Build a Barrel Coolship Fermenter

In the past, I have homebrewed using shallow stainless steel buffet pans as coolships for 5-gallon (19-L) batches. I have also experimented with open fermenting in barrels by popping off one of the heads and filling it from the top. After filling the barrel with fresh wort, I placed a piece of cheesecloth over the opening and placed the head back on top (like a lid). Then I had a lightbulb moment: What if I could do both (barrel and coolship)? When the wort is introduced to the barrel, wild yeast and bacteria feed on fresh wort and additionally feed on sugars found in the wood of the barrel. And by exposing more surface area, like a coolship, I could expose the wort to wild yeasts and microorganisms to make a very funky beer.

For this experiment I used the same method that I did when I used stainless steel pans for coolships, while combining it with the headless-barrel method. Except this time I modified a 5-gallon (19-L) whiskey barrel to act more like a shallow coolship. I removed a few of the top staves of the barrel, creating an opening to ferment a 3-gallon (11-L) batch. Laying the barrel on its side increases the exposed surface area of the wort to the open air. Barrels are used here merely as an experiment, however — if you don’t have a barrel handy you could also use wood staves, spirals, cubes, etc. in a coolship-shaped vessel (like I did with stainless steel pans). I’ve even seen some commercial brewers doing similar experiments.

If you pay attention to your temperature control, ferment in a low-traffic/low-dust environment, and use a shallow depth fermenter, you should have no issues making a solid open-air beer. A great spot to claim as your open fermenter’s home is in a kegerator. You can completely clean and sanitize the interior, reduce the dust/particulate exposure and control the temperature. Once I get my fermentation going in the kegerator, I make sure to open the door a few times a day to allow new air in naturally carrying wild yeast and bacteria. You also could just pitch a mixed culture of wild yeast and bacteria like East Coast Yeast BugFarm ECY01.

This barrel modification is recommended with freshly dumped spirit barrels. If you are using old, dry barrels you might have an issue getting the barrel to form a water-tight seal after you remove the hoops. You can also completely submerge the barrel in water for 48 hours to re-swell the wood in the case you find a few pinhole leaks between the staves.

To clean the barrel, simply wash out any spent yeast and trub with hot water. Then fill the barrel with 180 °F (82 °C) hot water and soak for 30 minutes. Immediately fill with fresh wort and repeat.

Ready to brew with your barrel? Check out the recipe on page 80 for Cascadian Dark Ale with Coffee from Idle Vine Brewing Co. in Pflugerville, Texas — a beer from The Wanderer Series. This is one of the best coffee beers I have ever had, and they brew it with local Red Horn Coffee.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

BARREL COOLSHIP RECIPE

IDLE VINE BREWING CO.’S THE WANDERER CASCADIAN DARK ALE WITH COFFEE CLONE 

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)

OG = 1.096 FG = 1.027

IBU = 100+ SRM = 45 ABV = 10%

This hoppy, dark ale has taken on many iterations at Idle Vine as part of The Wanderer series. The brewery states of this series, “A vertical series is an exciting way to showcase different ingredients in a single beer. This Cascadian Dark Ale will be the base for 11 other variants. The same malt and hop bills will build the beer that will be aged differently each month.” For more on this series, and the different variants, check out http://www.idlevinebrewery.com/monthly/.

INGREDIENTS

14 lbs. (6.3 kg) 2-row pale malt

2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg) light Munich malt

1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) white wheat malt

1 lb. 2 oz. (0.5 kg) dark crystal malt (77 °L)

1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess Blackprinz®malt

12 oz. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)

3 oz. (85 g) roasted barley

1.9 AAU Cascade hops (first wort hop) (0.32 oz./9 g at 6% alpha acids)

2.4 AAU Centennial hops (first wort hop) (0.24 oz./7 g at 10% alpha acids)

2 AAU Columbus hops (first wort hop) (0.13 oz./4 g at 15.5% alpha acids)

2.2 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (0.37 oz./10 g at 6% alpha acids)

2.7 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (0.3 oz./8.5 g at 10% alpha acids)

2.3 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.15 oz./4.2 g at 15.5% alpha acids)

2.9 AAU Cascade hops (30 min.) (0.49 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)

3.5 AAU Centennial hops (30 min.) (0.35 oz./9.9 g at 10% alpha acids)

2.9 AAU Columbus hops (30 min.) (0.18 oz./5.1 g at 15.5% alpha acids)

4.5 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 6% alpha acids)

5.5 AAU Centennial hops (15 min.) (0.55 oz./15.5 g at 10% alpha acids)

4.7 AAU Columbus hops (15 min.) (0.3 oz./8.5 g at 15.5% alpha acids)

11.2 AAU Cascade hops (5 min.) (1.87 oz./53 g at 6% alpha acids)

13.6 AAU Centennial hops (5 min.) (1.36 oz./38 g at 10% alpha acids)

11.5 AAU Columbus hops (5 min.) (0.74 oz./21 g at 15.5% alpha acids)

0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)

0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)

0.5 oz. (14 g) Columbus hops (0 min.)

24 fl. oz. (0.7 L) high-quality cold brewed coffee

White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast

3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

STEP BY STEP:

This is a single step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) of water at 162 °F

(72 °C), stabilizing at 151 °F (66 °C).

Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (76 °C) for mash out and begin to lauter. Collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort, adding the first wort hops during the sparge process.

Boil for 75 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. After the boil is complete, turn off heat and begin a whirlpool of the hot wort. Let wort settle for 20 minutes. After the whirlpool, chill your wort to 68 °F (20 °C)

for fermenting, aerate the wort well, then pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Add the cold brewed coffee When final gravity is reached. Bottle or keg as normal.

EXTRACT WITH GRAINS OPTION:

Swap out the 2-row pale malt, Munich malt, and wheat malt for 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) golden liquid malt extract, 2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich dried malt extract, and 1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract. Steep the crushed grains in a large muslin bag in 6 gallons (23 L) of water as it is heated. When water temperature reaches 160 °F (71 °C), remove the grains, allowing the water to drain into the kettle. Take the brewpot off the burner and stir in all the liquid and dried malt extracts. Place back on heat and when the wort gets up to about 180 °F (82 °C), add the first wort hops.

Follow the instructions in the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation schedule.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

For ease, take all the Cascade (3.8 oz./108 g), Centennial (2.8 oz./79 g), and Columbus (1.5 oz./43 g) hops for the five total first wort hop and boil additions (not including the 0 min.) and mix them together. Then weigh out each of the five timed hop additions to save time during the boil.