller stuff later?

Or, would it be best to work light-to-dark, so as to not impart heavy roast/toast flavors from dark malt into the wood? From what I've read, I'll want to rinse the thing with hot (180F+) water between uses, so maybe this isn't a problem?

I'm going to hold off on using lacto/brett in it, at least for the first couple of rounds, since I'm guessing once that stuff moves in, it's there to stay.

From what I've read so far, these small barrels contribute a ton of flavor in a very short period of time, due to high ratio of surface-to-volume. So maybe I can turn something quickly, in time for brewfest?

Anyway, trying to figure out the best use of a 'fresh' whiskey barrel. So if anybody has suggestions, let's hear them.
Kevin Hansen

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