Am I insane???

[Brewtopia]

Who in their right mind would attempt barrel aging in a 490 sq.ft. condo? I guess that someone would be me.

Just racked my big Belgian into this 15 gallon Bourdeaux barrel and blended it with a Flanders Red that I brewed almost a year ago with a blend of wild yeast and bacteria that includes Brettanomyces Lambicus, Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus.

The strong Belgian had an O.G. of 1.125 and finished out at 1.034. I think the blending with the Brett beer in the barrel should knock it down a few more points. I plan on bottling this in 750ml Belgian bottles, corked & caged. I have no idea how it's going to turn out but I was inspired by the beers that Thomme Arthur and Vinnie Cilurzo are producing down at Lost Abbey and Russian River respectively.

I have included some pictures of the racking session

First 5 gallons going in


2nd carboy on deck


In goes the sour beer


Done

 

[Brewsmith]

Insane or Genius? It's a fine line...

Looks fantastic. Good luck!

 

[ArroganceFan]

Thanks for the pics. Those barrels look great. Good luck

 

[dblvsn]

I'm gonna say your insane only because you're using your John De Clerk book as a carboy wedge... What are you thinkin!? I find it most impressive that your SWMBO actually lets you do all this in your condo. You are both hardcore!!!

 

[Brewtopia]

Originally posted by dblvsn
I'm gonna say your insane only because you're using your John De Clerk book as a carboy wedge... What are you thinkin!?

LOL! Good eye. FWIW, I also use it to fight insomnia.

 

[Ryanh1801]

That is awesome!!! How are you going about sanitizing stuff for further use? I have been thinking of doing something with Brettanomyces. But am to scared on the after effect.

 

[Brewtopia]

Originaly posted by Ryanh1801
That is awesome!!! How are you going about sanitizing stuff for further use? I have been thinking of doing something with Brettanomyces. But am to scared on the after effect.

I use separate hoses for all my Brett beers. The keg in the picture is also marked and dedicated only to Brett beers. I don't worry much about the glass carboys since they are easily sanitized.

The barrel, obviously, is now dedicated to producing sour beers! :rockin:

 

[RichBrewer]

Insane? No but you have got to be the biggest beer enthusiast I've ever met!

..... well maybe you are just a bit crazy...

 

[anthrobe]

You are insane and I love it!!

 

[the_bird]

You're insane, but in a good way! That's going to be one helluva beer.

 

[Muss]

That barrel looks great in the room! I like the way you use a book to wedge up the carboy. I've been holding mine at an angle to get the last drops out all this time!

 

[WOP31]

Nice.....Just Nice.......That is awesome I aplaude your drive and determination to produce great beers in a small space. BTW I used to live up on Whidbey I and I have to say that you are in a great location in the city (from looking at the Pictures thread) . Cheers

 

[Yooper]

Insane? No, of course not! When it comes to making beer, we all have to sacrifice for it. I was trying to tell my husband that the laundry room is PERFECT for fermenting beer and wine. The problem is the washer and dryer take up too much room. He refused to remove them. I told him that's what laundromats are for- we really don't need such big appliances taking up a whole room. That space could be better utilized by turning it into a brewery. He mentioned psychiatrists and mumbled something about head examinations before he stalked off.

In your case, you don't NEED a living room. You can certainly LIVE without it. Living rooms are not necessary for living. You, my friend, have your priorities straight and are to be applauded! (And your wife must be awesome to see it yor way!)

 

[homebrewer_99]

Are you insane? Well, yes, you are. And the insanity forum is down the hall on the right...

 

[RadicalEd]

Hmph, once you get past the initial shock factor (You want do do what?), I would think that SWMBO might actually like having the cask there. I mean, not only does it have a tremendous aesthetic appeal, but it also would be a great conversation starter. It's win-win, right? .

And I'll be brewing in a 250ft apartment; I don't know if that beats cask aging in yours, but it's close!

 

[homebrewer_99]

...it also would be a great conversation starter. It's win-win, right? ...I'll be brewing in a 250ft apartment

Conversation start: So, just why did your wife leave you?

Dang, what's a 250 SF apartment?

 

[Philip1993]

And I'll be brewing in a 250ft apartment;

Now we know why you are working so hard on a peltier type fermentation cooler instead of making a temp controller from an old chest freezer!

 

[RichBrewer]

(And your wife must be awesome to see it yor way!)

Brewtopia's SWMBO IS awesome. I had the pleasure of meeting both of them and they are fantastic people.

 

[dibby33]

Insanity is good. Life would be boring without it.

I tak ma hat off tae ye...

 

[Trappist Artist]

Where did you get that barrel?

 

[zoebisch01]

Well, like they say there is a fine line between insanity and genius

Looks great man, some of those barrels are definitely on my future list!

As an aside, pardon my ignorance but how do you know it is a John De Clerk book? Also, are you involved in work with Ultrasound?? I have done work with transducers, NDE, etc etc. I am heavily involved in acoustics atm.

 

[dblvsn]

As an aside, pardon my ignorance but how do you know it is a John De Clerk book?

Why it's simple. First I drank a beer. Then I used the thickness of the book in proportion to the carboy and divided it by pi. Then I drank another beer. Then I took the result of that and multiplied it by the circumference of the whiskey barrel. Then I drank another beer. Then I... I forgot where I was going with this conversation. Anyways the important thing was I had drank a few beers. Then in a moment of looking at my copy of the book and knowing Brewtopia also had a copy of the book I put 2 and 2 together and got me another beer. Moral of the story... Beer is good!

 

[Brewpastor]

I think insanity is a good part of life. I say you fit the my definition of insane. Looks amazing.

 

[Cregar]

Where did you get that barrel?

I second that!!!

 

[chillHayze]

Cool Barrel!
The good thing about a beer like that is even if it sucks, you will still love it due to the work and time involved.

 

[BierMuncher]

I don't even know what BrettanomLambiSaccharomyceLactobacilluPediococcus means.

But I think I like it. I bet your condo smells awesome.

 

[RadicalEd]

Now we know why you are working so hard on a peltier type fermentation cooler instead of making a temp controller from an old chest freezer!

Guilty as charged! Plus, I like to tinker .

250sq ft is the size of the university owned apartments I'll be moving into; it's an economy, practically a studio. Beats the 10x11 dorm room I had to share with another kid a few years ago.

 

[Brewpastor]

Brewtopia's SWMBO IS awesome. I had the pleasure of meeting both of them and they are fantastic people.

Brewtopia definately married up!

 

[Brewtopia]

The barrel was a Christmas gift from SWMBO last year. Came from a local winery but was too small and impractical for their use. Last held a Merlot. Sat empty for about 6 months before I got it. I filled it with water and a mixture of Sodium Metabisulphate and Citric Acid and it's been sitting like that for 7 months until now.

...and Rich and BP are right, my SWMBO IS awesome!:rockin:

 

[Jim Karr]

Awesome project!

Not to hijack the thread, but you two gents who own the DeClerck Brewing book....is it really worth the $75 price tag?

I'm willing to spend the bucks if it will help me brew better beer, so I'd appreciate your feedback.

There's also volume 2.................................