chask31

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I came across a toasted oak 2.5gal barrel. It is brand new (nothing was ever aged in it). Can I use this to age beer? Will the fact that it is unused give me off flavors?

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kcross13

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I think it should. I would use it as a secondary. But I am guessing.

the_bird

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The fact that it's unused may mean that it imparts more oak flavor than a barrel that's been used a couple times.

A small barrel like that is going to have a higher surface area of oak relative to the volume of beer, versus a larger barrel. Was just doing some wine tastings last week, and one of the wines we sampled, that was one of the quirky things they did ageing it; small barrels for more surface area.

If it's American Oak, that's a third variable that might lead to the beer getting pretty heavily oaked (bigger pores than French oak).

Both of those would argue for being careful how long you aged the beer in the oak, as it could be pretty easy to overdo it.

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azscoob

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Fill it with water and let it swell, it will likely leak badly until it swells., is it charred inside?

I have a barrel in my rotation that leaked so badly I had to fill the bathtub and sink the barrel for 3 days before it sealed back up.

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azscoob

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Also I would sanitize the barrel to kill any funk living in the wood pores.

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jtakacs

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like az said, leave it filled with water for a few days to seal, then sanitize it... for a fresh barrel, i'd be inclined to put something like an RIS in it and not leave it too long, a small fresh barrel is going to give off a lot of oak - but the good news is you can reuse it over and over until it runs out... i've only used barrels for secondary.

azscoob

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I also only use for secondary only, I love a barrel aged ESB! I make them several times a year.

BTW, here is a good how-to on sanitizing a barrel, you should be able to get everything you need at your LHBS.

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Reaver

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HAHAHA... the best use for that can not be spoken of on this board since it refers to neither Beer Nor Wine.
Give it an experimental shot... brew up a 5gal recipe you think will be good oaked... and put half in the barrel, half in a carboy. See how they differ.

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arg

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I'll tell you what I'd do with it. Seal it and sanitize, then fill with 2.5 gallons of whisky, of course!

Or, do what I just said, then drain, fill with barleywine, and age for a few months, tasting each month.

No matter what you do, I'm sure it'll be a fun project and a learning experience. If you're not up to the challenge then I'll pay for shipping and you can send to me. I'll experiment with it...

jtakacs

Recipes 

i saw a clear whiskey at costco the other day that came with it's own little barrel for aging...

http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/products/age-your-own-whiskey-kit/