Beer of Choice

naga brain · Post by **naga brain** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:08 pm

One of my campmates did a five gallon batch of hefewiesen in a pony keg. It was small enough to fit in the 60 gal cooler and below s couple of ice blocks. I recommend it if you have a good zymurgist in your group.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:19 pm

Hey, Zephryus...

Used bourbon barrels are not uncommon things to turn up ‘round here. By law, bourbon barrels may be used only once to age the spirit. After they are emptied, they of course can be used to age something else (whiskey, wine, etc) and a lot of them are shipped to France. But anything that comes out the second time may NOT be called bourbon, even if distilled within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. So anyways... you can pull the bung out of these things and the aroma is just divine... If I could crawl inside, I would. Like the sweetest, maple, caramel, boozy smell ever... And when the sun hits ‘em in the summer... fills the air. Yum...

Just thought you would appreciate those little tidbits...

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 6:35 am

Ever burned one? I love the smell of oak burning, and I'll bet those would smell WONDERFUL......

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 7:26 am

That sounds pretty sweet. Any chance you could haul one out to the playa? I'm sure we could think of something to do with it.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 8:57 am

I'll bet that a bunch of curved barrel-staves would make a good-looking shade structure. An armadillo ramada?

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:38 pm

Thanks...

That's all I need floating around in my head... more ideas. but they're good ideas...

Heh Heh... Ramadillo

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:30 am

I'm sorry, but RAMADILLO just sounds too cool not to actually BUILD one!

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:40 am

I'm down. Can you imagine being inside that thing after it's been marinading in the sun for a few hours? Only question is, how do we get a couple dozen barrels from Kentucky to Nevada?

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:25 am

Only question is, how do we get a couple dozen barrels from Kentucky to Nevada?

We? You got a mouse in your pocket, there Zephryus?

Ha! All good natured ribbing aside, getting one, maybe two barrels is one thing. The only way to come up with enough, in short order, to build a structure of any size would be to:

A) Find one of the few places that retail used barrels.
B) Hope they still have some left.
C) Be ready to drop $30 each for them.

Most of them get gobbled up and sent overseas (and to Californ-i-a) to wineries. They are a bit of a commodity. This seems like a project to search and save for in future years. The only drawback is that they eventually evaporate all the residual bourbon out of them... and consequently the heavenly aroma. Though I’d say some would still remain and be coaxed forth by the playa sunshine.

Can you imagine being inside that thing after it's been marinading in the sun for a few hours?

I have no doubt the smell on the air would attract a crowd. By the way, Jack Daniels (which is NOT a bourbon) sells entire barrels of their whiskey for somewhere over $1000... at least so I hear. So one could reasonably conclude that bourbon distillers may well do the same thing. I’ve never checked. If so, you could have your own barrel sitting in your living room, ready at all times. And the cool thing is, unlike being in a bottle, in the barrel it continues to age....

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:35 am

And to answer your question, robotland... No I’ve never burned one. Cooperage seems to be an art form in itself. All those staves that not only curve, but taper in width and have angled sides. Almost magic as to how they form this barrel that is bigger in the middle than the ends. I couldn’t bring myself to burn it. I’ve got one in the corner of the shop just waiting for something, though I don’t yet know what. It hasn’t told me. But for some strange reason, I’m looking for more all of the sudden.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:10 pm

Well, shoot. When you said "not uncommon," Chat, I thought "can't get rid of 'em." However, could you imagine the fireball that would erupt from a bourbon soaked barrel? The pyromaniac in me implores you to find a way to bring one of those things to the burn. Pretty please?

p.s. Yay for thread drift!

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:13 pm

> However, could you imagine the fireball that would erupt from a
> bourbon soaked barrel?

I can. I fear it won't be as impressive as you imagine.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:21 pm

Aw, ya gotta crush a guy's dreams? What if we soak it in diesel? Oh, wait, that's blasphemous. Never mind.

I'd still like to see one of the things, though.

III · Post by **III** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:38 pm

>>What if we soak it in diesel?

diesel (unatommized and at atmospheric pressure) is pretty unimpressive burning wise as well...

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:05 pm

Isn't that what they soak the Man in?

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:13 pm

Soak a 40 foot tall wooden statue?

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:25 pm

Wel, not soak as in saturate, but I remember reading in one of the articles on bman.com that the first Man was soaked in gasoline and how they learned their lesson and used diesel after that. I very well could be mistaken.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:31 pm

Yeah, that's from a speech by Larry Harvey regarding the old Baker Beach
burns, way back when. http://www.burningman.com/whatisburning ... ech_1.html

Nowadays it's way too big to use that kind of accelerant. They rely on the
heat coming from the pyro packed in the base to get it good and lit up.
And they may use some sort of accelerant in the base, I dunno.

III · Post by **III** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:02 pm

unless it's changed in the past 3 years, he's stuffed with paraffin soaked burlap.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Apr 20, 2004 5:32 am

Some toff mentioned my taste in beers.

For general daytime drinking, it has less to do with taste than what you can easily truck, chill, slam, piss, and recycle. I just happen to prefer canned beer/lager dry to the taste and less soapy than straight Bud, etc., so Labatt Blue & Bud Light work for me.

Anything thicker is a waste, mostly. On top of the bruising between Booze-N-Such & the playa, brown glass tends to cook the beverage inside within minutes in the sun. Lies heavily in the digestive tract and does not combine well when chased with sport drinks. Okay at night, if it doesn't make you bloat. Whatever they drink in the tropics or S of the border is okay, but wiping down the mouth with a lime wedge is just too poncy for me. Would have to be a chilly night or sunrise to make a barleywine or stout go down properly.

Any glass is a potential mess, on the playa or on the way there. I pulled up behind the Canadian Sacred Circle boys a few years ago at the RR Xing -- amber liquid was pouring out the back end of their rental truck -- the plastic sidewalls of their street hockey rink had slammed into their cases of Molson. Pity, eh?

Oh. Eh. Some toff mentioned my taste in beers.

For general daytime drinking, it has less to do with taste than what you can easily truck, chill, slam, piss, and recycle. I just happen to prefer canned beer/lager dry to the taste and less soapy than straight Bud, etc., so Labbat's Blue & Bud Light work for me.

Anything thicker is a waste, mostly. On top of the bruising between Booze-N-Such & the playa, brown glass tends to cook the beverage inside within minutes in the sun. Lies heavily in the digestive tract and does not combine well when chased with sport drinks. Okay at night, if it doesn't make you bloat. Whatever they drink in the tropics or S of the border is okay, but wiping down the mouth with a lime wedge is just too poncy for me. Would have to be a chilly night or sunrise to make a barleywine or stout go down properly.

Any glass is a potential mess, on the playa or on the way there. I pulled up behind the Canadian Sacred Circle boys a few years ago at the RR Xing -- amber liquid was pouring out the back end of their rental truck -- the plastic sidewalls of their street hockey rink had slammed into their cases of Molson. Pity, eh?

Oh. Eh. Burning oak has a nice nose. Just find some pallets.

http://www.geocities.com/potatotrap/tech/beer.htm