Been trudging around and enjoying recipes and tips and...
So I'm deploying in the near future and my sister (brewing adict) want to get together and do a special brew.
She knows my weakness for strong stouts... And decided to try her hand at a barelywine / imperial stout custom batch. Euro barelywine... So not too hoppy
We roughed out a recipe and her surprise was that she scored a whisky barrel from one of my favorite distilleries.
And its 55 gal!
My normal batch size is 2.5 / 5 gal ~ she's knocked out a couple in the 7-8 gal range = but lower ABV.
We could knock out back to back to back and be 1/2 there. And given the target OG over 1.140, we're really pushing the bounds.
My question is; is there something we can fill the barrel with to reduce its volume?
The opening is 3" diameter
If ping-pong balls were food grade, I'd fill it 60%-70% full with them and then knock out 20-30 gal to age.
She's picking up the barrel next week and planning on making it a 4 day brew fest.
I told her we need to stick the brew in a primary (or 10) for a good month before it goes in the barrel.
So my 2nd question (as I've never brewed that size batch / or used a 55 gal barrel), how long should it be in the primary before it goes in the barrel?
With a smile, she said we'll just fill it with whiskey till we're ready...
So I'm deploying in the near future and my sister (brewing adict) want to get together and do a special brew.
She knows my weakness for strong stouts... And decided to try her hand at a barelywine / imperial stout custom batch. Euro barelywine... So not too hoppy
We roughed out a recipe and her surprise was that she scored a whisky barrel from one of my favorite distilleries.
And its 55 gal!
My normal batch size is 2.5 / 5 gal ~ she's knocked out a couple in the 7-8 gal range = but lower ABV.
We could knock out back to back to back and be 1/2 there. And given the target OG over 1.140, we're really pushing the bounds.
My question is; is there something we can fill the barrel with to reduce its volume?
The opening is 3" diameter
If ping-pong balls were food grade, I'd fill it 60%-70% full with them and then knock out 20-30 gal to age.
She's picking up the barrel next week and planning on making it a 4 day brew fest.
I told her we need to stick the brew in a primary (or 10) for a good month before it goes in the barrel.
So my 2nd question (as I've never brewed that size batch / or used a 55 gal barrel), how long should it be in the primary before it goes in the barrel?
With a smile, she said we'll just fill it with whiskey till we're ready...