barrel aged project

[Ciderhead]

ditto for your chiller, water is best

[Will_D]

I've never used a wooden barrel but I've read that they are sanitised by burning a sulphur strip in them.

Maybe a hundred years ago!!

Just make up a solution of campden tablets ( say about 6 to a couple of litres of warm water and give it a good rolling around. You could always fill it with diluted starsan and steep it for 5 mins.

To get crud out of corners eityer us a pressure washer/garden hose or throw in a couple of metres of brass or stainles chain a swirl around with a cleaner of choice.

If you use VWP ( I wouldn't ) then you will have to rinse with campden tabs to get the smell of the chlorine out.!

Better to use on of the Oxy-cleaners like W-5 "Stain Remover" from Lidl ( Contains Sodium perCarbonate )

For long term storage ( not full of beer/wine ) campden tabs or sodium meta-bisulphite solution ( whats in CTs ) and keep them topped up

[HomeBrewWest]

We have those sulphur strips for sterilizing wooden barrels, so keep it authentic! Call into the shop and pick some up for free. Just tell the lads about the project and offer them a pint from it.

Regardless of how you clean and sterilize it, you just have to use a sulphur stick in a big wooden barrel before you fill it!

[Hop Bomb]

Might grab a sulphur stick off you tomorrow if thats okay? Thanks a million for that.

[CARA]

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1364024299

For your perusal lads

[Hop Bomb]

We should go in on that barrel group buy. A fresh barrel for less that the cost of buying whiskey to re-wet my one. Plus its coming from .. & not some guy on done deal. Makes sense. What ye reckon?

[Kevco5]

We should go in on that barrel group buy. A fresh barrel for less that the cost of buying whiskey to re-wet my one. Plus its coming from XXXXXXXX & not some guy on done deal. Makes sense. What ye reckon?

Sounds good to me, a fresh barrel from the distiller should have a decent waft of whiskey from it! Easier than re-soaking your one Tom

[kev]

Haven't been around much the last while, but I'll definitely chip in for a new barrel too

[J o e]

A fresh barrel for less that the cost of buying whiskey to re-wet my one. Plus its coming from .. & not some guy on done deal.

Makes sense to me, good call.

[DrowningManatee]

Just throwing my name in the hat here too, sounds cool, id bunce in on the barrel and be well into doin an extract brew towards it...   

just to clarify, is it definately an imperial stout planned? I know its a bit trendy at the moment but would chocolate flavours be welcome?
are we all doing the same recipe?
has one been decided?

[Hop Bomb]

Great Mick. Nothing planned yet but we should defo discuss it properly at the next meeting.

[DrowningManatee]

cool man, I might post a few recipe's or bring some into the next meet up so we could see about picking one, or checking compatability with each other etc...

[St. Fursey]

Count me in.

[Hop Bomb]

Most of us have their brews fermenting. If you have some brew day pics or fermenting beast pics post them.

I got to use my hop rocket for the first time & I also made the coffee can housing for my solar pump (thanks st.fursey)
I still need to get my sparge speed dialed in with the pump & my taps as I sparged too quick this brew. Practice makes perfect.
First time using a plate chiller (thanks barkar) I didnt whirlpool for long enough & got about an inch of cold break in the fermentor.
Should be grand though.



http://imgur.com/O7799yf

[eanna]

I meant to take a picture of my mashtun almost overflowing but got distracted with making a new fermenter kettle. Of course I didn't take pictures of that either! Boil-off from the new kettle was quite low and slow to get a rolling boil, going to need to insulate it before the next day.

That's some impressive krausen there Tom!