How are you planning to store the empty barrel when it's kegged - filled or not? If filled, what with?
Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
- Thread starter Hazelwood Brewery
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I’ll rinse it with water then fill it with boiling water and seal it up until next time. The boiling water kills off any bugs and then keeps the wood wet so you get no shrinkage and leaks.
Ta. I've wanted to barrel age a historical keeping ale for ages but keep putting it off as I'm worried it will all go wrong, so I'm living out my oak aged fantasies through you at the moment 
I'll no doubt have lots more annoying questions.
I'll no doubt have lots more annoying questions.
You’re welcome to ask but in the end you need to take a deep breath and dive in!Ta. I've wanted to barrel age a historical keeping ale for ages but keep putting it off as I'm worried it will all go wrong, so I'm living out my oak aged fantasies through you at the moment
Sadfield
Landlord.
And then thank yourself for not wasting more of the time it could be ageing.You’re welcome to ask but in the end you need to take a deep breath and dive in!
Well, Christmas is coming up, and I am always struggling to say what I want from Father Christmas....
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Today I kegged the bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout and it’s now on nitro at 40psi.
I filled the keg to just below the gas dip tube and had another pint and a half left over. I’ve put a pint in the fridge to share with my wife later and I’m drinking the half right now
It’s soft, slightly sweet, and warming from the alcohol. The oak is quite subtle but is there and is more evident at the finish. Coffee, chocolate and vanilla (from the oak) all feature along with a hint of liquorice. The bourbon is more dominant than it was before aging but I need to see how carbonation alters perception before thinking about any changes (though right now I think the beer might be better with a little less bourbon).
I filled the keg to just below the gas dip tube and had another pint and a half left over. I’ve put a pint in the fridge to share with my wife later and I’m drinking the half right now
It’s soft, slightly sweet, and warming from the alcohol. The oak is quite subtle but is there and is more evident at the finish. Coffee, chocolate and vanilla (from the oak) all feature along with a hint of liquorice. The bourbon is more dominant than it was before aging but I need to see how carbonation alters perception before thinking about any changes (though right now I think the beer might be better with a little less bourbon).
phildo79
Member
You put it on nitro! I don't think I have ever had that style of beer as a nitro before. Actually, was it BrewDog and Evil Twin that brought out a 9% Vietnamese coffee imp stout on nitro? Was available in Tesco for a while. Wasn't barrel aged though, I don't think. Interested to see how this comes out.
I don’t think I have either. It’s possible that no one does it for good reason!
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Put me down for a bottle.....
phildo79
Member
Does @Hazelwood Brewery have the equipment to install widgets?
phildo79
Member
Yeah, was rather an optimistic question.
Yes Brewdog/Evil Twin did the imperial nitro stout. Worked out nicely I thought. Add the barrel ageing and I reckon it should be a winner. Who doesn't like a bourbon chaser....
Yesterday I filled 6 bottles with the stout and dosed each bottle with priming sugar at the rate of 5g/l.
My plan is to do a side-by-side comparison of the bottled beer and the nitrogenated kegged beer in two weeks time, and then two weeks after that.
One interesting point, I of course poured myself a small glass to ease the pain of bottling and the bourbon flavour had eased back into balance with just two days of carbonating. I feel a bit better now about the quantity of bourbon used but it is very early days.
My plan is to do a side-by-side comparison of the bottled beer and the nitrogenated kegged beer in two weeks time, and then two weeks after that.
One interesting point, I of course poured myself a small glass to ease the pain of bottling and the bourbon flavour had eased back into balance with just two days of carbonating. I feel a bit better now about the quantity of bourbon used but it is very early days.
I meant to put this post in this thread but just noticed I put it elsewhere. At the time of original posting the beer had been in the bottle for two weeks (that was two weeks ago now so it’s about time for another comparison).
Time for a beer and I’m having an imperial stout. Actually I’m having two imperial stouts; one carbonated in the bottle and the other nitrogenated in the keg. Both beers are 10 days out of the barrel.
The only obvious visual difference is the bigger head on the nitrogenated beer (mostly due to CO2 at this stage). Aroma is the same. The flavour is also very similar. Not much difference at this point.
Time for a beer and I’m having an imperial stout. Actually I’m having two imperial stouts; one carbonated in the bottle and the other nitrogenated in the keg. Both beers are 10 days out of the barrel.
The only obvious visual difference is the bigger head on the nitrogenated beer (mostly due to CO2 at this stage). Aroma is the same. The flavour is also very similar. Not much difference at this point.
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The bottled version of this beer won the Forums October beer competition with a score of 39/50. Breakdown of score below…
Aroma 9/12
Appearance 2/3
Flavour 16/20
Mouthfeel 4/5
Overall 8/10
The beer is maybe still a little young for an imperial so may well improve further given time. If it lasts long enough to be entered in the Scottish Nationals I’ll post here how it got on.
I also want to experiment with bottling the nitro version to see if that works.
Aroma 9/12
Appearance 2/3
Flavour 16/20
Mouthfeel 4/5
Overall 8/10
The beer is maybe still a little young for an imperial so may well improve further given time. If it lasts long enough to be entered in the Scottish Nationals I’ll post here how it got on.
I also want to experiment with bottling the nitro version to see if that works.
I’m hoping to do another comparison tonight between the bottled version that’s been carbonated in the bottle through secondary fermentation (using the yeast already in the beer from primary ie no new yeast in the bottle) and the nitrogenated kegged version. I did this comparison for the first time two weeks ago and at that point there was very little to choose between them.
Yesterday I started another test to see how good/bad the nitrogenated beer is when bottled. I don’t have a counter-pressure bottle filler (thinking of getting an iTap) so I removed the stout spout and replaced it with a regular spout in order to minimise the release of nitrogen and filled two chilled 330ml bottles. In one of those bottles I added 1g of sugar to add a little CO2, the other was filled from the tap with no added sugar. I will leave these now for two or three weeks at room temperature and see if either is any good from the bottle - both will get an aggressive pour to release the nitrogen.
Yesterday I started another test to see how good/bad the nitrogenated beer is when bottled. I don’t have a counter-pressure bottle filler (thinking of getting an iTap) so I removed the stout spout and replaced it with a regular spout in order to minimise the release of nitrogen and filled two chilled 330ml bottles. In one of those bottles I added 1g of sugar to add a little CO2, the other was filled from the tap with no added sugar. I will leave these now for two or three weeks at room temperature and see if either is any good from the bottle - both will get an aggressive pour to release the nitrogen.
phildo79
Member
Interested to see how this pans out. I am on my second keg of nitro stout and have already spotted some differences. Was thinking of counter-pressure filling a bottle and leaving for several days to see what happens. But then I might just be wasting a pint of lovely Beamish. And that, my friend, is sacrilege!
Won't the sugar one ferment?
<Edit> ignore that. Misread the post
<Edit> ignore that. Misread the post
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