Barrel Age

Some of my friends have started. We can get Tuthilltown with no delivery charges, it's down the road. I haven't gotten mine yet, but a friend got a 7 gallon rye for 170.

A friend used a 15 gallon bourbon for a stout and got great results.

 

I've got two Balcones whiskey barrels that are 5-6 gallons each. My homebrew club made a massive order and got about 80 of them shipped up from Texas. They are perfect for aging homebrew due to the size and the quick turnover time - the oak and bourbon characteristics can be highly noticeable at just one week depending on the brew. I rinse them with boiling water after I collect my beer and burn a sulfur stick inside if I don't plan to use for awhile (be EXTREMELY careful with this step). Otherwise, I presoak with whatever liquor I choose (typically Buffalo Trace) to get a nice fresh, moist, bourbon soaked barrel before transferring my brew into it. I currently have one of the barrels soaking and rotating with a good portion of a bottle of Crown Royal in it and will be transferring a monster of an imperial stout to it in about a month to have ready for Christmas.....pretty stoked. Also bought a 5 gallon Beaujolais barrel from a high end wine place and plan to throw a beer in it to sour for a year....I'd check out a local spot that serves seasonal wines such as beaujolais to see if you can take the empty barrels off their hands when they're done.

Good Luck!

Kyle

 

Make sure your sour gets good and sour, or have some non-barrel aged for blending. I've been shocked at how much oak I've picked up from my 15.5 gal barrels (Assuming 5 would be stronger; but maybe yours has seen lots of use and has mellowed), but also astonished at how much increased acidity tames the oakiness of the beer.

 

I can get 10 gallon whiskey/bourbon/not sure what else barrels from a local place for 91 dollars. I am too nervous to pull the trigger...someday.