I recently got a 10g barrel and had a couple questions before its first use. It was originally a whiskey barrel but I'm not sure if it was used again after that or not. When I opened and smelled it I thought it was kind of funky smelling, but when I rehydrated all I could smell was whiskey. I was thinking I could make a red ale to start with. If the barrel had something wild in it then I'd end up with something like a flanders red, but if it's just whiskey that would work with aging a red ale as well. Does that make sense? Is there some other recommendation to do while still trying to determine if I have a funky barrel or not?
How much beer should I be keeping in a 10 gallon barrel? Are 5 gallon batches too small for some reason? I plan on fermenting my beer first regularly then transferring to the barrel for aging. I assume I should account for some angel's share loss, but not sure if I need to keep the thing nearly full or not.
How much beer should I be keeping in a 10 gallon barrel? Are 5 gallon batches too small for some reason? I plan on fermenting my beer first regularly then transferring to the barrel for aging. I assume I should account for some angel's share loss, but not sure if I need to keep the thing nearly full or not.