Wild Red 2019

Another wild red today. I managed to get my hands on some 30 gallon barrels a ways back. I'm considering brewing this recipe 3xs, in order to fill one of these barrels, effectively starting a new solera project. Here's the recipe I'm planning on brewing today.

10 Gallon Recipe

11.0# California Select

3.0# Weyermann Vienna

3.25# Spelt

14oz Crisp Crystal 77L

14oz Flaked Oats

14oz Special Aromatic

4oz Carafa Special III

28g Aged Hops (60 min)

Whirfloc

Wyeast Nutrient

Inland Island Brett Barrel III (Primary)

Bootleg Biology - Sour Solera Blend - Fall 2018 (Secondary)

Mash at 160F for 60 mins, 90 min boil, primary and secondary at room temp.

Brewing Notes

No issues. Gravity came in at 14.4P (1.057). 

Update 2/19/2019

Fermentation has slowed down quite bit and the krausen has started dropping. There's still quite a bit of yeast in suspension. As expected, the aroma coming off the fermenters is kind of fruity.

Update 2/24/2019

As I indicated on 2/19, fermentation has slowed. It's still plugging along with a thin film of bubbles and a burp in the airlock about once every 20 seconds.

Update 4/14/2019

I finally got around to brewing the second third (10 gallons) for the barrel today. I temporarily transferred the first 10 gallons to kegs then racked right on top of the yeast cake. No issues other than a little but if a boil over when I wasn't paying attention.

Update 4/15/2019

Batch #2 is actively fermenting this morning. Currently, it has a couple of inches of Krausen. I'll double check it before I leave for work, just in case I need to add a blow-off.

Update 1/12/2020

Batch #3 was brewed on 12/23/2019 while my buddy Ryan was in town, and it was officially transferred into the barrel today, along with the two earlier batches.

I've been collecting more barrels, so I've started numbering them. This one is #04 and is a 30 gallon whiskey barrel originally from Sugarhouse Distillery. The 2nd fill was a stout at Kiitos Brewing. It took me a lot longer to finish brewing the 30 gallons than I'd hoped. By the time I'd finished, I had to do a bunch of rehydrating to get it to seal. This included steaming sessions, French Method sessions, and holding solution.

Update 8/17/2020

7 months in - I pulled a small sample today. It still has a ways to go, but I'm really liking things so far. There's a pleasant sourness right now, but nothing too crazy. Aroma is reminiscent of tart cherry juice and a hint of oak. There's some leather character and dark stone fruit as well. It's super drinkable right now but personally I'd like more assertive acidity. Considering it's only been in the barrel ~7 months, it's tasting great. No noticeable issues/off flavors. Overall I'd say the barrel character is very mild, so it seems my efforts to neutralize the barrel have paid off. I'm really looking forward to this one.