Barrel Project - Summary Thread

[Shanna]

Hi Ciderhead,

I am doing a 2nd batch of approx 20 litres that should put us over the top in terms of 200 litres capacity and give about 6 litres spare for top up. It is only 3% extra so don't know how much the barrel will absorb. If it turns out to be very greedy/thirsty then maybe we do one more brew in the future.  I think the deliver and store is a great idea but I wonder will the afternoon shed be okay to store plastic secondaries (hope they should be okay with airlocks in place).

Need to get everybody lined up for delivery/collection and also agree a time when we taste and load this fat boy up.

Shanna

[Ciderhead]

Hi Ciderhead,

I am doing a 2nd batch of approx 20 litres that should put us over the top in terms of 200 litres capacity and give about 6 litres spare for top up. It is only 3% extra so don't know how much the barrel will absorb. If it turns out to be very greedy/thirsty then maybe we do one more brew in the future.  I think the deliver and store is a great idea but I wonder will the afternoon shed be okay to store plastic secondaries (hope they should be okay with airlocks in place).

Need to get everybody lined up for delivery/collection and also agree a time when we taste and load this fat boy up.

Shanna

I am gonna guess that the barrel will suck in 5-10 litres based on what "fell" out of some of them
The barrels I measured varied between 185-max 200L so we should be good eitherways.
Your shed has air circulation and is cool so should be fine? Have you got supports made yet, do you need a hand?

[Shanna]

Have not made the supports yet.  Have 8 ft by 2" by 6" scaffolding boards that I intend to use to make the staves.  Will probably make three. Hope to get to it in the next few weeks.  Maybe we can knock them up of an evening if you deliver your beer otherwise I will sort it myself. I have a rake of concrete blocks I can use to bolster the staves and also a set of rachet straps.  Once this goes down I don't expect it to move for six months and want to make sure that it will take serious interference to budge it.

Shanna

[Will_D]

Have not made the supports yet.  Have 8 ft by 2" by 6" scaffolding boards that I intend to use to make the staves.  Will probably make three.
Shanna

From the supplied template you only need 2! Make a third and you can't use it!

These will fit the barrel about 6 inches in from the ends. Just match the diameters so that most of the cask touches the stillage!

Raising upo on blocks is a good idea in that you syphon out ot the cask at the end. Some peeps are think of a pump (solar type) for emptying.

Remeber for syphoning in or out a minimum ID for the tube woulkd be 1/2" or 12mm

Happy days are about to happen

[Rossa]

My preference would be to corny up my beer  and push it into a purged  barrel with gas.  Less messing about.

[Shanna]

Hi Rossa,

Not sure what you mean by this? Do you want to purge the barrel with CO2 before siphoning the beer in to it?

Shanna

My preference would be to corny up my beer  and push it into a purged  barrel with gas.  Less messing about.

[andrewL46]

My preference would be to corny up my beer  and push it into a purged  barrel with gas.  Less messing about.

+1 on that, exactly what ive planned.
Fill corny keg after fermentation, then transport and when ready, just push beer out with CO2 into the purged barrel!

[Rossa]

Hi Rossa,

Not sure what you mean by this? Do you want to purge the barrel with CO2 before siphoning the beer in to it?

Shanna

My preference would be to corny up my beer  and push it into a purged  barrel with gas.  Less messing about.

  Purge the barrel before use. You should really  purge everything the beer comes in contact with once it's fermented.

[Will_D]

I wouln't waste the gas!

Whiskey, Whisky, Sherry, Port and Fine wines that are all aged in oak for many many years (not 6 months like us) all come into contact with a shed load more O2 than is in the empty barrel.

Remeber that an empty barrel contains 40 gallons of air (20% O2) Fill with 40 gallons of beer and how much O2 is left in the barrel and will disolve into the beer that is also giving off CO2 from being disturbed?

Err about zero!

Now factor in 6 months of "Cask Breathing" and whatever O2 wants to get into the cask will.

Relax, Its a very old fashioned process and rember in the dim distant days they couldn't brew strong beers!

[Shanna]

I would be with Will on this one as I thought the whole point of this process was to fill the barrel au natural and then let time so it's magic.  On an unrelated note I collected of 60+ litres from from both Shiny & Beerfly last night.

Shanna

[Ciderhead]

Naakid , 9% is gonna kill most things right?

[Shane Phelan]

I would be with Will on this one as I thought the whole point of this process was to fill the barrel au natural and then let time so it's magic.  On an unrelated note I collected of 60+ litres from from both Shiny & Beerfly last night.

Shanna

Thanks again for that Declan. I can't even begin to imagine what sort of misery I would have endured brining them on the Dart!

[Ciderhead]

Good man!

Do we have a time and date for the drop in
Weather tone very cold next 5 days,

[Shane Phelan]

Does the bank holiday Monday suit you Declan or were you planning on filling it earlier than that?

Marathon is on in the city centre that day so it would be great to be going the opposite direction. 

[Ciderhead]

Damn safari can't see screen at 160km down motorway, never had this issue with Tt.