Do I have to sanitize my barrel?

I agree with you. But I am spoiled in this regard. Chicago and the burbs are home to some excellent distilleries, and we are a stone throw away from Bourbon County. But not every brewer is this fortunate. Sometimes, older and dryer barrels are all you can get. I think in these cases, brewers are better off going gentler on their techniques, filling the barrel, and crossing their fingers. But again, that’s just me! Ask another pro and he’ll say burn a sulfur wick, then fill with holding solution.

 

Holy crap- I see why barrel aged beers command a premium price, ther is s a bit of work and uncertainty involved!

 

No problemo. I actually have a decent amount of experience with coffee, if thats what you are into. If you need any tips on it, just let me know!

 

Most of the time people will throw the old saw ‘barrels=real estate=$$$’ to justify the price, but the reality is they just require a lot more manpower, they devalue your economy of scale, and basically ask you to abandon your technologically efficient equipment to embrace archaic technology.
It would be like asking a Ford factory to produce a Model T with all hand-casted parts. How much do you think that thing would cost!?

 

Good advice for anyone, really.

 

::rimshot::

 

Haven't used a maple barrel before but you for sure want to fill it to the top and put in an airlock(or blowoff?). Also to minimize oxidation it is recommended to have some extra to top off the barrel as it soaks up some of the beer as the barrel will for sure soak up some beer.

 

I'd definitely put an airlock on it instead of hard bunging the barrel.

This would be great advice for long term aging, but in this case it shouldn't take long for this barrel to impart its character to the beer, so extra beer for top-ups probably isn't going to be needed.

 

Yeah that's probably true. It should only take a couple weeks so not being totally full won't really hurt it.

 

Found some info from the tube since i might grab a barrel in the future.