Bourbon barrel!

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SkinnyShamrock

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(sorry for blurriness)

The beer for my wedding. 10 gallons will be the final volume; 3 gallons went into that little bourbon barrel, the remaining 2 gallons from that carboy went into a little 2 gallon carboy. The other half of the beer is still in primary fermentation.

It's a huge imperial stout with brown sugar added at high krausen. It matches Brooklyn's Black Choc Stout in color, and nearly in body and alcohol. If anyone's interested in the recipe, I can post that up.
 
Was bourbon actually aged in that barrel or is it just a small oak barrel? All the distilleries around here use the normal size ~51gal barrels. I still haven't been able to find one for under $100. Damn things are like gold now. Use to be they couldn't get rid of them.
 
No they actually aged their bourbon in it. 3 gallons, $76. They also had 7 and 15 gallon ones for sale. Tuthilltown Spirits, look them up, you can buy the barrels online. I e-mailed with a question about sanitizing the barrel (whether they had already done that) and my e-mail was forwarded to the head distiller, and he was insanely helpful. Very cool place.

And I've had their bourbon, it's effing delicious.
 
No they actually aged their bourbon in it. 3 gallons, $76. They also had 7 and 15 gallon ones for sale. Tuthilltown Spirits, look them up, you can buy the barrels online. I e-mailed with a question about sanitizing the barrel (whether they had already done that) and my e-mail was forwarded to the head distiller, and he was insanely helpful. Very cool place.

And I've had their bourbon, it's effing delicious.

We just got that brand here. $45 for a 375ml, no thanks. I don't have that high hopes for it (the bourbon).

However, good luck with your brew.


Yes you can reuse bourbon barrels and put beer in them, however it should be a lighter style each time. If you use it a 3rd time it better be a Helles or something. I've had a bourbon barrel helles, actually pretty tasty.
 
Wow looks great, bet that'll be mighty tasty.

As for reusing the barrel, after a couple batches of beer could you age more bourbon in the barrel to replenish the bourbony goodness in the wood?
 
If you cleaned it out and added already aged and bottled bourbon, let that sit for awhile, I supposed that may work. May not be the same though.
 
I also own a bourbon barrel from Tuthilltown, and just filled it for the first time last week.

3gal of quad in the barrel and 1 gal in a growler

I have never used a barrel before, and was surprised by the rate of absorption/evaporation.

How long do you think your beer will be in the barrel for? I dont have an idea of how long my beer will be in the barrel for, I just plan on tasting it and bottling when I feel it is ready.


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Tuthilltown Spirits, look them up, you can buy the barrels online. I e-mailed with a question about sanitizing the barrel (whether they had already done that) and my e-mail was forwarded to the head distiller, and he was insanely helpful. Very cool place.

Can you pass on what the distiller told you about sanitizing? I visited them a few weeks ago. Great place.

I've got a 3gl on route to my place right now and an IIPA waiting to go in it when it arrives. :mug:
 
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