wedding gift for cider brewers

[CycleVancouver]

Hello all,

TRIGGER WARNING: I don't know anyhing about home brewing! So some of these questions may be stupid, pls be gentle. It's for love.

Two friends of mine are getting married, and since they are cider brewers, I'd like to get them a barrel of some sort for brewing, or possibly for storage after it's brewed. They have all the basic equiptment, he's brewed a bunch of batches, but we briefly talked about brewing in barrels and he said that'd be cool.

It seems like I will need to pry from him how many liters he brews per batch? (I think it's about 50, and he ferments it in two separate containers, but I will have to confirm these details I suppose?)

If you use barrels for fermenting, can they be used multiple times?
It also seems like there is a diference between barrels you use for the fermenting, vs what I can find on amazon, which is barrels for aging beer or spirits you bought from a store. Is this correct?

(BTW I would prefer to NOT buy on Amazon, it's just where I went to start looking around.)

Any help or direction is greatly appreciated.

 

[Amadeo38]

Check out www.homebrewfinds.com for their barrel selection. There are other places that source them from distilleries around the US as well. Your friends would likely have to make a larger batch than usual, or perhaps a few batches, to add into a whiskey barrel or the like. The most common size barrel is 15.5 gallons. They do make smaller 5 gallon ones but they’re pricier for what you get. I found he best bang for my buck was at the 15g level. Also, the most common practice is to ferment in a separate vessel(s) then transfer to the barrel for long-term aging.

This is a cool idea. Never heard of a barrel aged cider but I bet it would be good if they upped the ABV on the batch by using frozen apple juice concentrate so it did well with aging.

If this didn’t pan out, I wonder if a good gift for a cider maker would be a gift card to a local apple orchard so they can source real fresh apple juice for a nice batch?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Disclamer: I have never barrel aged anything.
That said, you are looking for oak barrels. Storage to age is what is usually done in them. The smaller the barrel the less time is needed ( or so I understand ). Anything can be barrel aged, wines, meads, ciders, pickles...
Most fermentation processes are done in fermenting vessels of some sort, buckets, etc., and carboys.

 

[CycleVancouver]

Thanks for the replies. From Home Brew inds I linked to Adventures In Homebrewing for a barrel, may go with that one.

 

[bmd2k1]

Also check out

http://www.barrelsonline.com/Default.aspx

 

[CycleVancouver]

Thanks again, The more I research, I think I've now learned that a barrel can only be used 2-3 times max? I'm sre that makes sense, but for a wedding gift I was probably looking for something slightly more permanent.

(If I thought the marriage wouldn't last, then a disposable gift would make more sense!)

 

[Blacksmith1]

Not sure where that info came from, but that doesn't sound right.

 

[Amadeo38]

Most people experience difficulty keeping the stored beer “clean” after a couple of batches. This happened to me after two clean batches. Not to say it’s impossible to continue using it for aging clean (non-sour/brett) product after a couple batches, but it takes a lot of work. A lot more than just a regular fermenter. Special storage solutions when not in use, special cleaning, etc.

 

[Maylar]

Thanks again, The more I research, I think I've now learned that a barrel can only be used 2-3 times max? I'm sre that makes sense, but for a wedding gift I was probably looking for something slightly more permanent.

(If I thought the marriage wouldn't last, then a disposable gift would make more sense!)

They last for many years if properly maintained.

 

[madscientist451]

Where are you located?
How much do you want to spend on a gift?

 

[TechFanMD]

What kind of cider do they brew? Do they buy fresh pressed cider or store brand apple juice? If they brew clear light ciders that are back-sweetened, I cannot imagine a barrel being a good idea. Think about how wines are barrel aged and what flavors that imparts (Chardonnay is a good example, where the oak gives a dry bite, and depending on the oak an almost buttery flavor). If they like the idea of aged cider that would be consumed warmer and with lower carbonation, this is a great idea.

I bring this up because a lot of cider brewers (by count and by volume) use store brand juice do it because it is easy, it is relatively cheap, and it can be really tasty. I brew beer as well, but enjoy cider because I can assemble it quickly and then play with yeasts, fruits, back-sweetening, etc to make very different ciders. My ciders are more warm weather ciders, and in the winter I change it up with cinnamon or orange peel. Those winter ciders might be good on oak, especially if bourbon had been in the barrel.

 

[b3nsf]

I made a Cider with Brett and lactic bacteria and Pediococcus and American oak cubes and it came out super funky and delicious and weirdly enough I did use FAJC at bottling yet it came out almost crystal clear after Four months Aging in the bottle... I’m only mentioning this because I think anything is possible with Cider like beer! So a barrel is not a bad idea!

 

[wasully]

Thanks again, The more I research, I think I've now learned that a barrel can only be used 2-3 times max? I'm sre that makes sense, but for a wedding gift I was probably looking for something slightly more permanent.

(If I thought the marriage wouldn't last, then a disposable gift would make more sense!)

Maybe all the tannins are leeched out after 2-3 uses. But even then, how long the barrel is full should matter too. Duration filled would be a better metric.

The micro-oxidation that barrels allow can still be a reason to barrel age, even after the tannins are spent.

 

[Maylar]

some good barrel info here:

https://morewinemaking.com/articles/Oak_barrel_care_guide

and treatment for keeping them fresh

https://morewinemaking.com/products/oak-restorer-cw-cool-water-1.html