Adding commercially produced Keg beer to Solera?

[Stas StoLat]

Hi, I have supported 2 65+ gallon barrel Sour Soleras since 2013. The barrels are quite stable and I generally pull 10 gallons out and return 12-13 gallons twice a year. In the homebrew spirit of sharing I also give away a lot of the beer and have a standing offer to friends and friends of friend to pull beer if they wish and replace with new what they pull.

Here is my dilemma, I am not brewing at the pace I once was brewing and I am not able to keep up with the turning over of the barrel. So, I wondered if anyone else has experienced this dilemma. I figured I could bring the experiment to an end and bottle the barrels, or bottle some blend some, or (and this is the big question) could I buy a keg of beer from the store and use this beer to help turn over my solera? The beer would be carbonated, but this would dissipate quickly. It would be lower ABV then I usually add to the barrel 7% and 11% respectively, so I would lose total abv, but this will just leave the beer more "sessionable".

Has anyone used commercially bought beer to support a solera? And can you think of why this couldn't work?

 

[IslandLizard]

I haven't, but can't see why commercial beer can't be used to top up a solera. As long as there are no preservatives in it, or junk flavorings.

Aren't you going to add some fresh wort too?

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

Are there any breweries around that would be willing to fill a keg with 'still' beer or fresh wort for you?

I've never asked about wort or un-carbed beer but most of the breweries in town around here LOVE working with homebrewers and would probably go for it. But, on the other hand a few of the breweries around here are run by asshats. Just my $0.02, cheers!

 

[Stas StoLat]

I haven't, but can't see why commercial beer can't be used to top up a solera. As long as there are no preservatives in it, or junk flavorings.

Aren't you going to add some fresh wort too?

I for sure will, but my regular brewing of 15 gallons at a time are behind me. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts and wisdom.

 

[Stas StoLat]

Are there any breweries around that would be willing to fill a keg with 'still' beer or fresh wort for you?

I've never asked about wort or un-carbed beer but most of the breweries in town around here LOVE working with homebrewers and would probably go for it. But, on the other hand a few of the breweries around here are run by asshats. Just my $0.02, cheers!

That is a really good idea. I used to share my Sours with a local brewery brewer and we always talked about collab, but now they have become bigger and bought by a big restaurant company, so this hook up is probably gone.

I appreciate you responding. Thank you.

 

[Stas StoLat]

I live in the Detroit Michigan suburbs and would be willing to give some away to others who are starting their own sour barrel. the base is Roselare, all Lacto, and light sour has strong sweet-tart favors with citrus and lemon overtones. Wild local yeasts were collected in the early fill with open fermentation to give it "local color". The dark barrel was the same base, but we have been cultivating brett with the addition of dregs from every Gueuze that we drank over the first 4 years of the barrel. It is hardy and reminiscent of grandma's closet.

 

[Funky Frank]

Just up the “price” to other home brewers that pull from the barrels. If they take 5 they need to replace 7? Then just put the extra in a fermenter until you have enough to do your own pull.

 

[Qhrumphf]

No reason you couldn't. But decarbonate the keg first. Otherwise you're gonna get a lot of foaming and lose a bunch of beer.

I often put reserve beer uncarbonated into a keg, and then use that to top up barrels a few days to a week after filling them. Basically the same idea.

 

[Stas StoLat]

Just up the “price” to other home brewers that pull from the barrels. If they take 5 they need to replace 7? Then just put the extra in a fermenter until you have enough to do your own pull.

That was my standing offer for years. But bring 6 take 5, or bring 5 take 4, but at this juncture I am happy just to move it along and maybe inspire others. It is nice to share a community of like minded folks.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Are there any breweries around that would be willing to fill a keg with 'still' beer or fresh wort for you?

+1 for this. I have a 30 gal barrel and a local brewer offered to fill it with fresh wort for me.

I think using kegged beer is fine too, if you must, but I would only do that as a last resort.

You could also just consider pulling less frequently and/or pulling a lower quantity if you aren't interested in brewing as much.
There also may be ways to simplify your brewing process, if that's part of the issue. All you really need to do is mix some DME in warm water to make wort, with a small tea of aged hops or whatever. Beer can be bottled or kegged straight out of the barrel. Probably don't even need to sanitize anything.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stas StoLat]

Thank you. The straight DME and Character Tea is a very fine idea. The last factor to influence my next move is cost.

Tallyho!

 

[IslandLizard]

The last factor to influence my next move is cost.

Differentials on each side:
Cost <==> Time

At our group grain buy we can source DME at a surprisingly lucrative rate. We just split the 50# sack(s).
At homebrew store pricing, this doesn't look pretty for larger volumes.

One of our club brewers brews extra wort in some batches to replenish his soleras. There's little time investment brewing 7-10 gallons vs. 5-6. He has a keg of mixed beer next to the barrels to replenish after a draw.

 

[gnef]

It almost sounds like you are personally done with the barrel. If that is really the case, you can see if there is another brewer who is willing to take it. You would need to figure out the logistics of the transportation (Kegs would probably be easiest), but that way you wouldn't feel like you are forced to maintain it yourself.

In my mind, if the prospect of brewing and managing the barrel doesn't sound fun to you anymore, it is time to either pass it on to another brewer who would enjoy it, or to keg it up entirely and give it away. This is my plan for my soleras if I don't enjoy working with them in the future. I have a Jack Daniel's barrel with a Flander's red since 2015, and I've also started a multi vessel barleywine solera on a 2 year cadence, starting in 2017 in Sanke kegs - next year I'll be filling the final vessel.

Good luck in what you choose to do!

 

[Stas StoLat]

It almost sounds like you are personally done with the barrel. If that is really the case, you can see if there is another brewer who is willing to take it. You would need to figure out the logistics of the transportation (Kegs would probably be easiest), but that way you wouldn't feel like you are forced to maintain it yourself.

In my mind, if the prospect of brewing and managing the barrel doesn't sound fun to you anymore, it is time to either pass it on to another brewer who would enjoy it, or to keg it up entirely and give it away. This is my plan for my soleras if I don't enjoy working with them in the future. I have a Jack Daniel's barrel with a Flander's red since 2015, and I've also started a multi vessel barleywine solera on a 2 year cadence, starting in 2017 in Sanke kegs - next year I'll be filling the final vessel.

Good luck in what you choose to do!

Well, you have planned your separation well, and you are probably right in terms of my awareness. This is the first step in my separation from the project, and hopefully a next chapter is available, a new life for the project with someone else. That seems inevitable. I would love for it to find a new life. The dark sour is a gueuze project that is particularly tasty, perhaps like your barleywine.

The lesson for all is to enjoy it now, don't hesitate to pull from your solera today, for tomorrow never happens, or something like that.

 

[evolutionary]

What did you end up doing with your project and barrels?

 

[Stas StoLat]

I have collapsed one barrel into carboys for the addition of fruits and will be maintaining the one, "light sour".

Thanks for asking.