Whiskey barrels

Steven P · Post by **Steven P** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:00 pm

I found this online and the shipping looks pretty resonable.

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/Tuthil ... gories.bok

Anyone have experience with this supplier? They appear to be a NY distillery offloading their used barrels and it's nice they have the smaller sizes. (and cheap shipping)

I have an experimental porter I'd like to put up in a whiskey barrel someday so am shopping around. I might bump the OG some on the recipe below before I use a barrel but this is a just a starting point for me.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/rec ... lla-porter

Feedback on the supplier or the recipe are welcome. Thanks in advance!

tony b · Post by **tony b** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:08 am

If you don't want to barrel a whole batch and just want to experiment with an idea first; go down to Benz and pick up one of the 1 liter oak barrels from Cedar Ridge. You don't have to buy the whiskey to go in it, as they are sold separately. The barrel is charred but has not been previously exposed to any liquor (new wood). I bought one for this expressed purpose, but after I drink the whiskey!! (I did get both). If I recall, the price is like $35.

kjball · Post by **kjball** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:10 am

I didn't realize that that option existed. I just found a whole new world of playing with beer

brownbeard · Post by **brownbeard** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:20 am

tony b wrote:If you don't want to barrel a whole batch and just want to experiment with an idea first; go down to Benz and pick up one of the 1 liter oak barrels from Cedar Ridge. You don't have to buy the whiskey to go in it, as they are sold separately. The barrel is charred but has not been previously exposed to any liquor (new wood). I bought one for this expressed purpose, but after I drink the whiskey!! (I did get both). If I recall, the price is like $35.

HyVee wine and spirits on center point has them as well.

Steven P · Post by **Steven P** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:45 am

I spoke with Wayne a while back about the 1 liter barrels with the Cedar Ridge raw whiskey (moonshine lol) and he said that we was getting good oak character after about a week.

Perhaps I'll have to burn through a few liters and try it out with a beer sometime in the spring. Or pick up some charred oak cubes used for wine and toss in the secondary to start out.

Any thoughts on the recipe build? I'll be making the vanilla porter the weekend of the 10th as I have an American wheat in the pipeline for this Saturday.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:32 pm

I like the oak cubes in a corny keg approach if you just want oak flavor out of it. If you're using it as a home for various bugs, that might not work.

BrewHound · Post by **BrewHound** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:36 pm

I don't know, I personally would not do a liter barrel, with our club barrel the RIS was sitting in the barrel for I think 1 1/2 months prior to the Benz Fest and it still didn't have much oak/whiskey character to it.

We just served it again last weekend after about 6 months the oak/whiskey character was nice. There is a reason that is whiskey is usually aged 4 years in the barrel prior to bottling (good stuff being 10 - 25 years).

So If I was going to do it personally I would get a barrel at least of the 2.5 to 5 gallon size so that the quatity produced is adequate for the aging. My line of thinking is if a beer is good already, it will be good after barrel aging (this is an asumption for commonly barrel aged beers RIS, porter, ect..).

Just my two cents.

Steven P · Post by **Steven P** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:44 pm

Your .02 are appreciated. I thought the 5-8 gallon barrels would be nice to play around with for $150.

With proper sanitation and a good dose of barolkleen/sulfur stick I'm not that afraid of making a lacto/brett sour beer. Maybe after a few uses and a few more years I'll find one I want to do and retire the barrel to the bugs.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:28 am

Careful with sulfur sticks and alcohol vapors!

Steven P · Post by **Steven P** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 11:12 am

that's an excellent point. After further reading it appears that sulfur sticks are usually used on new barrels, not so much on the used. Barolkleen it is!

BrewHound · Post by **BrewHound** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:52 pm

Steven P wrote:Your .02 are appreciated. I thought the 5-8 gallon barrels would be nice to play around with for $150.

With proper sanitation and a good dose of barolkleen/sulfur stick I'm not that afraid of making a lacto/brett sour beer. Maybe after a few uses and a few more years I'll find one I want to do and retire the barrel to the bugs.

I would have to say I agree the 5-8 gallon would be nice, good size for storage as you can stack 3-4 (probably about ceilling height) and have a couple of them and being that size you could still move them by yourself.

I wouldn't mind myself have a couple of 5 gallon'ers to store away with something nice in them, even filling them up with a nice whiskey and letting that age out longer, I love templetons, image if you could get a hold of 5 gallons and age that out another 10 years, damn would that be some good stuff.

TappedOut · Post by **TappedOut** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 4:08 pm

Seriously, do you expect us to believe that 5 gallons of good whiskey could survive unmolested for 10 years in your basement?!