As a home brewer, is this the same as playing Triple A and knowing you’ll never make the Majors? Maybe you all are close, but I’ll never make a beer with this much complexity. Not that I won’t try!
Dear lord, was this delicious. Coffee, yes. Chocolate, yes. But the bourbon buzz put me over the edge. Just…Yum.
Where does one buy used bourbon barrels?
FYI, if you can still get them, Balcones barrels are just >5 gallons, the Reservoir barrels which I believe are still available are a touch over 6 Gallons.
How many batches can one put through a barrel before it stops imparting any additional flavor?
@Megary - You can also look around and see if you have any distilleries within driving distance. I’m fortunate to have one close by and can usually get pretty good deals on barrels.
@waltsmalt - You can use a barrel for multiple batches, but most of main flavor you’re trying to get is usually gone after the first one. I have a bourbon barrel that has been used a couple times. The second use gave more of an oak aged and “woody” flavor. It was still great, but very little of the delicious vanilla flavors you get from a fresh bourbon barrel.
