Help with a 20 gallon barrel aged Belgian

[HimalayanBrew]

I brewed 20 gallons of a Belgian Dark Strong Ale (1.081 OG) and fermented with WLP530 for several weeks before pitching WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix. I transferred to a Sherry oak barrel I picked up and let it age in ambient temps for over a year. I transferred it to secondary fermenters to let it clear. I did not account for evaporation, so the ABV is quite high. I'm guessing something like 11-12%, but I don't have a great way to calculate it. After transferring it and letting it clear, I have about 15 gallons.

The flavor profile is amazing, but I'm getting hot alcohol notes and what I perceived as a light formaldehyde aroma. Does anyone have any advice for rescuing this brew? I thought about blending it with a Belgian Blonde, but I don't want to throw good after bad. I thought about adding distilled water to lower the ABV, but wasn't sure if this would help. I can bottle it and let it sit for another year or so, but I don't have enough experience to know if this could help.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[AlexKay]

11% ABV may taste hot no matter what! Formaldehyde is a new one to me. If you’ve got a homebrew club, maybe bring some to get extra evaluators for what’s going on?

Dilution is possible (it is standard practice for many large breweries) but you will want to be careful to deoxygenate the dilution water.

I’d try the dilution and/or blending in the glass first, before committing to the whole batch.

One thing to keep in mind is that barrel professionals routinely blend, and there’s a whole body of experience that helps them guess how things will develop with age, and know what off flavors can and can’t be blended out. This doesn’t mean amateurs shouldn’t try, but it’s a much bigger challenge to take on than just making a good ale.

 

[adhomebrew10]

I am guessing your FG was fairly low with that original yeast giving you an initial ABV of about 8%? Losing 5 gallons for sure pushed that higher. Aging in a sherry barrel for a year gave you a lot of wood contact and with that sour mix strain could be creating that nose you are picking up. If it seems hot and fusel, you might just wait it out. If you let it age a bit, the oxygen will break down some of the alcohol fusels and create a sherry like flavor, which would probably work well with a sherry barrel. This is common in old ales and can give a very nice flavor. What is the rest of the flavor profile like at this point?

 

[JAReeves]

Some old and big beers are blended with younger/smaller ones to adjust ABV and flavor. I'd do this before adding H2O.

 

[HimalayanBrew]

I am guessing your FG was fairly low with that original yeast giving you an initial ABV of about 8%? Losing 5 gallons for sure pushed that higher. Aging in a sherry barrel for a year gave you a lot of wood contact and with that sour mix strain could be creating that nose you are picking up. If it seems hot and fusel, you might just wait it out. If you let it age a bit, the oxygen will break down some of the alcohol fusels and create a sherry like flavor, which would probably work well with a sherry barrel. This is common in old ales and can give a very nice flavor. What is the rest of the flavor profile like at this point?

I hadn't thought about the wood contact potentially creating a solvent-like aroma, The flavor profile is excellent apart from the backend of the nose, which is rather strong. It's complex with a dark caramel backbone, pronounced oak and sherry notes, slightly sour with a bit of a nutty flavor that can come from a sour mix strain.

For aging, would you recommend doing this in a carboy or in bottles?

 

[HimalayanBrew]

Some old and big beers are blended with younger/smaller ones to adjust ABV and flavor. I'd do this before adding H2O.

Thanks for the advice on blending vs H2O. I might blend a few gallons with a Belgian Golden Ale and see what the results are. I'm not quite ready to give up on it, but also don't want to spend more time if the efforts are futile.

 

[HimalayanBrew]

11% ABV may taste hot no matter what! Formaldehyde is a new one to me. If you’ve got a homebrew club, maybe bring some to get extra evaluators for what’s going on?

Dilution is possible (it is standard practice for many large breweries) but you will want to be careful to deoxygenate the dilution water.

I’d try the dilution and/or blending in the glass first, before committing to the whole batch.

One thing to keep in mind is that barrel professionals routinely blend, and there’s a whole body of experience that helps them guess how things will develop with age, and know what off flavors can and can’t be blended out. This doesn’t mean amateurs shouldn’t try, but it’s a much bigger challenge to take on than just making a good ale.

Thanks. I think you are right that I need some extra evaluators. I'm going to bring it to my LHBS and maybe a few local brewpubs to get their input.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Don't give up on it! Blending is a great option and also try letting it condition some more. You have many layers of flavor there so a little more age time might help. I don't think it matters if it ages in bottles or a carboy.

Good luck, it sounds like a stellar brew!