I got a barrel...now what?

[Reindeer]

I've been tossing around the idea of how cool it would be to have a barrel for aging at home, and now my wife got me one for my birthday.

Not really sure of what to do with it. Assuming I just treat it like a secondary? How do I clean the thing?

I'm planning on doing either a Russian Imperial Stout, or maybe a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, and leaving it in there for 6-8 months, and see what happens.

 

[Jaybird]

Do a quick water set to make sure its sealed and then dump the H2O and transfer a nice porter or stout in there! Forget about it for a few weeks and sample and send me some! lol

Cheers
Jay

 

[Paps]

I treat mine like a 2ndary.
Gotta keepem wet though.
Enjoy it.

 

[Reindeer]

Can I use Starsan in it?

 

[fsr_racer]

IDK about Starsan, but here is a link to some barrel FAQs from Deep South Barrels.

http://www.deepsouthbarrels.com/page/barrel-dimensions

 

[Jaybird]

Can I use Starsan in it?

I wouldn't. Maybe a little bourbon or vodka but it really doesn't need anything. If your concerned and want to steer clear of all that, do a

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Campden_Tablets_2_OZ_Bottle.html

Soak, rinse well and call it good.

Cheers
Jay

 

[bknifefight]

Was anything kept in it before? Bourbon? If so, it's sanitized. You may need to do the water leak check Jay mentioned, but if it was freshly drained, it's probably swelled up and wont leak.

It doesnt look too big. Is it 5 gallons? If so, the "6 to 8 months" is a ridiculous amount of time. Your first beer in it will be oaky (and boozy, if it had booze in it before) in probably 2 weeks. Maybe even a week, but that depends on personal taste.

Star san will not sanitize it. Basically, you need to fill it with a holding solution to keep anything from growing in there. A hot water rinse between batches will be enough to clean it. Your best bet is to keep it full of beer, so get brewing!

 

[Reindeer]

Its a brand new 5 gallon barrel.

I'll follow the directions on the Deep South website, fill it up with some beer, and see what happens.