Used wine barrels as fermenters?

[glenlyon]

I was given two very nice used (53G) wine barrels. While they are quite sound, I doubt they have any future as an aging vessel. Instead I was thinking of converting them into wooden fermenters. Any thoughts?

[RedwoodHillBilly]

They're no good, I'll take them off of your hands.

Seriously, they can be used as fermenter and can be used to age something as run or can be re-charrred to used to age bourbon or any
other of whiskey

[kiwi Bruce]

+1 R.W.HillBilly One of the things I know from brewing is that once you use a barrel as a fermenter the yeast strain is "fixed". You can't sterilize it to kill off a yeast once it's established...this goes for wild yeasts as well. In England there are breweries that use wood, I believe that they Sulfate the hell out of them between batches, and over pitch so the "House yeast" has a super strong hold on the wort when a new batch is started. It can be done, it does have limitations, but good management and being aware of what these limits are and you should have "No worries" However... If the barrels are sound enough to hold a wash, why do you think there days are done as ageing casks? What was in them previously ?

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

It might have been done a time or three

If you mod the top a little bit, and fashion a steam wand, you can strip right out of it, too. Mash, ferment and strip all in the same barrel

[RedwoodHillBilly]

It might have been done a time or three

If you mod the top a little bit, and fashion a steam wand, you can strip right out of it, too. Mash, ferment and strip all in the same barrel

That's my standard method, but with a SS 55G barrel. No reason that a wood 53G barrel wouldn't work just as well, assuming that you can get the appropriate fittings.

[Fraser]

You're going to have a really hard time sterilizing wooden barrels. Wine makers sometimes burn sulfite candles inside them, but there's a steep learning curve to that method. Steaming them out may work, but you'd need to figure out the temperature and duration. Wood just isn't generally ideal for fermentation unless you're in the business of using them regularly and have a good regimen of cleaning them. But give it a try, it might work out alright for you.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

With all due respect, who cares?

Buffalo Trace doesn't (above).

Personally, I would invite a home cultured blend of yeast and low ph infections. Thinking about getting a wooden mash paddle just for this reason.

[jonnys_spirit]

+1 on the like button!

[Antler24]

It might have been done a time or three

If you mod the top a little bit, and fashion a steam wand, you can strip right out of it, too. Mash, ferment and strip all in the same barrel

Found this thread while looking for info on wooden fermenters. So you use you 15g keg to steam cook the corn in the barrel right? How long do you use steam and how much water are you losing in the keg? I love this idea!