Barrel Aging a RIS - 20L

[Mark Solomon]

I am using a 20L whiskey barrel from a local distillery to age a RIS. The barrel was pretty much dry when I opened it, so I dumped in about 8 oz of bourbon and it all got absorbed over the course of a few days. The RIS has been aging for about 2.5 months and it still doesn't have the character I am looking for. I have read on other posts that a 20L barrel will age your beer much quicker due to the increased surface area.

If I let it age longer, will I still get more bourbon character out of the barrel? I was considering soaking some oak chips to add, or is this a bad idea?

Thanks all...

-Mark

 

[stosh]

We brew an annual batch of 20 gallons to fill a 15 gallon bourbon barrel. We use the extra 5 gallons as top off over the course of the year and just keg whatever is left over.

When we first began barrel aging we left our first batch in for only 6 months and agreed we weren't getting what we wanted. Eventually we got to the point of aging for 1 year and that seems to be our sweet spot. The tastes aren't overpowering but complimentary at 1 year.

We "conditioned" a barrel by adding bourbon to it like you did. It is a 15 gallon barrel and we used about 6 gallons of bourbon to condition (which of course was drained b4 adding the beer)

I'm just thinking this through but 20 liters equals 5.28 gallons. There are 128 fluid ounces per gallon so...5.28*128=675.84 ounces and you put 8 ounces in the barrel. That's not enough.

On the surface I'm thinking you'd need more bourbon in the barrel to soak in for a longer time period before adding beer, a freshly dumped barrel, or aging the current RIS that's in the barrel for at least 6mos if not longer taking samples along the way. 2.5 months isn't long enough for a good RIS to come into its own in my experience barrel aged or not. If you plan on barrel aging beers going forward I would not add chips so you can gauge the result of just the barrels effect on the beer. If you ever keg a beer that you would consider barrel aging you could add bourbon soaked cubes to the keg. I've done that with great results but I prefer barrel aging.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mark Solomon]

Thanks Stosh. The barrel had a strong bourbon aroma when I first opened it, but as I said, it was mostly dry. Agree that 8 oz was probably not enough but I will let it age a few more months before I pull another sample. Appreciate your feedback.

-Mark

 

[hottpeper13]

My first barrels were 5 gal and 6 mos was perfect. I now do 15 and 25 gal and leave those alone for a year like Stosh. And then there are Sanctuary beers, racked to a second barrel and left for another year. Best barleywine ever!

 

[hottpeper13]

Don't be afraid to let the barrel dry out a bit(1 mo upside down) and then recharge it for a week or so rolling it and standing it on it's ends. I've done 6 beers in my first barrel and none went off.

 

[Tyler B]

This sounds awesome. I love a nice barrel aged RIS, probably more than any other type. Of beer, but I know very little about the process. I would have guessed it would need 6 months to a year, but I can hardly wait a few weeks for my bottles to carbonate.

As homebrewers, where do you guys leave your barrels to age? What kind of conditions? Is temp or humidity regulated for a year or does this not matter?

 

[hottpeper13]

I have a lambic barrel on the main floor and is subject to seasonal temp swings , and the others in the basement, where the temp swings are there but slower. I put them where they are because that's where I could.

 

[Mark Solomon]

I ended up giving it 9 months, and transferred it to a keg to carbonate. I ended up with 4.52 gallons according to my PlaatoKeg. That means about a half gallon evaporated through the barrel. It has HUGE bourbon character. I am really happy with this......thanks all.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Having done five batches in "5-gallon" barrels, I think the excessive caution many brewers express re: length of the beer's stay in these smaller barrels is overblown. The shortest I've left a beer in one was 5 months and the longest was 7 months. None had excessive oxidation or barrel character. All could probably have gone quite a bit longer.

 

[Mark Solomon]

deadwolfbones

I totally agree. One of the shops I use warned me to only give it no more than two months. Members on here convinced me to go at least 6 mo minimum. I think I could have gone a year.

I also didn't mention that after 3 months I tasted it and it didn't quite have the bourbon I was looking for. It was very subtle. I soaked 4-6 oz of bourbon on oak chips for 2 weeks after charring them with a blowtorch. Was only going to dump a couple ounces in, but I said the hell with it. The bourbon character is almost over the top, but I suspect it will settle down with bottle conditioning.