True bourbon barrel aged imperial stout

[strongarm]

I've been thinking about how I will age this once I transfer from the barrel. I really don't want to tie up a carboy for 6-9months. Any reason why I shouldn't just age in bottles?

 

[MVKTR2]

If anything the beer will age quicker in bottles than in a carboy. Go for it. Glad you got the FG down so low, good for you and your beer.

 

[strongarm]

Took my first sample today. There was a lot of C02, sounded like a champaign bottle popping when I removed the bung. Good bourbon notes coming through and some oak but needs more time.

 

[strongarm]

Took another sample on 5-23. I taste the sweet bourbon and it's strong but I have trouble tasting the oak. I think I'm going to bottle it today. I also plan on taking 1gallon and adding cocoa nibs and fresh vanilla been for another 4 weeks. Now, anyone recommend pitching more yeast to make sure I get carbonation? It's been about 12 weeks since I brewed it and 9 weeks since I pitched the super high gravity 099 yeast.

 

[strongarm]

Finally bottled 3 gallons of my stout. Of coarse on my most important bottling day I lost my bottling tube, had some fun with the thumb clamp. The other 2 gallons are sitting in a heavy dose of cocoa nibs and Uganda vanilla beans.

 

[strongarm]

So, after sampling a bottle 8 weeks into it there is 0 carbonation. I'm going to wait but I think there was no viable yeast left. I want my 2g that I haven't bottled yet to carb. Thinking of adding champaign yeast. I will of coarse rehydrate but is that enough to get the last part of the batch to carb?

 

[Red_Scooter]

How is the taste? Is it where you want it? Have you thought about getting a tank of CO2 and trying to force carb in a keg or bottle? You might avoid affecting the flavor with additional yeast.

 

[strongarm]

Taste is great. I was trying to avoid purchasing a key setup. How difficult is it to force carb directly into the bottle. Would I just need a co2 tank, regulator and tube? Not to familiar since i've never felt with force carbing.

 

[Red_Scooter]

It depends on where you get your CO2 and regulator. I found mine on Craigslist, 5lb tank and single gauge regulator for $30. After that, you can either buy a Carbonator Cap or make one.

, demo of the carbonator cap. Just make sure the beer is cold, the CO2 will go into solution better that way.

- shows you how to make your own.

 

[sfrisby]

Had that problem with a quad. By the time it was time to bottle, the yeast was spent and nothing left to carb. I had to open the bottles, gently pour into a keg, force carb for 2 days at 25 psi, then bottle out of the tap. You need to be set up for kegging for that, but worked perfectly.

 

[strongarm]

Is that ok to do if your bottles will be sitting for a long period of tim?. My bottles will be conditioning for 1-3 years. What's different about this process and just filing a growler from tap, I thought growlers were only good for a few weeks at most.

 

[sfrisby]

Is that ok to do if your bottles will be sitting for a long period of tim?. My bottles will be conditioning for 1-3 years. What's different about this process and just filing a growler from tap, I thought growlers were only good for a few weeks at most.

Still drinking bottles and they were bottled out of the tap about 6 mo ago. Carbonation is just fine. I think the difference between bottles and growlers are the screw on lids. They aren't as airtight at bottle caps and they get oxidized over time.

 

[strongarm]

Update: I entered this stout into a local homebrew completion "the Bruery" if you've heard of them. I won first place in the wood aged category scoring 39/50. Pretty happy about that. Just did my version 2 batch for next year which im even more excited about since it's an all grain recipe. I've cut down on the chocolate nibbs since it was mentioned that it's overpowering and upped the vanilla beans and star anise. I also plan on keeping in the barrel for 20% longer to get more of the oak flavor into the beer. For some better head retention im adding in flaked oats and rye.

 

[thisisbeer]

Care to post the new recipe? I'm interested in trying it out. Thanks.

 

[strongarm]

Here you go. I did cold steep all the dark grains except for the Special B for 24 hours then added to the end of the boil. Aged in bourbon barrel for around 6 weeks.

I just transferred this to my keg to force carb then I will bottle fill from there. Loving the initial taste test. Very unique smooth tasting imperial stout.

The only thing I would have changed is mashed a little lower 145/146 to increase ferment ability.

Make a huge starter....6L, use a lot of oxygen. After the initial yeast 007 dies out around 1.055 pitch a nice sized starter of 099 super high gravity yeast.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.166 SG
Estimated Color: 58.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 89.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
29 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 75.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 3.9 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.6 %
1 lbs Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.6 %
1 lbs Simpsons British Chocolate (450.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.6 %
8.0 oz Rye, Flaked (2.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.3 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 8 6.5 %
8.0 oz Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 9 1.3 %
3.00 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 52.2 IBUs
2.50 oz Cascade [7.10 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 11 14.0 IBUs
1.50 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 12 20.1 IBUs
4.00 Items Anise, Star (Boil 30.0 mins) Spice 13 -
2.00 oz Cascade [7.10 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 14 2.9 IBUs
15.00 Items Vanilla Bean Secondary 4 weeks Spice 15 -
3.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35 Yeast 16 -
6.00 oz Cocoa Nibs Secondary 4 weeks Flavor 17 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 38 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 44.38 qt of water at 167.1 F 155.0 F 90 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with -1.13 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
------
Cold steep dark grains for 24 hours to lower acidity/astringency. Do add the special B to the mash to help lower PH. Crush grains with .037gap

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[strongarm]

After some more taste testing of my new batch I would recommend bringing the cacao nibs down to 4 oz....the chocolate is a little dominating still. Also I will start aging for closer to 8-10 weeks in the barrel to pick up more of the oak. Maybe some more oats for a better head retention and longer on the C02 for more carbonation...I think some of the carbonation might have been lost transferring to bottles from the keg.

 

[mewithstewpid]

After some more taste testing of my new batch I would recommend bringing the cacao nibs down to 4 oz....the chocolate is a little dominating still. Also I will start aging for closer to 8-10 weeks in the barrel to pick up more of the oak. Maybe some more oats for a better head retention and longer on the C02 for more carbonation...I think some of the carbonation might have been lost transferring to bottles from the keg.

How many vanilla beans did you use?

I am also planning a big stout with coffee/bourbon oak/choco/ and vanilla beans. I plan on using 4 in secondary, but would like your opinion!

 

[strongarm]

I used 15 beans. I know it's a lot. I didn't pick up too much vanilla but then again the cocoa might have been overpowering it.

 

[ShakaZuluXI]

How many times can you use a bourbon barrel to age beer? When you get it from the distillery, do you have to sanitize the inside before filling with the beer? Our local distillery has used 8 gallon barrels for sale, but they are $200. I don't want to buy one if I'll only get to use it for a couple batches.

 

[skeezerpleezer]

How many times can you use a bourbon barrel to age beer? When you get it from the distillery, do you have to sanitize the inside before filling with the beer? Our local distillery has used 8 gallon barrels for sale, but they are $200. I don't want to buy one if I'll only get to use it for a couple batches.

Depends on what you are using it for. The whiskey/spirit will fade, but the barrel is good for a long time. Jean van Roy at Cantillon told me they use some for over 15 years and they still produce good brews.

 

[Ed4]

Our club bought a full size bourbon barrel. We have put two beers in it so far and we are getting ready for a third. The second beer, an RIS, still had a ton of bourbon aroma and flavor. Our next beer will be a wee heavy.

 

[inflictor-of-grimness]

Depends on what you are using it for. The whiskey/spirit will fade, but the barrel is good for a long time. Jean van Roy at Cantillon told me they use some for over 15 years and they still produce good brews.

Keep in mind that Cantillon does not use these barrels for their flavor. After a few uses the barrel will have no wood or spirit character.

 

[skeezerpleezer]

Keep in mind that Cantillon does not use these barrels for their flavor. After a few uses the barrel will have no wood or spirit character.

Of course, but the question was how many times a barrel could be used....

 

[inflictor-of-grimness]

Of course, but the question was how many times a barrel could be used....

True, but I wanted to make sure nobody got the idea that the barrel would continue to produce those flavors for that long.
Also, barrels are likely to eventually harbor bacteria.

 

[strongarm]

I did not sanitize my barrel prior to filling. It came freshly dumped and "looked good" inside. Just soaked the outside of the barrel on all sides a few times to make sure it was swelled up and filled. If your not worried about it leaking then I would just fill as is...you will get more of the spirit that way. I use mine 3 times before getting a new one 5g size from Balcones.