Need recipe idea for locally sourced barrel

[cegan09]

So today i found a local distiller that sells their barrels when they are done with them. The interesting thing is the last product they age in the barrels. The first few uses are for their whiskeys. The last use is for their Krupnik, which is a spiced honey liqueur. Great product, strong honey flavor, spices, it's about 40 proof. However, I imagine this means the flavors a beer would pull from the barrel are very different than your normal fresh barrel or used whiskey barrel.

So I'm trying to decide what might work well in this barrel, at least for a first use. I've been planning out a long age stout, but i'm not sure how the honey would work. Maybe if I backed off some of the roasted/coffee flavors. Also considered something like a vanilla porter. I'm not a huge brown fan, so i'm shying away from the idea of a honey brown.

Any ideas for something interesting that could work? I won't be making this immediately as I have to wait for the next barrel to become available. Barrels are 20L, which is perfect for the size batches I'm doing.

 

[Newsman]

I got nothing, beer-wise, but I'm subbing to see what the ideas are. If nothing else you might make a hard cider. I bet that would be good...

 

[cegan09]

So I think I've settled on a plan. I have two beers lined up to put in the barrel back to back. First will be a Belgian triple. Thought is the first beer should grab a lot of the loose honey and spices from that Krupnik, which should probably work well in that style beer. Probably too much for a traditional triple, but who cares. Won't leave it in for long. A week maybe? Two? Just enough to grab those top layer flavors.

Next I'll throw some form of stout in it. Not sure what kind yet. I fully expect to get some of the honey still, but the hope is to let it sit long enough to soak in and extract the whiskey flavors deeper in the barrel as well. Who knows, maybe the honey will work with the beer. Worst case is I don't like it and next barrel I try something else.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

So I think I've settled on a plan. I have two beers lined up to put in the barrel back to back. First will be a Belgian triple. Thought is the first beer should grab a lot of the loose honey and spices from that Krupnik, which should probably work well in that style beer. Probably too much for a traditional triple, but who cares. Won't leave it in for long. A week maybe? Two? Just enough to grab those top layer flavors.

Next I'll throw some form of stout in it. Not sure what kind yet. I fully expect to get some of the honey still, but the hope is to let it sit long enough to soak in and extract the whiskey flavors deeper in the barrel as well. Who knows, maybe the honey will work with the beer. Worst case is I don't like it and next barrel I try something else.

I would do a Russian Imperial Stout. 2015 Borbon County's recipe was mentioned in the below thread.

64% 2 Row
21% Bolander Munich Malt
4% Chocolate Malt
4% Caramel 60
4% Roasted barley
3% Debittered Black Malt


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=223746

 

[cegan09]

I would do a Russian Imperial Stout. 2015 Borbon County's recipe was mentioned in the below thread.

64% 2 Row
21% Bolander Munich Malt
4% Chocolate Malt
4% Caramel 60
4% Roasted barley
3% Debittered Black Malt


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=223746

lol, just got through reading that thread. That's what kind of sold me on just going with a stout once I'd run something lighter through for a week.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

lol, just got through reading that thread. That's what kind of sold me on just going with a stout once I'd run something lighter through for a week.

Yeah, I'm planning on doing this one soon. Adventures in homebrewing actually sells bourbon barrel staves. I plan on brewing this and transferring it to a corny keg with a stave in it and letting it age for a while.