Am I insane???

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Brewtopia

"Greenwood Aged Beer"
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
2,295
Reaction score
26
Location
Seattle, WA
Who in their right mind would attempt barrel aging in a 490 sq.ft. condo? I guess that someone would be me. :D

Just racked my big Belgian into this 15 gallon Bourdeaux barrel and blended it with a Flanders Red that I brewed almost a year ago with a blend of wild yeast and bacteria that includes Brettanomyces Lambicus, Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus.

The strong Belgian had an O.G. of 1.125 and finished out at 1.034. I think the blending with the Brett beer in the barrel should knock it down a few more points. I plan on bottling this in 750ml Belgian bottles, corked & caged. I have no idea how it's going to turn out but I was inspired by the beers that Thomme Arthur and Vinnie Cilurzo are producing down at Lost Abbey and Russian River respectively.

I have included some pictures of the racking session

First 5 gallons going in
Barrel racking 004.jpg

2nd carboy on deck
Barrel racking 008.jpg

In goes the sour beer
Barrel racking 009.jpg

Done
Barrel racking 012.jpg
 
I'm gonna say your insane only because you're using your John De Clerk book as a carboy wedge... What are you thinkin!? I find it most impressive that your SWMBO actually lets you do all this in your condo. You are both hardcore!!! :mug:
 
Originally posted by dblvsn
I'm gonna say your insane only because you're using your John De Clerk book as a carboy wedge... What are you thinkin!?

LOL! Good eye. FWIW, I also use it to fight insomnia. :D
 
That is awesome!!! How are you going about sanitizing stuff for further use? I have been thinking of doing something with Brettanomyces. But am to scared on the after effect.
 
Originaly posted by Ryanh1801
That is awesome!!! How are you going about sanitizing stuff for further use? I have been thinking of doing something with Brettanomyces. But am to scared on the after effect.

I use separate hoses for all my Brett beers. The keg in the picture is also marked and dedicated only to Brett beers. I don't worry much about the glass carboys since they are easily sanitized.

The barrel, obviously, is now dedicated to producing sour beers! :rockin:
 
That barrel looks great in the room! I like the way you use a book to wedge up the carboy. I've been holding mine at an angle to get the last drops out all this time!
 
Nice.....Just Nice.......That is awesome I aplaude your drive and determination to produce great beers in a small space. BTW I used to live up on Whidbey I and I have to say that you are in a great location in the city (from looking at the Pictures thread) . Cheers
 
Insane? No, of course not! When it comes to making beer, we all have to sacrifice for it. I was trying to tell my husband that the laundry room is PERFECT for fermenting beer and wine. The problem is the washer and dryer take up too much room. He refused to remove them. I told him that's what laundromats are for- we really don't need such big appliances taking up a whole room. That space could be better utilized by turning it into a brewery. He mentioned psychiatrists and mumbled something about head examinations before he stalked off.

In your case, you don't NEED a living room. You can certainly LIVE without it. Living rooms are not necessary for living. You, my friend, have your priorities straight and are to be applauded! (And your wife must be awesome to see it yor way!)

:D
 
Hmph, once you get past the initial shock factor (You want do do what?), I would think that SWMBO might actually like having the cask there. I mean, not only does it have a tremendous aesthetic appeal, but it also would be a great conversation starter. It's win-win, right? :D.

And I'll be brewing in a 250ft apartment; I don't know if that beats cask aging in yours, but it's close! ;)
 
RadicalEd said:
And I'll be brewing in a 250ft apartment;

Now we know why you are working so hard on a peltier type fermentation cooler instead of making a temp controller from an old chest freezer! ;)
 
Well, like they say there is a fine line between insanity and genius :D

Looks great man, some of those barrels are definitely on my future list!

As an aside, pardon my ignorance but how do you know it is a John De Clerk book? Also, are you involved in work with Ultrasound?? I have done work with transducers, NDE, etc etc. I am heavily involved in acoustics atm. :drunk: :)
 
zoebisch01 said:
As an aside, pardon my ignorance but how do you know it is a John De Clerk book?

Why it's simple. First I drank a beer. Then I used the thickness of the book in proportion to the carboy and divided it by pi. Then I drank another beer. Then I took the result of that and multiplied it by the circumference of the whiskey barrel. Then I drank another beer. Then I... I forgot where I was going with this conversation. Anyways the important thing was I had drank a few beers. Then in a moment of looking at my copy of the book and knowing Brewtopia also had a copy of the book I put 2 and 2 together and got me another beer. Moral of the story... Beer is good!
 
Cool Barrel!
The good thing about a beer like that is even if it sucks, you will still love it due to the work and time involved. :)
 
pldoolittle said:
Now we know why you are working so hard on a peltier type fermentation cooler instead of making a temp controller from an old chest freezer! ;)

Guilty as charged! Plus, I like to tinker :D.

250sq ft is the size of the university owned apartments I'll be moving into; it's an economy, practically a studio. Beats the 10x11 dorm room I had to share with another kid a few years ago.
 
The barrel was a Christmas gift from SWMBO last year. Came from a local winery but was too small and impractical for their use. Last held a Merlot. Sat empty for about 6 months before I got it. I filled it with water and a mixture of Sodium Metabisulphate and Citric Acid and it's been sitting like that for 7 months until now.

...and Rich and BP are right, my SWMBO IS awesome!:rockin:
 
Awesome project!

Not to hijack the thread, but you two gents who own the DeClerck Brewing book....is it really worth the $75 price tag?

I'm willing to spend the bucks if it will help me brew better beer, so I'd appreciate your feedback.

There's also volume 2.................................
 
I have both Volumes 1 & 2. Very informative but VERY technical and VERY dry. I'll admit that I haven't read them cover to cover but pick them up on occasion for reference. (and to use a a carboy wedge :D )

I just picked up "The Practical Brewer" from MBAA. Much more accessible.
 
dblvsn said:
Why it's simple. First I drank a beer. Then I used the thickness of the book in proportion to the carboy and divided it by pi. Then I drank another beer. Then I took the result of that and multiplied it by the circumference of the whiskey barrel. Then I drank another beer. Then I... I forgot where I was going with this conversation. Anyways the important thing was I had drank a few beers. Then in a moment of looking at my copy of the book and knowing Brewtopia also had a copy of the book I put 2 and 2 together and got me another beer. Moral of the story... Beer is good!


Lol. And here I thought the book was "Love letters from a Belgium Brewery"
 
I just heard a loud POP and went into the other room. The bung shot out of the keg! I better keep an eye on this, I obviously have refermentation.
 
When it comes to brewing space, I've always believed bigger is better, Brewtopia is definately proving me wrong. Good luck on whatever the heck is brewing in that barrel. Hopefully it doesn't go crazy and kick you out.
 
Brewtopia said:
I just heard a loud POP and went into the other room. The bung shot out of the keg! I better keep an eye on this, I obviously have refermentation.

Is there any reason you can't use a rubber stopper with an airlock?
 
How the heck did I miss this thread?

Brewtopia, this is an amazing project, I am jealous! After my eyes were opened a bit more to sour beers while we were in Denver, I long to be able to barrel age now. Keep us updated, I am watching this with envy and excitement!
 
How thick are the walls on your barrel? I have two similar barrels but have wondered about their sides. Also, what did you do to clean them (details please).
 
Originally posted by Damn Squirrels
Is there any reason you can't use a rubber stopper with an airlock?

I didn't think I had a stopper big enough but I found one. Good call.
Barrel 001.jpg
Barrel 002.jpg

Originally posted by Brewpastor
How thick are the walls on your barrel? I have two similar barrels but have wondered about their sides. Also, what did you do to clean them (details please).

I forgot to measure the thickness while I had the bung out but I'd guess about 1/4 inch or so. It's a 15.5 gallon barrel so they aren't very thick. When I got the barrell it hadn't been used in a while but the previous owner burned a sulpher stick inside to keep the nasties at bay. When I got it, I used the method outlined below to prepare the barrel. My LHBS had everything I needed.

1. To five (5) gallons of hot tap water add one (1) pound of soda ash and two (2) teaspoons of household lye. Make enough to fill the barrel. When you are sure that the ingredients are completely dissolved, pour the solution into the barrel.

2. Let the barrel soak for two (2) to three (3) days.

3. Drain the solution and flush the barrel with clean water three (3) times.

If you are preparing an all-new, unused oak barrel, repeat steps #1 through steps #3 at least two (2) times.

4. Make a solution of one (1) ounce of sodium or potassium metabisulphite and half (1/2) ounce of citric acid to a gallon of water. One (1) gallon is enough for a five (5) gallon barrel. Make two (2) to three (3) gallons of solution for larger barrels. Pour in the solution, close the bung, and roll the barrel about so that all interior parts of the barrel are contacted by the solution.

5. Rinse the barrel once more with clean water, so as not to have too much sulphite or sulfur dioxide in the wine. The barrel is now ready to fill with your wine.


Recommended Method For Cleaning Oak Barrels
Initial treatment for new barrels & cleaning and sanitizing of used barrels
Rinse barrels several times with cool water.
Fill half way with hot (140-150º F) water.
Add Soda Ash solution, mix by rolling barrel.
Fill completely with hot water, replace plug.
Allow to stand for 24 hours, then rinse several times with cold water.
IMMEDIATELY fill with wine or proceed to step 2.
Keeping Barrels In Good Condition. Immediately after emptying barrel of wine from step 1 above.
Rinse with cold water several times, with barrel about 1/4 full of water and plenty of rolling, both sideways and end over end.
Fill half way with cold water.
Add Sodium metabisulphite solution.
Add Citric Acid solution.
Mix by rolling, fill completely with cold water, replace plug and place in storage.
Check water level every month, add cold water to keep barrel full.
Before using rinse several times with cold water.
Always Keep Barrel Full.
 
Brewtopia said:
I have both Volumes 1 & 2. Very informative but VERY technical and VERY dry. I'll admit that I haven't read them cover to cover but pick them up on occasion for reference. (and to use a a carboy wedge :D )

I just picked up "The Practical Brewer" from MBAA. Much more accessible.


For other people interested in the above book, Amazon.com has it for about $60.
 
Back
Top