Barrel is the IndustrialCraft 2 fermenter that turns hops, water and biomass into beer mugs.
Brewing Guide
Place 8 wood planks of any type around an empty center slot on the 3x3 crafting grid to produce one Barrel.
Put the Barrel on a flat block at chest height so you can later attach a Barrel Tap on the side facing your access path.
Right-click the Barrel with hops, then with a water bucket, then optionally with biomass — stronger biomass content increases beer potency and side effects.
Leave the Barrel loaded for several in-game hours; the chunk must stay loaded for the timer to advance, so keep it inside your active base.
Place a Barrel Tap on the front face, then right-click the tap with empty mugs to fill them with finished beer.
Strong beer brewed with large amounts of biomass applies the Nausea effect together with Speed. Avoid drinking it before fights or long parkour sections.
No. The Barrel only accepts the IC2 brewing inputs: hops, water and biomass. Other fluids or items are rejected.
No. The Barrel does not expose a fluid output; you must place a Barrel Tap on the side and pour into mugs by hand.
No. The fermentation timer only advances while the chunk is loaded, so keep the Barrel near your active base or use a chunk loader.
Yes. It is a wooden block, so lava, fire and the Fire Aspect enchantment can destroy it along with its contents.
Output depends on the hops and biomass loaded, but a typical full batch yields several mugs before the Barrel must be refilled.