Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcellus
You don't do anything before first use but want to get the barrel fairly fresh from being emptied, within a few months.
Second use you have 3 options-
Since the beer will be in the barrel for a few months plan ahead and have another brew ready to go into it when you empty it.
Short term you can fill it with clean water as far as you can between uses so it doesn't dry out. 4-6 weeks I would say.
They make barrel cleaner you can use after the second use to clean it and kill any potential mold growth which is all you are looking to stop. I wouldn't do this before the second use because you will likely strip a lot of the booze out of it and its already weaker after the first use.
Second use I have aged stuff 1.5 to 2x longer than first use to get more flavor.
Also worth noting the smaller the barrel the less time you need. 55gal barrels are aged a year usually in a commercial brewery.
A 5gal barrel only needs about 6 weeks a 10gal barrel 2x as long.
The smaller the barrel the more surface area of wood vs liquid.
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Good to know, thanks.
I know pre-2016 Bourbon County Barelywine was aged in barrels which previously held Bourbon County Stout, which gave it a different dimension than other BA barleywines, imo. I'd be interested trying something like, for the BA stout flavors and not necessary the bourbon heat. Maybe with a barleywine or quad.