I got me a 5 gal Rum barrel!

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Rik van den berg

https://www.instagram.com/odrbrewing/
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
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Location
Conroe, Texas
I picked up a recently emptied rum barrel from the local distillery (Bartlett’s in Conroe TX, worth checking out if you’re ever in the neighborhood)

now I’m pondering what to age in it. I’m leaning towards some sort of pina colada strong ale/barleywine. I’d ferment out something strong (around 10%ABV) and age it in the barrel for however months it’ll take. Then rack it into a carboy with pineapple and coconut for a month or so before bottling.. how does that sound!?
 
Awesome score! can't help with beer, i'd probably make a batch of wine and age it in it. or cider!

damn, next batch of cider i do, i'm throwing some oak chips in the fermenter! Thanks for the idea! :mug:
 
Awesome score! can't help with beer, i'd probably make a batch of wine and age it in it. or cider!

damn, next batch of cider i do, i'm throwing some oak chips in the fermenter! Thanks for the idea! :mug:

I'm on a similar track...came across a 'recipe' the other day that called for soaking oak chips and maple bacon in bourbon for two weeks. Freeze it, lift off the fat, then dump the chips into the cider. I'll do a small batch to see how it turns out..sounds interesting if nothing else.
 
came across a 'recipe' the other day that called for soaking oak chips and maple bacon in bourbon for two weeks.


ahhh, the beauty of homebrew! lol, if you're going for sausage and apple sauce, smoke some breakfast links, then cook them in a pressure cooker! j/k ;)
 
Awesome score! can't help with beer, i'd probably make a batch of wine and age it in it. or cider!

damn, next batch of cider i do, i'm throwing some oak chips in the fermenter! Thanks for the idea! :mug:

yeah i have been considering cider or mead as well.... choices choices
 
Tomorrow it will be one month since I racked my Pirate Ale in the barrel and will time for a taste test!

It came out to 8.14% ABV and tasted great before going into the barrel. I guess the barrel is exactly 5Gal and I ended up with a growler of 'overflow' which I primed with corn sugar and drank with a buddy a week later.

If the taste is good, I plan on racking it directly into a keg. I bought pineapple and coconut extract in lieu of letting it age further on real pineapple and coconut. I figured there'd be less chance of secondary fermentation and infection that way.. After racking to the keg, I plan on adding a few drops of the extracts, rocking the keg to mix it in, taste it and repeat until I'm happy with it. Should be interesting!
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You need to have another beer ready to go in it, before you empty it.
Since you have put beer in it, you don't want to ever leave it empty for more than a few hours.

Oh, if you will rub it with gulf wax, you can seal it up and reduce the amount that will be lost to evaporation. After the wax is on the barrel, you can use a heat gun or a propane torch and melt the wax into the wood, and it will also look alot better.

Personally, I'd scrub it clean with a brush, soap and water before I sealed it with wax, but that's just me.
 
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You need to have another beer ready to go in it, before you empty it.
Since you have put beer in it, you don't want to ever leave it empty for more than a few hours.

Yeah I have been reading up on that.. I am trying to decide what I want to do.. I can put another 3 or so 1.75 liter bottles or rum in it after i empty it and just turn the barrel every week as well.. Or make a show mead and dump that in there to age.
 
Legged my pirate ale today!

tastes great nice notes of oak and rum. It took 1tsp of coconut extract and 2tsp of pineapple extract to get it right

Definitely a sipping beer!



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