Another Naked City Barrel Project!

**Brewtopia** · 08-14-2008, 08:30 PM

About 9 months ago I racked 15 gallons of Stix Red Ale into a side bung Sanke keg and added Brettanomyces Lambicus. I bunged the hole with a #10 stopper and oak dowel. I pulled a sample about a week ago and it is wonderfully sour. However, I think the Red Ale was a bit too hoppy to begin with. The beer has a bit of an unpleasant bitter after taste.

I decided to blend it with a bit of some Dubbel that my brewing partner and I recently brewed. It was awesome.

The sweetness of the Dubbel completely eliminated the bitter aftertaste while keeping the sourness intact.

Today I decided to blend the whole batch and rack it into my 15 gallon Cabernet barrel that previously held Grapes of Wrath. The barrel has been sitting with a solution of Sodium Metabisulphite and Citric Acid to inhibit bacterial growth and to keep it from drying out in between uses.

Here's what it looked like.

Figuring out the correct ratio for blending. Decided to go 2 parts Sour Red/1 part Dubbel

Keg settling prior to transfer

#10 stopper w/ oak dowel. Been sitting like this for 9 months

Safety first! You do not want to breath the fumes from the Sodium Metabisulphite and Citric Acid while emptying the oak barrel

Oak barrel has been emptied of sanitizing solution and rinsed thoroughly

**Brewtopia** · 08-14-2008, 08:30 PM

Oak dowel removed from the keg

Transferring the Sour Red 5 gallons at a time

...and into the barrel

Once 10 gallons of Sour Red has been tranferred, in goes 5 gallons of Dubbel

Attach an airlock and wait

Not sure how long this beer will spend in the barrel. I'll draw a sample in a couple of weeks and periodically after that until I'm satisfied with the flavor profile.

Most of this will get bottled in 750ml Belgian bottles, corked and caged.

McKBrew · 08-14-2008, 08:38 PM

That is going to be another incredibly awesome beer. Again, we are not worthy....

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 08-14-2008, 08:39 PM

Is there a waiting list to get a bottle?????
I'm almost wishing I got a 15 gallon barrel instead of the 55 I got...

Boerderij_Kabouter · 08-14-2008, 08:41 PM

Wow.... that's all I can say. You are my hero.

Ryan_PA · 08-14-2008, 09:00 PM

Hardcore man. I would be interested to see how well the finished product resembles the mini blended sample.

I hope to get to this point with the home brewery some day.

Kai · 08-14-2008, 09:12 PM

You are my hero. What's the batch size at Naked City?

EDIT: I now notice a home in the background, and remembered that you're still setting up the brewery space. Question withdrawn; you're still my hero.

farmbrewernw · 08-14-2008, 09:42 PM

I likey! I really need to try making a sour beer at some point, not because I especially like them but because I can.

**fat x nub** · 08-14-2008, 09:55 PM

that sounds and looks amazing...great job

**Nurmey** · 08-14-2008, 11:09 PM

That looks so fun. As always, you make me want to get to Seattle soon.

BTW, just so you don't think I'm fickle, you were already my hero before you did this.