Suggestions for a stupid brew session??

[Cape Brewing]

Here is the 4 second version... I gotta sour something in a bourbon barrel.

Here is the really long version...

I have a 60 gal used merlot barrel in the basement that a few of us made a RR Consecretion clone in a year and a half ago (there's a big obnoxious thread on here about it). After we emptied that barrel over this past summer, we did a turbid mash lambic to fill the barrel back up. So, 60 gallons of something full of bugs in a reasonably small storage area in my basement for a year and a half. I also have a couple of fermenters of oud bruin going down there all.

My HBC just bottled up a big quad that was aged in a 60 gal Jim Beam bourbon barrel. No one wanted the barrel so I jumped on it and now it is sitting in my garage... and I gots ta' fill it.

I gotta put the new barrel right next to the other one so I don't see the new barrel NOT getting all bugified... hence the need to sour something in a bourbon barrel.

So the question is what the hell do I put in it?

Sour and bourbon? And I don't wanna do a sour porter.... I don't think.

The only thing I can come up with (which wasn't really my idea) was to do this freakin' stupid Imperial Rye Wit that I've been fist-fighting trying to make for a couple months. First recipe was drinkable but not great. Second attempt, I was feeling all good about it... and three weeks ago I noticed... shockingly.. a nice fluffy pellicle forming up on the damn thing. I guess I can taste it but it's not soured up yet and even if I do taste it, I'm not sure I'm going to get a better idea if it would work with oak and bourbon overtones.

Plus... there's the the lovely issue of mashing 8.9 million freakin' pounds of wheat and rye.

Not sure if I'll have any of my usual volunteers to help with this batch (and not sure I wanna subject them to this stupidity) so I might be looking at pullin' the whole 60 gallons myself.

My initial thought is two big batches over a freakin' MARATHON Saturday... and I'll most likely primary it outside of the barrel and then rack into it.

I have a free Saturday coming up in a week and a half so I gots ta figure out what I'm putting in this barrel so I can grab an azsload of grain and yeast.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Bourbon White Wheat?

 

[Cape Brewing]

yeah... that's not too unlike what I was kinda thinking with the Imp Rye Wit. I was thinking though... the spice of the rye would help with the whole bourbon/sour clash I think it'll have.

 

[Yooper]

Hmmm, bourbon to me (especially sour-ish) seems to scream "old ale" or something like an Arrogant Bastard clone. A big, full, rich, chinook-y beer with a high OG that can support the oak and bourbon.

 

[Oldsock]

We tried to do a clean wee heavy in a bourbon barrel, but it started to go sour so we dumped dregs in... turned out fantastic (like an imperial Oud Bruin). Then we did a stout/porter thing that is just about ready to bottle, tasting like a winner as well. SInce you've already had a beer in there the bourbon character shouldn't be as potent this time around, but I'd still think something bigish and amberish would be the way to go since it will be in there for a year or more.

Good luck!

 

[Cape Brewing]

Not sure why i hadn't thought that... I like the old ale/wee heavy... genre... better than what I was thinking.

I wonder about literally trying an imperial oud bruin... although... stainless would be a better call than the wood though... maybe it's not a big deal though.

 

[Cape Brewing]

The more I think about it the more I think you're dead on Yoop... That's a good call on the Old Ale and I think that's the way I'm going to go. The mash won't be a NIGHTMARE and it is a ligit style that both bourbon a bit of sour would be appropriate for.

I'm thinking maybe age it in the barrel for a solid six months and if it hasn't become bugified by simply being in my basement I would toss the critters in... and then let it go another six months or so.

Now I gotta figure out if I can mash about 90 lbs at a whack over two brews on my rig... hmm...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

How big is your rig?

I have done 30 easy in my keggle. That would be a two batch Saturday and a Single batch Sunday.

 

[Cape Brewing]

my BK and HLt are both 45 gal and my MT is 35... I am pretty sure my MT maxes out at about 70-75 lbs.

... and the 90 I said... that's two batches at 90 lbs each. Total grain bill for 60 gallons of Old Ale is in the 175 lb range.