Barley wine oak barrel

[pinpoint]

I am just finished primary fermentation of a barley wine and experiencing a wired issue. I have a relative new oak barrel, only had cleaning solution in it and it has been standing for maybe a year. I have topped off the barrel now and then with solution. I have now made a barley wine which I transferred to the barrel. I did initialt fermentation with WL007, i added champagne yeast (Lavin EC 1118) and sugar and have been reaching ABV 20.8% according to my calculations. I then transferred the beer to the oak barrel. (I noticed when emptying the oak barrel for cleaning solution that the barrel was not completely full, lacking about 5L of fluid.) It has now been 1 week since transferring to the barrel and I notice that beer is still coming out of the air lock of the barrel, like the beer is expanding. I have tasted the beer from the air lock and it taste very good, however I am afraid that it may be infection in the barrel since the beer seem to "expand" and still coming out from the airlock. I estimate maybe 2-3 dl of beer has come out. 30L barrel. Anyone experienced similar issue?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

It is probably just off gassing.

 

[pinpoint]

hope so. Except degassing, will the wood in the barrel expand much as it get soaked with beer? Since ca 1/5th of the barrel was dried out, can it be due to expansion of the wood that presses the fluid out?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

No idea, but in that case my gut feeling is it should leak from between the staves.

 

[pinpoint]

true. i guess bacteria and yeast wont survive alcohol above 20%, so i probably can relax