Used Bourbon barrel cleaning?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by zookerman182, Dec 30, 2014.

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  1. zookerman182

    zookerman182 Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2013 Alabama

    I'm not sure if this in the right section but I figured you home brewers would know a little about sanitizing things. I've googled my question with no results so I'll try here.

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    I don't plan on cutting this up for furniture, I just hope to somehow be able to display the barrel in the corner of a room, upright, with maybe a couple barstools around it.

    I bought this 2nd use makers mark barrel from a local brewery.
    It previously housed an old ale on two separate occasions. (Beer has been in this barrel for over a year and a half)
    It smells absolutely amazing inside and I wish I didn't have to clean it out but I'm sure over time, even with the bung hole plugged it will grow some nasty stuff inside.
    It looks pretty sludgy and nasty inside already from when i shined a flashlight to take a peak. Lots of delicious left over brew and gunk coating the interior of the barrel for sure.
    Does anyone have any tips or tricks or advice for cleaning the inside of the barrel well enough to use as furniture inside my home? (Preferably without taking the barrel apart)

    Also the guy who sold it to me told me the metal was hammered into place and I would need to drill screws into it to keep the barrel from shrinking and falling apart. Which is not hard for me to do, I just didn't know about this.

    Thank you in advance, any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated and if this is in the wrong forum please move it to wherever it belongs.
     
    #1 zookerman182, Dec 30, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2014
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  2. blue-dream

    blue-dream Initiate (0) Aug 22, 2013 Virgin Islands (U.S.)

    #2 blue-dream, Dec 30, 2014
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  3. Iamjeff6

    Iamjeff6 Initiate (0) Sep 9, 2013 Virginia

    I would start with some hot/boiling water and if that doesnt work Id use the suggest method above.
     
    #3 Iamjeff6, Dec 30, 2014
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  4. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Hot boiling water sounds about right. Have you already screwed the rings in place? I'd be tempted to take this to an orchard or local brewery. Get that puppy refilled and come back to it in a few years. :slight_smile:
     
    #4 inchrisin, Dec 30, 2014
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  5. zookerman182

    zookerman182 Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2013 Alabama

    I have not done anything with it except bring it home. I wish now I would have bought another one for this very reason but they sold all 33 they had in less than 24 hours. I bet anything sitting in this barrel for years would be incredible. I can't stop smelling the inside.

    If I cleaned up the outside and brought the barrel inside without cleaning the interior how long do you think it would last before becoming funky and gross inside? Or would it just smell like bourbon soaked chocolate covered marshmallows forever?
     
    #5 zookerman182, Dec 30, 2014
  6. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    Doing nothing will have whatever wasn't fully dumped from the barrel, turning into a sour mess of an infection in the barrel eventually.

    The barrel will dry up, the staves will separate, which air will get in, whats in the barrel will leak into your floor, and your table will fall apart. :wink:

    I would boil up a bunch of water, dump in, and rinse it a couple times over.. Then fill it up, and look for a barrel cleaning solution online. Usually K-meta and Citric acid. Mix, store.. drain.. screw the staves together at the bands when the barrel is wetted out and fully sealed.

    Drain it out, and use it for furniture.
     
    #6 FATC1TY, Dec 30, 2014
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  7. zookerman182

    zookerman182 Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2013 Alabama

    This is the info I needed. The barrels were just emptied so I'm pretty sure if I wanted to drill holes and attach the metal to the staves now it would be okay. Then I'll go about the process of getting the barrel cleaned as well as possible. I'll do the boiling water followed by cleaning kit since they are pretty cheap and I want the thing to be as clean as possible.

    Any idea how long it usually takes a barrel to completely dry out? Last thing I want is a nasty ring on the floor
     
    #7 zookerman182, Dec 30, 2014
  8. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    No idea on how long it will take to dry out. You mainly want to get all the left over beer out of the barrel though, and a couple runs of hot water will do that.. Could even put your water hose in the bung and let it go for a little bit... dump it, and start over, then use some hot water to kill what you can with it.

    I wouldn't put it on your floor fresh, or even a month after rinsing it, if you are worried about a ring.
     
    #8 FATC1TY, Dec 31, 2014
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  9. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Maybe after rinsing/cleaning it well, then you could use a hair dryer poked into the bung hole to dry the inside? Just a thought.
     
    #9 PapaGoose03, Dec 31, 2014
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