So if you read my previous post that I just published, you will see that the first beer off of the barrel had way too much oak flavor at the begging. Since the second beer (third batch of wort or wine in the barrel) was the sour that has been aging for 15 months I want to ensure that I don't over-oak this batch. That would be a waste of 15 months I can not get back.
To get ready for me to pull that batch off the oak, I have a new batch of my Flemish Ale recipe ready to go. I brewed this yesterday and I am using some Abbey ale yeast to ferment it out. Once primary fermentation is complete I will take some of the beer out of the barrel and then place the fresh new beer into the barrel.
I plan to use my barrel in the solera method. I will never fully drain the barrel and instead pull off some of the beer and add fresh beer and yeast to the barrel. This should add complexity and also help "age" the barrel. As I get more familiar with how it acts I will know how much fresh beer to put in vs old beer to take out.
I can also use a bit of the new fresh beer to mix with the old beer that I will bottle. This would help cut the oak flavor and also provide fresh yeast for bottling to help ensure it fully carbonates. Next week I hope to get some of the old beer out while adding in this new fresh batch. Stay tuned.
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