Whiskey Barrel Aging Questions

[rthiessen]

Hello,

I was able to get an 8 gallon Woodinville Rye Whiskey Barrel from Boulevard Brewing Co. Woodinville used this rye whiskey barrel after aging the whiskey by adding maple syrup. Then Boulevard made a beer from it as well. Definitely looking forward to using this barrel for my next brew. Here are my questions for those that have used barrels before:

1. Since I won't be putting beer in the barrel for a few weeks, I assume I need to keep the barrel seasoned so it doesn't dry out and leak. What's the best way to do this without losing the whiskey/maple syrup characteristics? I heard you should add some whisky to the barrel and rotate it every 2-3 days to keep it 'wet'. I assume adding whiskey will also keep it sanitized.

2. Since I only have capacity for brewing 5-6 gallons of beer, will the extra head space in the barrel cause huge oxidation issues? If so, what's the best way to purge the oxygen aside from brewing a larger batch?

3.I plan to brew an Imperial Altbier to age in the barrel after fermentation. Any thoughts on if this style would be well suited for aging in a Rye whiskey barrel? And is 65 degrees cool enough to ferment this style? I have never brewed an Altbier before.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[mredge73]

You need to fill it asap.
You can get a bottle or 2 of grain alcohol (everclear) and keep it rolling around and hope that it will not dry out or get an infection.
Don't waste good whiskey on it and don't forget to keep the top and bottom wet.

I brewed an Altbier once and it was fantastic.
It may work for what you want if you get the Alcohol pretty high to keep the barrel bugs at bay.

I would brew two 4-5 gallon batches back to back on the same day and ferment them normally (not in the barrel).
The barrel works as a secondary but you should fill it to the top, beer is less forgiving than wine when it comes to oxidation.

Keep what doesn't fit in the barrel in a carboy for use on the next batch.
Once you start this process you want to keep the barrel full for the life of the barrel.
So once you bottle/keg it you want to have the next batch ready to refill it on the same day.

My barrel is a little different than yours, mine is a charred barrel that hasn't had whiskey in it and I use it for aging red wine.
Your turnover will be quicker if you are using it to get that bourbon barrel taste to your beer. It will probably only take a handful of batches to strip the bourbon character from it.
Toward the end of its life you can use it to age things like Russian Imperial Stouts or wine.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I use sanitized marbles to displace the beer for angel share. You could do that as needed to manage a smaller batch size.

 

[Morrey]

I use 10L oak barrels to age whisky. It is important to keep the wood fully hydrated for fear it will never seal properly again. I know you don't prefer to do this, and neither do I, but filling it with fresh water until you fill it with your product can save your barrel. Just putting a little water in the barrel and rotating it is not recommended by barrel coopers.

 

[rthiessen]

Great feedback. Thanks. I will hydrate the barrel today. Does the water need to be warm or hot when filling it up? And when I am ready to add my Altbier in the next 2-3 weeks, will I need to sanitize it? Maybe that is when I can add the grain alcohol to kill any bugs.

 

[Weezy]

1. If you plan to use it reasonably soon and you want to preserve what is in thete leave it standing like you have it shown and fill that space above the head (the end cap is the 'head') with water to keep the head expanded. Flip it once a week and do it to the other side, so each side gets 4-5 days.

2. Fill it all at once. Brew your beer and ferment them in cheap buckets of you have to. Keeping finished beer in the bucket for a month on the yeast cake will be fine, as you keep cranking out enough batches to fill the barrel.

Cheers! Good luck.

 

[rthiessen]

Ok, that is a better idea so I can retain the whiskey/maple syrup characteristics. I might find a bucket to fill so the bottom head can be submerged while I soak the top head. If I left it like that for 2-3 weeks, will that be a problem? I assume doing this will hydrate the middle part of the barrel too? Appreciate your help!

 

[Weezy]

That sounds fine to me. And no it's not going to hydrate middle but keeping the heads swelled will keep the staves aligned.

Do the staves feel loose now? (wondering how long it's been empty) If loose you might need to fill it with warm water to get it to swell before adding beer.

 

[rthiessen]

I picked it up from the brewery on Sunday. I can ask them how long ago it was emptied. But it seems like the staves are pretty tight.

 

[Weezy]

Just run with it then.

 

[rthiessen]

I am getting close to transferring the beer into the whiskey barrel as my beer has almost completed fermentation. It is down to 1.014. Also, both ends of the barrel have been soaking in water for 9 days to help keep it sealed. However, I am nervous the middle part of the barrel is not sealed.

So should I fill it with very hot water to seal it and help sanitize it? I would rather lose some barrel characteristics than my beer. Or do you think it is fine? I am not opposed to getting some cheap rye whiskey to help hydrate and sanitize the barrel. What are your thoughts?

Also, to sample the beer while in the barrel, do you recommend adding a 'vinnie nail' to get a sample, or just pull some beer from the bung?
Thanks!

 

[Weezy]

At this point, I wouldn't change the plan. Fill it with your beer. If it was so dry as to be at risk of leaking, the barrel would be loose.

You could do a vinnie nail. At eight gallons, you're got to need to keep an eye on it. It will take on oak character pretty quickly. When it satisfies your palette, you're going to need to drain it off.

 

[rthiessen]

Hey Weezy, I am going to transfer my Imperial Altbier tomorrow into the whiskey barrel. It's 3 weeks in primary and I finally have time to do this. I have been soaking both ends of the barrel in water and the last two days have been floating it in my bathtub to try and hydrate the sides. I went ahead and added a small bottle of Rye inside to sanitize. Nothing has leaked out. So I think I should be good.

I assume I should add an airlock or just use the closed bung it came with? I assume its possible there could be some additional fermentation that could take place. Also, should I leave the 750mls of Rye whiskey in there? My Altbier is at about 6.8% ABV.

 

[Weezy]

Cool! Hope the transfer goes well. I wouldn't expect any fermentation at this point so I'd just use that bung. Check it daily for the first week or something like that.

Cheers!

In the future, if consider transferring sooner. Wait until the lion's share of fermentation is done (~3 days) in primary and most of the trub has fallen, then transfer and let fermentation finish in the barrel. Helps ward off oxygen.