Bourbon Barrel Prep

[JVHBass]

Hi,

I've recently acquired a 5 gal bourbon barrel from a local distillery and have a few questions about getting it ready for beer. I've searched here and online and can't come up with a general answer.

We don't know exactly when the barrel was dumped but it was in the last 2-3 months I believe. I currently have beer in the carboy but I'm not going to be able to put it in the barrel for another week or two. I'm wondering is it too early to hydrate the barrel now or should I wait til just a few days before filling? I was planning on using a few gallons of 180 degree water along with a little bit of bourbon and keeping that in there for a few hours or until it seals (assuming it leaks a bit).

Any suggestions?

 

[hopstupid]

i don't know but i found this

http://byo.com/stories/item/948-keeping-it-clean

 

[JVHBass]

Yeah, I've read through that one and another one they have. Sadly nothing about letting the barrel sit before filling.

Bump

 

[brewmax25]

Fill it with the water right before you want to fill it. That way you can pasteurize it AND check to see if there are any leaks. If it leaks let the water sit until it seals.

 

[ivegot2legs]

I filled a tub with water and got the barrel wet on the outside. I didn't want to rinse away all the good stuff inside.

But I did pour a handle of bourbon inside for a few days to reason and reseal.

 

[Candyman84]

Just scored my first 5 Gallon Whiskey Barrel from Balcones, Distilling. Super excited, but just as intimidated to mess it up.

Being concerned to loose too much of the Whiskey goodness, I am reluctant to go down the road of filling the barrel with water to have the staves swell up. I don't know in the first place how long the barrel was empty by the time I receive it, so not sure if any action is needed, but also not really keen to just roll the dice and fill it up with RIS just to have it leak on all ends.

I filled a tub with water and got the barrel wet on the outside. I didn't want to rinse away all the good stuff inside.

But I did pour a handle of bourbon inside for a few days to reason and reseal.

So wrapped my head around it and came to the same conclusion as you did: why not submerse in water and soak from the outside?


Also not too big a fan of pouring handles of cheap Bourbon in it, if my precious barrel was holding award winning Whiskey beforehand. I mean, that will all mess up the flavor profile of what I paid for, right? Also concerned that soaking it in additional spirits will lead to overpowering impact on the flavor.

So all in all, I want to keep the barrel profile as close to what it was after the Whiskey was dumped, but other than the approach to soak it with water from the outside, I have only come across more or less tradeoffs.