I pulled a 22-oz sample for the January meeting a couple of weeks ago. Gravity was around 1.012, and airlock activity has been nil in the last several weeks– not surprising considering this gravity is the same as I noted in November.

Tasting notes were similar to before as well, with some barrel character slowly developing, to my palate mostly in the direction of floral, fruit, sweat, chocolate/cherry, but with minimal sourness. Several folks who tasted it at the meeting were surprised by the lack of tartness.

Ambient temp has been about 65F in the vicinity of the barrel, with RH in the 30-50% range. Beer level has dropped a bit since last check, maybe an additional inch or so, for a liquid level 2-3″ below the bunghole. Based on experience with Tim Wheeler’s addition, I’d say it would take another 1-2 gallons to top it up at this point.

Airlock activity continues undaunted, slow but steady, bubbling once every minute or two. Current ambient temp is about 66F, with RH the past few weeks around 50%. As a minor correction to my fill level above, tonight it was closer to 1″ below the inside of the bung; I’m guessing my previously reported observation was a bit off.

To our surprise, it only took about 3 gallons to bring the level up to within about 1/2″ of the bung, which seemed full enough.

The airlock has continued to bubble regularly since the original filling.

I will be sharing an 11 year Big Foot Barley Wine vertical tasting and some other interesting treasures. The neighbors will be gone for the weekend, so feel free to park in the driveway – just make sure to leave room for your fellow members to get out.

On 5/13/10:

I thiefed out about a pint to bring to this week’s AABG meeting. I measured the gravity to be about 1.012, suggesting the beer dropped 6 points since filling about 3 weeks before. Since then, airlock activity has slowed considerably. Beer level had not changed in any noticeable way before I removed the sample (still a couple inches below the bung). There was a not-quite-solid skin of what looked like brown yeast globules over the visible surface below the bung. No leaks, wetness, or other changes in the barrel have been observed.

Based on a few periodic checks, the temperature near the barrel remains at 63-65F and RH at 55-65%.

On 8/12/10:

I pulled a sample over the weekend to fill a bottle for the meeting this Friday. Gravity is reading about 1.009, so it’s continued to dry out slowly, also evidenced by occasional activity in the airlock. I tasted a small sample, and found it to be reminiscent of Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam–- light in body, some malty and spicy saison character, along with some mild tartness, oaky and sweaty notes. A very nice beverage, in my opinion.

The appearance and level of the beer seems unchanged from my notes from May. Temp and RH have been around 70 degrees and 70% for the past several weeks.

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thanks!
rog