OK, barrel purists, move along, this paragraph will only upset you... ;-)
Given that I have a very small (30 l) barrel made from Portuguese oak, I've decided to assault the inside to get rid of some of the "fresh" oak tannins. I've heard of a product called Barolkleen that can be used for this purpose. However, the local store sells something called soda ash. Are these basically the same thing? How much soda ash should I use, and how long should I leave the solution in there to take the edge off the tannins?
The next thing I plan to do in there to work off some tannins is barrel ferment some apple cider. How full can the barrel be for a fermentation without running into stuff foaming out through the bung hole?
TIA Brian