lakedawgs
Well-Known Member
Picking up a 53 gallon bourbon barrel Friday. Been doing some good research but have some questions about conflicting things I have read. The barrel was dumped of bourbon about 2 weeks ago. We will fill it with fermented beer in about 6wks.
Concerning not letting the barrel get to dry, I have read that one route is to first check the inside with a flashlight and if there is a decent amount of bourbon left, just roll the barrel every day or two and should be good, otherwise add a gallon and roll around. I also read to empty the barrel as much as possible, light rinse with water and drain completely. Let is sit until a day or two before use, add a few gallons of water and roll around to rehydrate, once ready to fill empty the water and fill with beer. Not sure which way to go.
Also, with a fresh barrel and a 10% RIS, roughly how long should we expect for the beer to age in the barrel on average. I know we will be testing occasionally during topoff, just wondering.
Any experienced input would be most appreciated.
Lakedawgs
Concerning not letting the barrel get to dry, I have read that one route is to first check the inside with a flashlight and if there is a decent amount of bourbon left, just roll the barrel every day or two and should be good, otherwise add a gallon and roll around. I also read to empty the barrel as much as possible, light rinse with water and drain completely. Let is sit until a day or two before use, add a few gallons of water and roll around to rehydrate, once ready to fill empty the water and fill with beer. Not sure which way to go.
Also, with a fresh barrel and a 10% RIS, roughly how long should we expect for the beer to age in the barrel on average. I know we will be testing occasionally during topoff, just wondering.
Any experienced input would be most appreciated.
Lakedawgs