When I was at the Unified Symposium a couple of weeks ago, I was looking at a steam generator. I had been talking to the winemaker at Tablas Creek (he was pouring some of their wines at a manufacturers booth), and I asked him in a low voice if the '06 Espirit du Beaucastel they were pouring was Bretty like the '05. He said no, and excitedly started telling me about the steam generator they had gotten, which got rid of their Brett infection. A few booths down was the company that sells the steam generators, and they made it sound very impressive. When I did my internship in AZ a few years ago, we had steam to clean the barrels. Part of the reason they hired me was due to that steamer. They had a Brett infestation in some of their '04 vintage, but the steam had knocked it back so well that they didn’t have a problem anymore. Since I was the Brett Girl, they wanted me to selectively reintroduce it. While that never happened, I got a little bit of an intro to steam there.
Have any of you all ever used steam? How do you feel it stacks up compared to hot water?
most certainly is more economical in terms of water use than hot water. Soaking up barrels is in quarts rather than gallons. I’m on the verge of buying one (need the economy to pick up before I can get more toys), but the one I saw cleaned more crap from the barrel, soaked up with less water and at a much higher temp (which goes to the brett issue I suppose). How much was the one you saw?
Linda and John,
I spoke to a winemaker that actually has used steam to clean barrels and he was ambivalent about its use. Certainly, it does sterilize (as opposed to sanitize) but he said that the integrity of the barrel broke down faster and that he was not able to use his barrels as long as he wished. I don’t know that he ever did any scientific testing of this anecdotal evidence but it might be worth investigating.
In thinking about it, I assume that the interior wood of the staves becomes damaged by the extreme heat (if I understand correctly, it penetrates deeper than critters can live) and the permeability of the barrel diminishes. But I don’t know that to be the case.
Best, Jim
Stupid question Linda et al. - what’s the safety risk with steam versus hot water? I.e., is it highly pressurized and does it “splash back” from the bunghole?
Erik,
I’ve read enough to know that the risk is great. Using steam, especially in barrels, requires specialized training and its not something you allow your intern or assistant to do in the absence of that training. Also, you keep other folks away when its going on.
Pressurized steam can maim or kill in micro-seconds.
Best, Jim
Thank you for sharing that, Linda. I think all of us are still dealing with some of our playground memories.
I use a little hot water, only 140 f. to remove tartrates, then ozone water for sanitation. Everything is plating clean.
I understand Brett can metabolize both hexose and pentose, but my main strategy is fermenter sanitation, 80 ppm sulfur at the crusher, and a happy ferment that goes all the way dry with the help of adequate nutrition, and I think covered fermenters helps too. The original Lambic ales (a brett ferment) were brewed in open tops…
Actually, one of the issues with Brett is that fact that they can penetrate. There are some strain which form pseudomycelia- the cells grow in a long form which almost mimics the growth patterns of mold, and they can grow fairly deep into the wood grain. Ozone (which we already use) can help, but also has limited ability to penetrate.
I’ve never used it long term, so I hadn’t heard the issues with barrels breaking down.
And yes, I guess safety is an issue. I guess we can’t be getting drunk and use it.
Linda,
It would seem that steaming has its place, just as hot water and ozone do. And, as usual, its a case-by-case call.
What I think is scarier still is a brand-new barrel coming into the winery already infected with brett. I have seen this happen and it is more than disconcerting.
Best, Jim
Would it be costs prohibitive to send barrels to a gamma-ray irradiation facility? The food industry as well as medical equipment suppliers use this method of sterilization and I guarantee that nothing will survive either on or in the wood grain.
Linda, Brett was forming psuedo-mycelia to “mine/follow” pentose sugars?
If so, are those barrels salvageable? If newer barrels the sanitation remedy would probably also damage/dilute the flavor consituents in the wood?
How effective is sulfur gas at killing brett?
I have used proxy carb at 24 oz in 80 f. water for 72 hours to sanitize questionable barrels. Then rinse and fill with Citric and SO2 solution for a week. Proxycarb also great for outside of barrel. I use proxy carb and wire brush on bung holes also. People don’t talk about the bung hole, but its another sink/source of brett if ignored. If I know a barrel has/had brett, with the risk of spoiling 25 cases, that barrel is fire-food.
On the issue of new barrels already having brett innoculum present, the problem was found to be the mops and water buckets they were using to control the char.
On issue of effect of steam damage, I would venture (risk foot in mouth) the issue is effect of steam on lignin/cellulose(?) structure?
Landreth, I’m with Linda on this one. You see there was some early exerimentation with gamma ray wine. The Wine Institute spent billions in damage control by disseminating the story about how it was a radioactive spider that bit the guy and gave him those strange powers. Let’s not revisit that issue, its closed.
OK foil hat folks…not talking about wine in barrel getting irradiated. If it is good enough for implantable medical devices, it should be good enough for wine barrels.
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