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Author Topic: Barleywine in a Whiskey barrel?  (Read 3687 times)

Offline yso191

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Barleywine in a Whiskey barrel?
« on: January 10, 2016, 04:36:08 pm »
I'm thinking about doing a Barleywine next, kind of along the lines of Avery's Hog Heaven.  As I'm sure you know, this beer is very hoppy with assertive dry-hopping.  How do you think that will work aging it for a couple of months in my rye whiskey barrel?  I have aged a RIS in it after I got it, so a lot of the whiskey and wood is gone.

I find myself wondering if anyone has tried dry-hopping after barrel aging, or at the end of the aging time in the barrel.  My first negative thought is about oxygenating the beer too much.  Thoughts? 

Steve
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Barleywine in a Whiskey barrel?
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2016, 04:42:17 pm »
Love Hog Heaven. I think the best way to do it is to leave the beer in the barrel until you get the barrel character you want in the beer, age more if needed, keg the beer and dry hop the hell out of it in the keg. Otherwise you're dry hopping sooner and lose a lot of that character by the time you tap it.
Jon H.

Offline brewinhard

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Re: Barleywine in a Whiskey barrel?
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2016, 04:57:05 pm »
Love Hog Heaven. I think the best way to do it is to leave the beer in the barrel until you get the barrel character you want in the beer, age more if needed, keg the beer and dry hop the hell out of it in the keg. Otherwise you're dry hopping sooner and lose a lot of that character by the time you tap it.

I have been doing my big American Barleywines in this fashion lately minus the barrel.  Ferment, age the beer in a keg, then transfer to another keg with dry hops prior to packaging and drinking up.

Offline konrad72

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Re: Barleywine in a Whiskey barrel?
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2016, 02:28:25 pm »
  I have aged a RIS in it after I got it, so a lot of the whiskey and wood is gone.

I find myself wondering if anyone has tried dry-hopping after barrel aging, or at the end of the aging time in the barrel.  My first negative thought is about oxygenating the beer too much.  Thoughts?

If you aged already some beer in that barrel ,you got for sure some kind of yeasts and probably some wild bacteria, so your barley wine can catch some foreign taste or odor which is not always a good thing. If you need a new barrels let me know. 10 gallons used bourbon, American whiskey or single malt  $ 150 + shipping
Good luck!
HOUGH!