Oak barrel aging

[Maxxyjazz]

Hi,

I got a small oak barrel for Chrimbo, it is designed for aging your beer or spirts etc, and give your drink an oaky flavour. Does anybody else have one or have used one of these before? The instructions are a bit vague. I would of thought by pouring beer into it the beer would go flat, or should you bottle it after it has been the barrel for a bit.
It says that the barrel should be turned a quarter every 2-14 days, which would indicate it has to be in there for a fair bit.

Cheers

M

 

[Leon103]

How can you bottle before?

Leave it in the barrel and then prime and bottle/keg

 

[Tanzanite]

These are nice but expensive items usually made from American or French Oak ,They are more for storing wine than beer the barrel will impart its oak flavor into the wine ,it will get weaker has each lot is bottled or drunk from the barrel. After a while it will just be good for storing wine or spirit has its oaking capability will deminish with use.

 

[Dutto]

I've have a small (+/- 2 litres) oak barrel that I have used for whisky for about twenty years; and given enough time it takes the edge off even roughest (cheapest) whisky.

Before putting it into service, I filled it with boiling water and let it cool down three or four times until the wooden staves expanded and it stopped leaking and then put it into whisky service.

It has never been fully empty for more than a day ever since; but it has been refilled on numerous occasions. (It's terrible when you can't see a level; you just keep sipping away and the next thing you know the barrel needs another two bottles to top it up!) :whistle:

Obviously wooden barrels were used when I was a lad but they did have their problems and they are probably responsible for my own beer preferences nowadays. i.e. A beer with very little head served at just below room temperature.

There's a lot of skill involved in preparing, priming, conditioning and tapping a wooden beer barrel so I suggest that you look on YouTube for advice on what to do.

Enjoy! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Fil]

to use as a beer cask you would probably need to mod the existing fill and tap holes to accept the commonly used beer casking consumables? the decorative tap n bung supplied may not hold conditioning beer pressure. then post sealing as described above with off the boil hot water soaks, you could fill with just above FG beer to cask condition.

the remaining sugars if casked a couple if gravity points above expected FG should supply the fuel for conditioning the beer. and a smaller cask would minimise waste once the cask has been tapped and drawn.

have fun

 

[Maxxyjazz]

Thanks chaps,

The instructions say it will take beer, but I might just stick whisky in it. I don't really want to ferment the beer then put it the barrel. It doesn't seem big enough to make it worthwhile.

If I do put whisky or other spirits in the barrel How long does it take to 'take the edge off'?


M

 

[Dutto]

..............

If I do put whisky or other spirits in the barrel How long does it take to 'take the edge off'?


M

After checking that the barrel isn't leaking, the first time you put spirits in the barrel will change the flavour within a few days to give it an "oaky" twang.

As time goes by the flavour becomes less distinct but even after twenty years I still maintain it improves the cheaper whiskies after a couple of weeks.

I can't stress too much just how dangerous these small barrels can be; so be careful.

I have often sat down with the barrel, a mate, a nip glass each and a carafe of iced water to sort out the world ...

... and suddenly the sun is rising and the barrel is still delivering; but at a grossly reduced rate! :whistle: :whistle:

I love it! Enjoy! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


PS

Once in use, to prevent it from leaking, you should never let it dry out. :nono: :nono: :nono: