Morrey
Well-Known Member
I have a new oak barrel that was ordered with a toasted char interior. I'm planning to use this barrel to age some sort of basic sour to get started into barrel aging.
Michael Tonsmeire published a basic sour recipe (Perpetuum) using mostly base malts with some oat and other flaked grain adjuncts at around 20%. The yeast called for lists Wyeast 3278 (Belgian Lambic Blend) as an option. Low 11 IBU of Willamette at 60 min is the only hop charge.
I'm asking for advice about process, so if you see anything I'm planning to do is not a good idea, please redirect my plans....
*I'll condition the barrel by adding some cheap bourbon mixed with water in an effort to hydrate the wood and infuse some nuance. Alternatively, I could opt for red table wine to do the same thing if suggested. Need advice about barrel prep.
*I'll plan to ferment the beer in my Ss Uni tank until I see fermentation slowing down or hitting FG. How long will that be if I set temps at 65F? Never used 3278.
*Transfer beer to conditioned barrel and I assume gravity fed transfer with hose direct to barrel? I worry about oxidation, but I also may be right in thinking the porosity of the barrel negates O2 free thoughts anyway. Am I on track? Purge the barrel with CO2?
*Being the barrel is new, how quickly will the beer's desirable "barrel aged" nuance develop? Don't want to over oak the beer with a new barrel. I suppose the length of time in the barrel will increase with a few uses.
Any thoughts to help out? Thanks!!
Michael Tonsmeire published a basic sour recipe (Perpetuum) using mostly base malts with some oat and other flaked grain adjuncts at around 20%. The yeast called for lists Wyeast 3278 (Belgian Lambic Blend) as an option. Low 11 IBU of Willamette at 60 min is the only hop charge.
I'm asking for advice about process, so if you see anything I'm planning to do is not a good idea, please redirect my plans....
*I'll condition the barrel by adding some cheap bourbon mixed with water in an effort to hydrate the wood and infuse some nuance. Alternatively, I could opt for red table wine to do the same thing if suggested. Need advice about barrel prep.
*I'll plan to ferment the beer in my Ss Uni tank until I see fermentation slowing down or hitting FG. How long will that be if I set temps at 65F? Never used 3278.
*Transfer beer to conditioned barrel and I assume gravity fed transfer with hose direct to barrel? I worry about oxidation, but I also may be right in thinking the porosity of the barrel negates O2 free thoughts anyway. Am I on track? Purge the barrel with CO2?
*Being the barrel is new, how quickly will the beer's desirable "barrel aged" nuance develop? Don't want to over oak the beer with a new barrel. I suppose the length of time in the barrel will increase with a few uses.
Any thoughts to help out? Thanks!!