barrel age chimay bought from store yourself?

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by eckstg, Sep 22, 2012.

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  1. eckstg

    eckstg Aspirant (282) Aug 15, 2012 Alabama
    Trader

    If i were to get enough chimay to fill a barrel and buy a empty specialty barrel to store it in for a year or longer would it be the same as barrel aged beer bought from other breweries?

    it appears it would take at least 330 bottles to fill a barrel unless there is smaller barrels to buy to age in?

    where could i find and how much should i expect to spend on a empty barrel some whiskies or wines have been stored in?
     
    #1 eckstg, Sep 22, 2012
  2. wonderbread23

    wonderbread23 Initiate (0) Aug 4, 2009 New York

    You can get barrels from 1-60+ gallons depending on what the original intention the barrel was. Most whiskey barrels are between 50-60 gallons. In the process of emptying the bottles into a barrel you'd likely oxidize the crap out of the beer and have a nice barrel full of cardboard deliciousness. I wouldn't recommend it.
     
    #2 wonderbread23, Sep 22, 2012
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  3. foobula

    foobula Zealot (735) Dec 14, 2009 Illinois

    ISO: BA cardboard deliciousness, FT: DL 2012
     
    #3 foobula, Sep 22, 2012
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  4. Sneers

    Sneers Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2009 Pennsylvania

    If you really wanted to do this, I'd suggest perfecting a Chimay clone then sticking that in a barrel.
     
    #4 Sneers, Sep 22, 2012
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  5. MasterSki

    MasterSki Grand Pooh-Bah (4,848) Dec 25, 2006 Canada (ON)
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    There's ways you could do it, particularly if you pulled it from cork & caged bottles. Vent the CO2 using a hypodermic needle or something, then siphon the flat beer into the barrel just like you would from a carboy. Goose Island recycled some of the recalled Matilda into Dominique, so it's possible even with capped bottles.

    Still, it'd be very pricey. You'd need 26+ 750ml bottles just to fill a little 5 gallon barrel. Between the cost of the beer and a barrel that's closing in on $100/gallon.
     
    #5 MasterSki, Sep 22, 2012
  6. Mandark

    Mandark Zealot (587) Apr 8, 2008 Illinois

    This might be a cheaper option to experiment with, see how it works:http://www.binnys.com/spirits/Age_Your_Own_Whiskey_Kits_by_Woodinville_Whiskey_Company_197952.html
     
    #6 Mandark, Sep 22, 2012
  7. eckstg

    eckstg Aspirant (282) Aug 15, 2012 Alabama
    Trader

    well i just have a few cases of the blue 11.20z in regular bottles not cork & caged bottles. i figured to fill a 5 gallon barrel is 55 of those. i would really like to give it a shotsince i was planning to age them for a year anyways if the barrel will make a improvement without the chance of ruining the beer.

    What kind of barrel would be best to add a better flavor to chimay? is there a foolproof way to get it out of the bottles and into the barrel without ruining the beer?
     
    #7 eckstg, Sep 22, 2012
  8. eckstg

    eckstg Aspirant (282) Aug 15, 2012 Alabama
    Trader

    very interesting site but the kits are very pricey but they also would come with unaged whiskey i wouldnt need. it says since those barrels are small they age the whiskey is less time in like 3-6 months. getting just the small empty barrels and instuctions would be nice if there is a foolproof way of getting the chimay out of its bottles already and into the barrel without ruining it. since those are just wood barrels with nothin previously stored in them i wonder if it would improve taste of chimay?
     
    #8 eckstg, Sep 22, 2012
  9. wonderbread23

    wonderbread23 Initiate (0) Aug 4, 2009 New York

    There is no fool-proof way to move the beer from small bottles into a barrel. Well, I guess you could build an airtight room, fill it with CO2, put on a scuba suit, and then transfer the beer within your co2 purged chamber.

    Barrel aging is all about surface to volume ratios. The more surface area to volume, the less time needed to impart the flavor you're looking for. Very few brewers are aging beer for a year within a barrel. Putting your Chimay in a 5 gallon unused barrel for a year would not taste very good. It would be intensely oaky, likely oxidized, and possibly turn to vinegar.
     
    #9 wonderbread23, Sep 22, 2012
  10. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Your odds of successfully pulling this off yourself are extremely slim. And probably impossible on your first attempt. Even professional brewers in a proper environment screw up barrel aging all the time. It's not as easy as it looks.
     
    #10 cbeer88, Sep 22, 2012
  11. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    Top of the Hill Distillery sells 1ish gallon barrels to age your own whiskey in. Age some whiskey in a one gallon oak barrel. Then use that one gallon barrel to age your chimay. or just do an oak aged Chimay. Ive heard La Trappe makes a good Oak Aged Quad.
     
    #11 VncentLIFE, Sep 22, 2012
  12. MasterSki

    MasterSki Grand Pooh-Bah (4,848) Dec 25, 2006 Canada (ON)
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Firstly, I've tried homebrews aged in those little 5 gallon barrels for only a few weeks that have been extremely whiskey & oak-forward. A year is excessive - as wonderbread23 says, it's about the surface area-to-volume ratio, which is much higher in smaller barrels.

    As for the oxidation issues - I checked into the infected Matilda I mentioned before, and apparently I was incorrect. Dominique was made from beer that wasn't packaged yet and the recalled bottles were all destroyed. So unfortunately there isn't a magic workaround to get packaged beer into the barrel without some serious challenges. Unless you're trying to make a sour of some sort...

    If you're gung-ho about creating your own barrel-aged beer, follow Sneers' recommendation and create a good homebrew clone (or find a friend who can do so), or perhaps purchase a 30L keg of Chimay to use for this purpose. If you're not stuck on Chimay, you could always purchase one of those lambic boxes and make your own Viskilambic.
     
    #12 MasterSki, Sep 22, 2012
  13. DrDemento456

    DrDemento456 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,439) May 15, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Damn and I never even had a Chimay blue in my life and your willing to throw away a few cases of it on a chance it might have some barrel aged flavors.

    Better off just putting good bourbon into your Chimay
     
    #13 DrDemento456, Sep 22, 2012
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  14. albertq17

    albertq17 Devotee (300) Oct 11, 2010 California

    I agree with you. At the same time I suspect that many innovators within and outside of the beer world have heard this many times.
     
    #14 albertq17, Sep 22, 2012
  15. podunkparte

    podunkparte Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2009 Washington

    What's wrong with the way Chimay tastes? Just drink it the way it was meant to be: delicious.
     
    #15 podunkparte, Sep 22, 2012
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  16. Zimbo

    Zimbo Pooh-Bah (2,305) Aug 7, 2010 Scotland
    Pooh-Bah

    Personally, shoving a few cases into a really good bourbon barrrel can only be a good thing seeing as I haven't had a a really decent bottle of Chimay Blue in over 20 years.
     
    #16 Zimbo, Sep 23, 2012
  17. eckstg

    eckstg Aspirant (282) Aug 15, 2012 Alabama
    Trader

    man wondering what in the hell dl 2012 stands for is driving me nuts!
     
    #17 eckstg, Sep 23, 2012
  18. eckstg

    eckstg Aspirant (282) Aug 15, 2012 Alabama
    Trader

    well crap i was hoping id get the responses of hell yea just pop the pops and empty into a barrel and cork the barrel and youll have much better beer in little time but as usual its never just that simple.

    Thanks everyone for your kind help!
     
    #18 eckstg, Sep 23, 2012
  19. Eriktheipaman

    Eriktheipaman Pooh-Bah (2,303) Sep 4, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Dark Lord 2012
     
    #19 Eriktheipaman, Sep 23, 2012
  20. foobula

    foobula Zealot (735) Dec 14, 2009 Illinois

    Ha ha, guess these acronyms get kind of out of hand. Yeah I just had my first Dark Lord and ICK. Previous years must have been better.

    I love Chimay as it is. Never thought about what it would taste like barrel-aged. What is it about Chimay Blue that makes it cellerable for 30 years? And why isn't that true for all beers?
     
    #20 foobula, Sep 23, 2012
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