Beer Baron Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 So I have this idea and I haven’t really thought about it too much I just thought I would throw it out there and get peoples opinions. Theres a few places around the sell oak barrels. I was thinking about getting a 5L barrel and give it a bit of a char and but a bottle of whiskey in it so that can leech into the wood for a while. Then I would brew a big 12% Russian Imperial Stout and put it in the barrel for a small amount of time and until I am happy with the flavours. When I am happy I will bottle and save until my 40th which is still a while away but it will be aged very well. Good idea?? Bad idea?? Can it be done like this or am I crazy?? Beer Baron 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I think that’s a great idea. Just watch for contact time. There’s a lot of surface area in the smaller barrels. I’d taste every other day and remove as soon as you’ve got enough oak in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 If you don't mind going to the trouble of all that I imagine it would work well. I've used oak chips in brews a number of times now & really enjoyed what they gave to the IPA's & Porters I used them in. Very easy & inexpensive to use too. Good luck with it. Cheers, Lusty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 I believe you may need to be careful of oxidisation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Currently have a RIS on tap that was barrel aged for almost a year , local club has been running these projects for several years now and are booked out months in advance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 It sounds like it may definitely worth a try. It will only be a small batch so I won’t be ‘throwing away’ too much money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Ben 10 said: I believe you may need to be careful of oxidisation. Any tips to avoid this?? I would imagine all beer aged in barrels would get small amounts of oxygen in them, it’s impossible not to. Because of the small barrel size I wouldn’t have to age it for a long length of time. Either way I’m still up for it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, Beer Baron said: Any tips to avoid this?? No idea really, I just remember reading thus. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) Is the total batch going to be 5L, or are you just planning to put 5L of a much larger batch into the barrel? I'd suggest making 15L at least and ... Put 1/3 in the barrel Put 1/3 into a different plastic container with oak chips Put 1/3 into a third container with no oak chips Oxidisation usually happens during transfer, doesn't it? Hopefully if you have to transfer each part the oxidisation is at least consistent Edited May 30, 2019 by King Ruddager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 2 hours ago, King Ruddager said: Is the total batch going to be 5L, or are you just planning to put 5L of a much larger batch into the barrel? I'd suggest making 15L at least and ... Put 1/3 in the barrel Put 1/3 into a different plastic container with oak chips Put 1/3 into a third container with no oak chips Oxidisation usually happens during transfer, doesn't it? Hopefully if you have to transfer each part the oxidisation is at least consistent I was only planning to make 5L but making 15L does make sense Ruddy. I might get a couple of those small glass fermenters and do exactly what you said. Nice call Ruddy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Hey I wonder if purging the containers of oxygen by using a little CO2 canister or something would help with the issue of oxidisation as well ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolbag Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 From what I heard, it's the barrels themselves that allow oxygen in. So the purging will do somewhat intially, but nothing for the long term 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Slight oxidation is a bit of character to a RIS does it not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I know our projects have had a lager yeast added to barrel. SG is always a few points lower coming out of barrel than going in , Ruddy's idea has merit for splitting batch up . Having extra RIS is seldom a bad thing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 This project has been pushed back a bit due to renovations at the bar and brewery. It will definitely still happen. I’ll go with Ruddy’s idea and split the batch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I think it is a great idea ... I have had a good think about it and the high ABV will reduce any oxidation and the chance of bacterial infection that goes with the use of wood and permeability ... the use of whisky to season the oak is great but any spirit would work ... personally i would use a port to season it ... the tannin would go really well with a big stout ... I have a pretty reasonable of wine and they age wine of a similar ABV to the stout on oak for a minimum of a year often. So i think you are on a winner the issue is carbonation how are you going to address that? If you secondary in the barrel at time of kegging it will pressurise the barrel and reduce the chance of oxidation ... the thing is you have to be very precise on the sugar as over carbonation will be a BOMB .... or just really heady beer .... anyway there a some thought .... good luck look forward to reading the outcome... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 20 minutes ago, MartyG1525230263 said: the issue is carbonation how are you going to address that? That’s an excellent question...... I hope I can get some help with this. Due to the barrel size I don’t think I would need to age for long but I don’t know if the yeast would stay alive in the barrel and I’m not sure of the impact of the barrel on the yeast. I’m not really sure about the other 2 that I will age differently......... ”HELP” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 1 minute ago, Beer Baron said: That’s an excellent question...... I hope I can get some help with this. Due to the barrel size I don’t think I would need to age for long but I don’t know if the yeast would stay alive in the barrel and I’m not sure of the impact of the barrel on the yeast. I’m not really sure about the other 2 that I will age differently......... ”HELP” way to solve that issue is to do a test run with a secondary carbonation ... the thing is how are they sealed and if you are not aging it for long why age it ... to get oak flavours from barrels in wine it is usually 1 year for fruit driven wine.... but stouts are big so will need several months at minimum ... the barrel itself will hold the pressure of carbonation but will the tap seal and the top plug? personally do a test run do 5lt of just a water malt mix that is primary fermented to 12.5% then put in the barrel and do a secondary with minimum sugar say 40% of what is need for bottles ... that will give the seals a test .... if you dont want to do that just do a brew with what ever sugar you want and see how it holds .... but as i say the barrel will be fine it is the tap seal and plug ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 On 5/31/2019 at 9:26 PM, joolbag said: ... the barrels themselves that allow oxygen in Ah, that's interesting to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 I guess one thing to consider as well is that you’ll probably need to take into account your finished gravity as by the time you pull it out it may be a few points lower (depending on how long you age it for and the critters inside the barrel). Of course a RIS is still going to have a fair amount of residual sugars. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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