Once acetobacter is a factor in a barrel, what's the remedy?

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I haven't entered comps and don't really plan to, but my plan for now is to do just that, move beer through quickly, hopefully getting soured faster. Without killing off the microbes. I know the frankenbatch that is currently in the barrel already smells sour, has a decent pellicle and it's only been in the barrel a few weeks.

Sweet! How long did it take to season the barrel to its current state?

 

[boswell]

I bought a 'bugged' barrel from someone on here. Threw a beer in it, waited a few too many years because we had a kid. Considered tossing the batch, but it looked great and tasted great. Finally got around to topping it up, pitching a bunch of dregs from the various greats, then bottling a week or so ago, and here we are. I'll have a better grasp on what I've got once the current batch comes out. The bottled portion is a beautiful garnet, with a pretty puckering sourness, hence inquiring about the acetobacter.

 

[boswell]

Long term, I want to push a couple batches through, get my hands on a big barrel and use my small batches as 'starters' to get a wine barrel inoculated, then begin a true solera system.

 

[boswell]

It may be too soon to exclaim but I tasted the weird amalgam I put in the barrel and it's f'ing delicious at just over a month. Perhaps moving beers through faster is the ticket after all. Only problem, is I assume the Brett hadn't had enough time to do its magic, so I may have to secondary in glass to let bugs work further. I haven't checked gravity yet, I drank the whole sample.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

It may be too soon to exclaim but I tasted the weird amalgam I put in the barrel and it's f'ing delicious at just over a month. Perhaps moving beers through faster is the ticket after all. Only problem, is I assume the Brett hadn't had enough time to do its magic, so I may have to secondary in glass to let bugs work further. I haven't checked gravity yet, I drank the whole sample.

Your getting mature reds at a month? If you can replicate your method of seasoning/inoculation I'd buy a barrel from you in a heart beat

You may have invented a unique American Red Ale and the barrel method to go along with it!

 

[cervid]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but just today I read an article where Jim Murray discusses Bourbon as overtaking Scotch as the best whiskey in the world because they sulfur their barrels in Scotland after using them for Sherry. Bourbon only uses virgin casks. He says the sulfuring makes it too bitter and Buffalo Trace is the best whiskey in the world, which I would tend to agree with although I think Old Rip Van Winkle might be close..

 

[boswell]

Your getting mature reds at a month? If you can replicate your method of seasoning/inoculation I'd buy a barrel from you in a heart beat You may have invented a unique American Red Ale and the barrel method to go along with it!

No, this isn't a red. It's a long explanation, but it's a weird blonde that started as a single hop Amarillo APA. Short version, it's a peachy tropical fruity slightly sour blonde? The sourness is almost perfect now. More than a funky saison, but not quite petrus, but with definite tropical fruit. It's weird, but good weird. I'm not good at sours, I'm just screwing around.

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

No, this isn't a red. It's a long explanation, but it's a weird blonde that started as a single hop Amarillo APA. Short version, it's a peachy tropical fruity slightly sour blonde? The sourness is almost perfect now. More than a funky saison, but not quite petrus, but with definite tropical fruit. It's weird, but good weird. I'm not good at sours, I'm just screwing around.

Just one last question, hope you don't mind. Was the barrel charred when you got it? If so, at what level of char?

 

[CSI - CandiSyrup]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but just today I read an article where Jim Murray discusses Bourbon as overtaking Scotch as the best whiskey in the world because they sulfur their barrels in Scotland after using them for Sherry. Bourbon only uses virgin casks. He says the sulfuring makes it too bitter and Buffalo Trace is the best whiskey in the world, which I would tend to agree with although I think Old Rip Van Winkle might be close..

Yup, a little off topic

 

[boswell]

I think the barrel is charred, but no idea to what lebel