reusing 5 gallon whiskey barrel

[domdom]

Im finishing a porter im aging in a 5 gallon rye whiskey barrel. Im doing a short term age (also known as ‘resting’ i think?) and plan to only do about 3 weeks before kegging. Im planning to make a big bad stout in a few months and want to see what i should do to clean and help preserve the barrel between batches.

If i had to guess, im thinking I’ll need to wash out the barrel, sanitize with some hot water, maybe throw a little whiskey in it, and seal up again.

 

[shoengine]

Wash it with hot water until it runs clear, and store it closed with some whiskey in it. Give it a turn every week or so.

For what it is worth, that was my procedure with my five gallon whiskey barrel, and I am on my third use. I think it is fairly neutral now, but I did get some nice flavors on my second use.

 

[dfess1]

Rinse it well and let it soak with a metabisulfite solution to kill anything that might still be in there. then get a handle or two of the crappiest bourbon you can (heaven hill plastic handles are like 10 bucks).

 

[cactusgarrett]

Depends on how long you'll have it empty between batches. I (for now) use a no-chemical approach just for simplicity's sake: after emptying, rinse with water, store with a cheap handle of spirit of choice, and rotate frequently to keep the inner walls hydrated. I'll only consider using something like MBS if I start seeing some growth. I would just rather avoid that, if possible, to make clearing it for future batches easier.

Check this; great info.
http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Barrel#Storage

 

[domdom]

thanks for the info. the barrel was an impulse buy and didn't realize how much work it would be and that it can only be used a few times. gonna do a big ass imperial stout next time to make the most of it before the flavors start to fade too much.

 

[shoengine]

thanks for the info. the barrel was an impulse buy and didn't realize how much work it would be and that it can only be used a few times. gonna do a big ass imperial stout next time to make the most of it before the flavors start to fade too much.

Wait, what? Only used a few times? Who told you that?

 

[cactusgarrett]

More reason to start doing sours.