Bourbon Barrel Brew
UPDATE: August 20, 2008. The barrel has been filled!
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In case you were not at the last meeting, our tentative plan is as follows:
- Sign up using the link below (you need to be logged in to sign up).
- Download the recipes: All Grain or Extract. If you prefer Word docs, they are attached to this post.
- Brew this beast separately at each brewer's home ASAP. We need about 15 brewers making 5 gallons each. I'm brewing mine (probably 10 gallons so I can compare the barrel aged verses the regular version) next weekend - I think Saturday the 21st. I'll get this on the calendar as a "group brew" in case any of you want to join me. I think we should have everyone's Baltic Porter brewed by the following weekend (the 28th) at the latest.
- Ferment (and rack) for 3 to 4 weeks.
- I'll build a rack for the incoming barrel and order some bungs.
- Keg all the batches into corny kegs, flush the top with CO2 and but don't carbonate. If you need help with this process or need a loaner keg, let me know - I have plenty of extras.
- One thought is to have Jim Stinson do some QC on each batch before blending. Jim, any thoughts on how we could coordinate this? Maybe each of us pulls a sample from kegs at home and brings to one of the next meetings? I assume this will need to be done a few days before blending to allow incubation time.
- Kjell, we'll probably need a barrel on about 8/1. I don't see an issue waiting longer if everyone has the beer kegged and protected with CO2.
- Geoff has graciously offered his basement as the aging point so as soon as we get he barrel in, we'll sneak the barrel past his wife when she's not home...I mean...bring the barrel to his basement and set in the rack. I can then coordinate to have everyone's corny keg there (I can probably drive around and pick some up) and push the beer (via CO2) into the barrel. Bung the barrel and we're off for several months of aging.
- In 4 to 6 months we'll use a sankey stem from a ½ barrel sankey keg to push beer back into our kegs.
- Then we might have to drink some! We could also enter this brew in the next Big Beer Festival in Vail next January!
I will be pricing the base grain to get the best volume discount on Tuesday (when the Brew Hut opens) and will coordinate how to get this to you when purchased. Jim Stinson has offered some "Extra" Special B for our efforts - Thanks Jim!
