SO2 & citric measurements for used wooden barrels

[Sam Nightingale]

Hi there,

I hope everyone is fairing well with this early harvest! (Maybe earlier in Kent)

I have just been given some wine barrels, and would like some advice on cleaning.

2 of the barrels need swelling, and hopefully de-leaking!

I had planned to make a SO2 & Citric acid solution to clean the barrels but am unfamiliar with making up a citric acid stock solution.

I am used to making 5% and 10% stock solutions for SO2, is the process and measurements the same? 

I saw the previous thread 'SO2 solutions for sterilising wooden materials' and saw Andrew Lea's measurements of 10g SO2 / 5g Citric to 1 litre, but this seems like an awfully high dose in a 225L barrel? 

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!

Warm regards,

Sam

Nightingale Cider Company (Formally Gibbet Oak)

Tenterden, Kent

07788 973 968

[Handmade Cider]

Hello Sam,

10g/5g to 1 litre is a good ratio to use.

If the casks are fresh from the winery they may well have been treated with so2 before they left there, have a sniff. If they have, I generally dont bother using more on them.

Again, if fresh from the winery there may be wine residue in there, either liquid absorbed into the wood or tartrate deposits. These can be removed by pouring a cup of salt into the bung hole, adding a burco's worth of boiling water, swilling around for a few minutes and then topping up with cold water and leaving 24 hrs. 2 rinses of fresh water will get the salt out. Or you may like the collour/flavour imparted by the previous contents?

Denis

Denis France   www.handmadecider.co.uk   07590 264804  Company. No. 07241330

White Label – Champion Farmhouse Cider, Bath & West Show 2015.

Spring Surprise - Cider of the Festival Chippenham Camra Beer Festival 2014 - 2016

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[Andrew Lea]

Extract from Pollard and Beech "Cidermaking" 1956. 

http://cider.org.uk/barrel_care.pdf

Andrew 

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

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[Sam Nightingale]

Hi Denis and Andrew,

Thank you for your replies.

Apologies if this seems a stupid question - are you filling up the barrels to the top with the 10g/5g to 1litre? 

I.e. 2.25kg SO2/1.125kg Citric Acid in 225litres? (This is the volume of SO2 that scares me!)

Kind regards,

Sam

[Andrew Lea]

No, there's no point in filling up empty space! It's only the surfaces that need to be treated.  

You make up the conc SO2 solution and then slosh it around all the inside surfaces to wet them thoroughly. Traditionally barrels were rolled on the floor to do this. 

If you look in the link I gave, it clearly states "roll vigorously" several times. So that's what you do. 

Andrew  

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[Tom Bugs]

Useful info & thanks for the PDF, Andrew.
Can anyone confirm whether I'm OK to use  Sodium Metabisulphite rather than  the Potassium Metabisulphite mentioned in the PDF - from what I read they can be used about the same if you're just after the SO2 whereas the Potassium Metabisulphite can also be used in wine production.

[Andrew Lea]

Yes potassium and sodium metabisulphite are effectively interchangeable for all cidermaking purposes, though in theory NaMS gives a slightly lower yield of SO2 than KMS. Some people worry about the sodium in NaMS but the amounts involved are tiny if you bother to work it out. 

Andrew 

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

On 27 Sep 2017, at 09:05, Tom Bugs <bugb...@gmail.com> wrote:

Useful info & thanks for the PDF, Andrew.
Can anyone confirm whether I'm OK to use  Sodium Metabisulphite rather than  the Potassium Metabisulphite mentioned in the PDF - from what I read they can be used about the same if you're just after the SO2 whereas the Potassium Metabisulphite can also be used in wine production.

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[Andrew Lea]

Correction - NaMS gives a higher yield of SO2 than KMS. Sorry! 

Andrew 

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[Sam Nightingale]

Thanks a lot for the clarification Andrew.

Warm regards,
Sam

[William Grote]

Hi Sam

I got my first 25 gallon barrel about 6 weeks ago - ( it was an oak bourbon barrel that had been used for a single turn by a local brewery for an Imperial Stout, so it was still sweet smelling)  

A number of sources recommended that I fill it with a holding solution of K-meta and Citric,  mixed 1.5 teaspoons K-meta, 1 teaspoon citric per gallon of water - make enough to fill the whole barrel - 

I also spoke to a local cider maker who has a barrel program and he recommend the Scott Labs product called Oak Restorer-HW, which I purchased but have not yet used

Here is the write up I followed

Used Barrel Maintenance

Used barrels must also be properly stored and maintained; however, since these previously contained beer or another liquid, a different maintenance program is recommended.

If used barrels are to be stored empty, rinse them several times with clean water, and drain. If left empty, the barrel wood will dry and shrink over time, and will therefore require to be swelled again when transferring beer into it. An effective alternative is to fill and store barrels with a sulfur-citric holding solution. This holding solution will promote sanitation, keep the barrels swelled and smelling sweet. It is not recommended for new barrels, barrels less than one year old  or barrels previously holding spirits such as bourbon since precious oak or other flavors would be stripped.

The holding solution is prepared using 1 tsp of citric acid and 1.5 tsp of potassium metabisulfite for each gallon (4 L) of barrel volume. Dissolve these in one gallon of hot water. Fill the barrel two-thirds with water, add the holding solution, top up the barrel with cool water, and bung the barrel. Top up the barrel with a holding solution once a month to replace lost solution. The barrel can be stored indefinitely without the risk of spoilage. During storage, rotate the barrel 45° in either direction every time you top up to keep the bung area soaked. This will prevent the bung area from drying out and protect it from spoilage organism growth. The sulfur-citric holding solution will etch a concrete floor. Rinse the floor with water to prevent this.

Used barrels require no special preparation beyond a simple water rinse, if desired, when transferring beer out and in immediately. If the barrel has been stored with a holding solution, drain the barrel and rinse it thoroughly with clean water before transferring beer into it.

[Tom Bugs]

Thanks Andrew!