Club Group BA Stout Project - got any advice?

[Hwk-I-St8]

We're thinking about having a group of members brew a big imperial stout (5-10 gallons each) and combining into a barrel to age. Has anyone done this? Do you have any advice regarding timing, process, logistics?

I just proposed this idea today, so I don't know if it will come to fruition. I also don't know if anyone in our club has experience with real barrel aging. Any advice related to barrel aging or the logistics and timing with a group project like this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I only have experience with a small 5 gallon barrel, nothing that big. I'm curious as to the feedback you get. I'd love to participate in something like this! Definitely subscribing!

 

[TallDan]

I've done a few of these with my homebrew clubs. Depending on what your club, and the brewers involved are like, it can be anything between a smooth process and herding cats.

First tips that come to mind:
Recipe:
Have everyone commit to a recipe, and have them swear to it, twice. Then expect that it won't go as planned anyway. You'll want everyone to adjust the recipe to their own efficiency, but you'll want everyone to be pretty close for best results. Of course, you're blending them all together, so some minor differences will average out, but if everyone makes their own changes, you'll end up with recipes that have three different base malts, six different hop substitutions, and four different yeasts "because that's what i have on hand". Also try to get everyone on the same page with the time that the beer will barrel age. You'll find that some brewers are antsy to get it out of the barrel after a month, and others are fine to leave it there for a few years.

Timing:
Give everyone plenty of time to brew and get it transferred to a keg or some other transportable container. You don't want someone brewing at the last minute and transferring still-fermenting wort to the barrel. Better to have someone's beer sitting in a fermenter or secondary for a couple weeks to give everyone time to brew and ferment.

Logistics:
Plan the barrel fill date well in advance. Make sure everyone knows about it, and can either be there to help transfer into the barrel or have their beer there ahead of time. Also be sure you have a good place for the barrel to stay while it ages. I've had beer in barrels in friends' basements and at a LHBS that has room for barrel aging. It's not easy to move a full barrel, so be sure that it's where you want it to be. If possible, have it on a heavy duty furniture dolly so it can be rolled around a little, but keep in mind that a full 50G barrel is over 500lb.

 

[d3track]

Our club has a pretty good sized barrel program. One of the smart steps is to have a small committee that is in charge, and has the authority to pass/reject the beer going into the barrel. TallDan's recommendations are all good, especially around recipe and timing. Especially giving everyone plenty of time, especially for big brews. And everyone should transfer from primary before transporting - you want to keep the yeast/trub that makes it to the barrel to a minimum.

 

[snowtiger1987]

Taste every beer before you add it to the barrel and don't be afraid to kick one out.

 

[isomerization]

We are actually filling two 25 gallon barrels today (same base beer recipe, but two different spirits). Everyone was supposed to rack into purged corny kegs to limit O2 ingress and make it easier to both ship the beer and rack it into the barrels.

Have others used this approach or is there something better?

EDIT: I will also recommend to have at least 10% (prob more?) beer committed to the project, as most people will end up with less finished product, some may go/be bad and you might need to top up over time.

 

[Jtk78]

@d3track that looks like a great club!

The recommendations here have all been good. I would have a plan formulated to accept or reject beer for the barrel. A panel of 3 tasters perhaps, blind "competition", something. Have it set in stone before the recipe, and stick to it.

Last thing you want to happen is 55g of a high alcohol barrel aged beer gets ruined because someone forgot to sanitize something, fermentation temperature went crazy, or it just didn't turn out right. It sucks when it's 5 gallons of a blonde ale. This is a whole nother level.

I would think ask for 75g. I know that sounds high, but someone won't brew in time, someone won't be able to make it day of, another won't transfer it as instructed. Now you've got 60g. If one batch sucks, you're still good. If you have extra, keep one back for top off beer.