Currently swelling and reconditioning two dry, used whiskey barrels to prep for some beer aging. I’ve rinsed and dumped several times, and looked on the inside as best I could via the bung hole. No visible mold or anything, just a nice looking char. After I filled one last time to ensure it fully sealed the gaps, I noticed grey bubbles and particles in solution. My guess was that it is just debris from the grey ash from charring, but I wanted to make sure before assuming. Does this look like anything else? This doesn’t rinse out fully, after many rinses. It smells like oak and whiskey, like the rest of the barrel, no aroma of mildew or anything funky.
FYI the beers going in here will be intentionally soured, so I am not worried about residual microbes from previous batches. I just don’t want any unwanted bacteria or mold.
FYI the beers going in here will be intentionally soured, so I am not worried about residual microbes from previous batches. I just don’t want any unwanted bacteria or mold.