OR/WA Group Brew v3.0

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 10-29-2009, 02:59 AM

OK fine brewers of the PNW...a group of us just emptied a pinot noir barrel that had an Oud Bruin aging in it for 1 year with some sour cherries and some nice bigs. I now have a mostly empty barrel in my basement and it wants to be filled again. Hints at trying a stout this time around. This is a 55 gallon barrel and I need all the help I can get to fill it.

We probably need to act fast so if you're interested in joining the fun speak up here. I'm in for 10gallons, so we still need 45 more. Let's do it. It would be a shame to see this bug infused barrel turned into a planter!

McKBrew · 10-29-2009, 03:14 AM

How fast is fast?

I'd like to contribute as usual, but it's a run for me. I might just chip in some cash instead so I might be allowed to partake of the final product.

WIP · 10-29-2009, 03:19 AM

Are we looking at a specific recipe? AG, PM, Extract? How soon are we talking?

explosivebeer · 10-29-2009, 04:32 AM

I'm in for doing 10 again. I'll be coming down the weekend of November 13th so I could brew this weekend and drop off the beer then. McKBrew, you're welcome to send beer with me if we do shoot for that weekend.

Sipping on some of the beer that just came out of that barrel, there's a lot of barnyard funk in the aroma. And the cherry really starts to come through in the finish as the beer warms.

I think that whatever recipe we use should allow some of the complexity to come through. KB I think a big-ish stout could definitely work. And I like the idea of giving the critters more to chew on than the FG we had in the last barrel.

Chester · 10-29-2009, 05:17 AM

Like I said, I'll be in for 5 or 10 since its no more work. I don't necessarily need 10 gallons back but if it helps fill the barrel...

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 10-29-2009, 06:06 PM

I'll try working on a recipe tonight if I can. WIP...I know McK, Explosive and myself are AG brewers, but I don't see any issue if you're not. It's all beer after all.

Doing a little reading myself...it would appear that Lacto isn't really tolerant of high alcohol. Maybe we aim for the low end of "big". Or a thought of maybe putting my batch in without putting it through primary to get the bugs awake and active before adding others? Not sure where that thought came from...

We're still a a bit shy on volume with those that have chimed in. If you have brewing friends not on HBT spread the word. Also note that even though you put in 5 or 10 gallons doesn't mean that is what we will pull out. Evaporation and loss to the cherries, etc. Just wanted to put that out there upfront.

Chester · 10-29-2009, 11:26 PM

Giving the bugs a couple days head start on 5 or 10 gallons of fresh warm wort would be one way of upping the sour factor. That is the way I'm doing my berliner weiss.

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 10-30-2009, 03:12 AM

OK, so this is proving to be a little tricky. Bugs don't like high alcohol and they don't like much more than 10IBUs. I quickly put together the recipe below. Not wanting much roastyness to the beer I replaced roasted malts with carafa I to get some color. There is also carafa II and III to consider. Formulating recipes is not my forte so please contribute!

Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.75 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 69.73 %
1.50 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 8.90 %
1.50 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 8.90 %
0.85 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.04 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.45 %
0.50 lb Carafa I (337.0 SRM) Grain 2.97 %
0.35 oz Nugget [12.50 %] (60 min) Hops 10.3 IBU

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.080 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.76 %
Bitterness: 10.3 IBU Calories: 368 cal/pint
Est Color: 34.9 SRM

Also, I'd like to say that if we don't have enough folks joining in to fill the barrel by the end of the weekend I will be exploring other options on what to do with it. Let's get 'er done!

explosivebeer · 10-30-2009, 05:10 PM

I'd definitely like to do this again but if it doesn't come together, it saves the trouble of transporting beer a few hundred miles.

As for the recipe, I don't have much experience creating recipes meant to be soured. Obviously the sourness can offset the lack of bitterness. Mashing high would help give the critters more to chew on over the course of the year in the barrel. Overall though, I like what I'm imagining from that recipe.

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 11-01-2009, 05:05 PM

OK, I may have another guy in for 5 gallons and as much as I don't want to I can bump up to 20 gallons to get the barrel filled. Unless Explosive you want to do split the difference and we can both do 15? Is everyone that comment here in for the amount you state in your post? (Chester, I have you down as 10)