Emergency Barrel Help Needed

Discuss everything about oaking and aging here

Emergency Barrel Help Needed

Postby Hormesis » Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:36 am

Today I was gifted 2 barrels!
A 5 gallon (~20 liter) and a 15 gallon (~75liter). Both filled only once and dumped this week by a local small distillery.
I make bourbon / whiskey and have only ~4 gallons (~16liters) of UJSSM at 65% ready for a barrel.
My fermenter is a 30 gallon (~120 liter) poly drum and I currently have an 18 gallon (~72 liter) Angel yeast yellow batch fermenting....10 days now.
I have another 800 grams of Angel and all the grains to go with it and fully stocked feed stores within a few miles.
I have other fermenters and yeasts to use as well.

So you say 'that's not so bad'....but there's a problem which I hope I can overcome. Possibly a BIG problem!

The 5 gallon barrel is a barrel of unknown brand and it WAS FILLED WITH AGAVE.
The 15 gallon barrel is a Barrel Mill brand barrel and it WAS FILLED WITH BITTERS.

How can I "rinse" or clean or "condition" these barrels for whiskey? ......can I?

The agave barrel may not be so bad but the bitters barrel is pretty powerful.

Could I rinse-rinse-rinse-rinse then bung them and put in the 16l of UJSSM then roll them around them for a while?

How about a hot backset soak?

How about some trub from a whiskey ferment from my Angel yeast yellow? ... What would the koji / rhizopus / oryzae do to the barrel?

Any Ideas guys?


-Hormesis-
Hormesis
 
Posts: 45
Images: 0
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Rocky Mountains
equipment: 15.5 gal Sanke keg gas fired boiler
2" x 24" pot head
5 gal Sanke keg thumper
3/4" over 1/2 " x 37" Liebig
2" x 36" slant plate Boka w/2 helix x 9" condenser
30 gal coolant reservior w/pond pump
18 gal pharmaceutical drum fermenter
15.5 gal keg mash tun
Stolen idea parrot

Re: Emergency Barrel Help Needed

Postby Hormesis » Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:54 am

.....too late for edit on my above post....

How about partial fill with pea size gravel and water for a slurry then roll it around?
That would probably remove most if not all of the char but I'm brainstorming here guys.

Slurry of activated carbon or home made charcoal?

Ideas?
Hormesis
 
Posts: 45
Images: 0
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Rocky Mountains
equipment: 15.5 gal Sanke keg gas fired boiler
2" x 24" pot head
5 gal Sanke keg thumper
3/4" over 1/2 " x 37" Liebig
2" x 36" slant plate Boka w/2 helix x 9" condenser
30 gal coolant reservior w/pond pump
18 gal pharmaceutical drum fermenter
15.5 gal keg mash tun
Stolen idea parrot

Re: Emergency Barrel Help Needed

Postby bluc » Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:01 pm

Put rum in agave barrel and neutral in bitters barrel.
Probablly not doable since you make whiskey.

No idea how you would get rid bitters other then with neutral.
Agave may not be terrible in whiskey.
bluc
Site Donor
 
Posts: 8967
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: sunshine coast
equipment: 2" pot with 2" shotty 400mm long 5x 1/2" on a t500 boiler.
50l keg boiler 4" still mount 4" sight glass 1" drain..
4 plate 4" bubbler, 600mm packed section

Re: Emergency Barrel Help Needed

Postby Sam. » Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:29 pm

You will never get rid of the flavour in the oak even with a shave and char.

Like Bluc said I would age something in it that you think would go well with the existing flavor
Sam.
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 10405
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:19 pm
Location: South Oz Straya
equipment: Original FSD 5 plate 4 inch modular bubbler SSG with hand crafted plates and parrot by Mac.
18 Gal boiler.
2 x 2400W elements and power controller.
.


Return to Oaking and Aging



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests

x