With all of the barrels we have recently acquired I think we need to set aside a time (sooner than later) and rinse or wash this with some sort of solution. Daniel mentioned he knew a mixture we can use. We do not want these barrels to become infected with something we did not intend and if it is going to be a few weeks before they are filled I think we should look into some sulfur wicks to keep them stored.
Here are a few links I found regarding cleaing and maintaing barrels.
http://www.byo.com/stories/techniques/article/indices/8-aging/952-keeping-it-clean%27
http://www.kelvincooperage.com/barrelprep.html
Thoughts? Opinions?
now that the barrels are in storage mode, i have started the group Barrels of Fun for us to coordinate our efforts in getting them filled.
...igz...
im taking suggestions for the bramble raspberry barrel
...igz...
I would be interisted in brewing a batch for one of the barrels also
yes, be interested to know what people plan on putting in their barrels.
Thanks to everyone for their help and input. Dave and I finished the cleaning and filling of the barrels with their storage solution yesterday. They are now ready to be stored until we are ready to fill.
Kyle I am not sure how to clean this out but I can help you once you figure that out.
Andrew James Tomka
515-988-3260
andy.tomka@gmail.com
Don't hate, Bill. If you get a barrel I'll play wit your bung too.
even the brush will work. the existing coating was coming off very easily with a scrape of a drywall mud blade
...igz...
im not welcoming the appearance either
Bill said:
...igz...
anyone who is not already on a project tonight, those barrel racks in the picture, as you can see, are a bit rusty, with the coating flaking off. these will continue to deteriorate if not addressed, and they should be addressed if we will be putting so much weight on them.
i ask if anyone is available to scrape these tonight so i can prep and coat them tomorrow. there is a wire brush on a pole that is leaning against the barrels now, they can be scrapped with that.
please let me know if someone is available to help. it will take about an hour or so of your time.
thanks in advance.
p.s. RUSTY is not the same as RUSTIC
...igz...
I am planning on doing the 2 stage cleaning and rinse procedure. When I do brew and fill I am going to put something in there that I won't be upset if it becomes a sour. As the Mad Fermentationist recommended brew something that won't be bad as a sour that way if it starts to turn you can intentionally add more bugs and take it in that direction.
yeah, from the morebeer pdf. There's about a cup of citric acid in my book bag. I would go with what dave suggests though it will leech flavors. Better safe than sorry although my guess is that the finch's barrel is irretrievable since it's been empty for at least 2 months now. I could always be wrong though.
Dave, I read this same procedure and think we should go with this for our needs. We can do the sodium carbonate fill tomorrow and I am free Friday and Saturday to do the Citric and rinsing.
ive been doing some research. This barrel cleaning...looks like this will take a couple days to do. Everywhere I read it strongly recommends against leaving a used barrel empty for more than a few hours. Spoilage microbes are at a high risk. Since we are well past that window, it is safe to say that these barrels more than likely have some crud in them.
I found a procedure for treating spoilage in barrels that i think we should follow (53 gallons of bad beer is not something i'm interested in):
Treating a barrel for spoilage problems is a two-step process. First, you use a solution of sodium carbonate (or sodium percarbonate) then you neutralize it with a citric acid wash. *It should be noted that when you treat a barrel in this manner, you will be stripping some of the oak flavor from the wood.
The following is a guideline for treating a spoiled barrel:
-Depending on the severity of the problem, you will use between 1 to 3* grams of per liter of barrel volume. Mix this with some water in a separate container until it becomes completely dissolved. *Never use more than 3 grams per liter of sodium carbonate or sodium percarbonate as you can start to attack and break-down the wood of the barrel itself.
-Fill the barrel to 2/3 capacity with water.
-Add the solution to the barrel, roll the barrel to mix the solution in thoroughly and then top it up.
-Allow the barrel to soak overnight, but no longer than 24 hours.
Once the barrel has been treated, you will need to neutralize the alkaline residue:
-In a separate container, make a solution of citric acid at a rate of between .5 and 1 gram per liter of barrel volume. Make sure that the crystals get completely dissolved into the solution.
-Fill the barrel with the solution and top it up. Allow it to sit over night.
-Drain the barrel and clean it out completely.
*Be sure to get all of the alkaline residue out of the barrel. While it is not toxic at these low levels, it will adversely affect the flavor of any wine that gets put into the barrel.
-Let the barrel dry completely then fill it with wine or burn some sulfur in it if it is being put up for storage.
Yup yup.....almost killed gordon strong
I do know you have to be careful when burning sulfer sticks near the barrel s ....i heard a story once where the barrel exploded when exposed to the burning stick...almost killing the brewer.....
I reached out to the Mad Fermentationist about our Barrels. Read below for what he had to say. I have to say I am quite concerned about these barrels. Hope we don't end up wasting our time and have 200+ gallons of vinegar on our hands.
Yeah, cleaning soda. Someone just needs to go to the grocery store and get some. Also, these should all be filled with co2 pronto to displace the oxygen. Oxygen feeds acetobacter which grows very rapidly in barrels and turns beer into vinegar...
Bill,
I am still deciding on what I want to put in my BCS barrel, but right now I am leaning towards a Scotch Ale or Wee Heavy. Once I make a decision and formulate a recipe I will definitely need some help in brewing enough batches to fill it up. Thanks!