Stout for a red wine barrel?

[beardedbrew]

I have a barrel that was previously used for red wine and it's got to be 50-60 gallons. I'd like to use it for a stout of some kind even though I've been told that's not a very good idea as sours would be best in something like that. Anyone have any feedback on a stout in a wine barrel?

Also, I'm assuming the best way to ferment in something like that is to fill it rather than 10 gallons at a time, yes?

And finally, cleaning/sanitation. I have no idea on how to begin to clean this if I want to avoid taking it a part. I've had the barrel for over a year and I don't know it's history, but it looks pretty clean on the outside. The guy I got it from didn't have it plugged, and since I've had it, the bunghole has always been open. Any ideas on how to clean this thing?

 

[Double_D]

I read a book on distilling and it talked about dumping boiling water into the casks and letting them dry in the sun. But... I don't know about that in your situation since there's only the bung as an opening.
The wine flavors do go well with sour beers. Russian River has three sours that they age in different wine barrels. I can't guess at what a years worth of stuff inside a barrel would do to your beer though.
I would imagine it's best to fill it but just like doing a tester batch in a carboy you could ferment 10 gallons in that big wine barrel.
Keep us posted either way.

 

[davefleck]

Sulphur stick. Just be careful and don't do it to a whiskey barrel.

 

[helibrewer]

In the winemaking world we clean barrels with Sodium Percarbonate, one of the ingredients of OxyClean. It then needs to be rinsed very well (it is very alkaline) and the wood re-acidified with a citric acid solution. If you have a winemaking store nearby they can help you with the process.

The winemaking newsletter from The Beverage People in Santa Rosa also explains it. (www.thebeveragepeople.com)

Sulphuring the barrel is done when storing an empty barrel for extended periods.