It never ever ceases to amaze me...... who the hell is disliking these videos. George does nothing other that further this craft give some respect weather you agree or not.
Over the years I have had many wine barrels refurbished. Typically they are re-shaved before being charred again. Shaving them exposes the new oak again so it can impart those flavours you are looking for. Varnishing is a no no... so the contents can breath and naturally evaporate. Good video on how to pull the barrel apart.
George, you are a fount of knowledge and credit to your industry. Your series of educational videos on mashing, distilling, cutting and aging are the best on the internet.
Thanks for doing these videos; they're very informative and you convey the information in a lively, upbeat manner which makes them very enjoyable to watch.....
Just started following ya'll and have been instantly drawn in by your vast knowledge. What I enjoy the most is that you manage to fraise this complicated processes in terms that simple person like myself can understand. I look forward to watching the rest of your segments and maybe even chatting with you on the phone. Thank you for your time and effort.
Hi George,Another great informative video, had never really thought about dismantling my barrels to re-char them. The avenue I went down here was to season my barrels with off the shelf sherry, usually charging them up November time so there's plenty of sherry over the festive period to keep Granny well oiled. Then once the sherry is done, fill barrel with a 40% shine to pull an authentic sherry cask finish, seems to be working none too bad. Keep up the good work>
I personally use both methods: Chip aging (mellowing, flavoring) and traditional barrel aging. The trade-off is: faster with chips, but better, more rounded flavors from the barrel, BUT, lots of evaporation loss during aging. I personally prefer Med-toast Hungarian chips, cubes actually. They are mellow and impart somewhat between American and French oak. I age good quality Tequila in my 2 and 3 liter med-char American Oak barrels. First batch ages about 6 months, 2nd about 8-10, 3rd about a year. They definitely have a service life to them, but do work well. If I go longer then a year, there is too much Tequila loss to evaporation (Diablo's Share) and aging content otherwise gets too diluted with the several toppings. The popularity of these small oak barrels has spawned all manner of sellers all over the internet with widely varying quality, product support and knowledge. However, there appears to be only two actual makers of the good quality aging barrels; one in Tennessee and another in Arkansas. I like to polish the hoops and lightly stain my barrels and finish and stain the stands; they look and smell beautiful. I have aged/made some absolutely stunning Extra Anejo Tequila.
Hey there, roughly how much % wise would you lose in evaporation over a year aging in a barrel? If you had 10L to start, would you lose 10% (1L) over a year? More? Less?
To Barley and Hops Brewing LLC, Wonderful and imformative video's, this one especially. Even the posters, whom have my thanks, have lended to some techniques I've been wondering about in the pursuit of the creation of a whiskey flavor that I'm trying to recreate independently as I've heard that the flavor exists. Last summer I tasted a Smokey Maple Bourbon made by a local brewer(who refuses to share their process). Now since I've tried to find them to buy more... to no avail, my next option was to search for a competitive flavor...not happening. What I tasted was a micro batch limited to being produced only once a year and limited to no more then 1k bottles(please note that their primary product of choice IS fancy vodkas(which tastes to me more or less like rubbing alcohol). I did try Jim Beam Smoked Maple that more or less tasted like watered down whiskey drown in watered down maple syrup. While I build 2 and 5 liter barrels from sugar maple(yes, currently studying barrel wright skills), I currently think that Fighting Cock Whiskey re-aged in a charred sugar maple barrel, might emulate the flavor I seek. Until then, I'll be terrorizing the local liquer store for all of the The Kraken Black Spiced Rum they can get their mits on. If I go with the charred chips(or as I plan to make charred sugar maple staves of 1/4x1/4x5 inches temporarily), what is your suggestion for a main container to put the afore mentioned staves in???
Great video. Ordered a 1 L barrel to season with PX sherry to finish cask strength malt scotch. Good to hear they hold a little less than the listed # as whisky comes in .75 L bottles.
After you use it 5 times you can add some lightly toasted chips in there and add some medium and heavy toasted chips. Then you could probably get another 3 more batches in there. By aging it in a barrel it gets some air over time.
I saw your comment so once I'm done using it 5 times, I just add the chips and that's it, I can add my own whiskey all over again and let it age? So the chips stay in the barrel, righ? , you don't take them out After every use?
My 2 liter barrels (unvarnished)holds just under 2leters. I filled with warm water and let stand for several days. I stored them inside at 68 degrees for 1 month and outside in my greenhouse from feb through april Michigan weather. Whiskey came out amber in color .tasted pretty good.
I was wondering if after you re-char a barrel could you add a small amount of uncharred chips to replace the chemicals and flavors that have been lost from the barrel staves to previous agings? If so, how much would you use? Also, If I age a spirit in my barrel, then want to age a beer afterwards, like a porter, stout, or maybe a dunkel, how long would I age the beer in the barrel before kegging or bottling? Thanks so much for the great videos and all the info!
You are right, there's some websites that wanted to charge 100 dollars for a 2L and that did not even come with the whiskey flavor. there was another company that did come with it, but also with the 2L Barrow. I checked on eBay and I saw a 3L and 5L for around 35 to 40 bucks. And I went to another website that sells the whiskey flavor for about $2.50, a pop and total, I could spent 55 bucks for a 5L and 7 flavors of whiskey. I asked one of the sellers about why are they selling the barrel so high, they said that it can be replaced if one of them doesn't work also they said that they can put your own Name on the barrel but to me that doesint matter. Once you're whiskey tequila or whatever you are trying to age, it's going to go back to glass bottle. So no, thank you. I will not spend a hundred bucks. But half the price I'll get more plus a 5L Barrel. Thank you for the information.
Easy barrel displacement measuring. It is easy to test displacement size. Fill barrel with water. Put barrel in a larger bucket. Fill bucket with water to cover barrel. You may hold barrel under water with a stick. Mark water level in bucket. Remove barrel. Mark water level. Now, taking a known measuring device: cup or jar or? Fill bucket to upper mark. How much water it takes to fill bucket from lower mark to higher mark is the barrel displaced amount. ☺
I didn't realize until now that I've been to your store. I was stationed at Ft. Hood years ago. I'm pretty sure I have tasted your whiskey also. I live back in NC and I see that your store, according to Google Maps, is closed permanently. I hope you are doing well, have a good day
I have 4 ring 10L barrels and take 3 bands off all but a bottom band. Although i have not rechared my barrels i thinl i will try doing this. All my barrels are American white oak made in Spain by Rodriguez. These where used shortly for flavoring spirits.
Thank you for the video post, I learned a lot from watching it and trust your expertise. I liked some other poster's idea's about using a muslin bag for adding flavor during a recharge of the barrel. Which leads me to offer 1 idea and ask many questions. I think maybe a cheese cloth tied up with charred wood chips would work also if you added some old used wine bottle cork tops for buoyancy to keep the spigot clear. And when you get to the bottom of the barrel, just put on KC & The Sunshine Band "Shake Your Booty" Now my questions are these; On using charred wood chips after a barrel has been used 6-times, Would Pecan wood be safe for consumption to get a nutty flavor? Walnuts? What about adding Cinnamon sticks? or Dried vanilla beans? into the recharged barrel? I am new here to this topic, so maybe my questions seem strange or out of place, but this is the 1st video I have watched on this topic, so I am a newbie.
I would not recommend adding corks. While buoyant, they could potentially impart TCA, a type of unfavorable aromatic taint to your spirits. Even with high proof spirits, the alcohol content may not be enough to inhibit the bacteria responsible for producing TCA and the alcohol may in fact increase the extraction rate of TCA already present.
Your statement at about 4:30 is only partially true. The surface area to volume of liquid contact ratio allows for a more rapid "infusion" of some of the character elements of the wood, but absolutely nothing can replace time for "aging" a spirit. The phenols and saccarides the tree stores as sugars dissolve at different rates in alcohol. Those are the flavoring elements that lead to the subtler tones in the final taste and nothing can replace "time" for that process to occur. One can more rapidly infuse some of the other features like color and tannens in a smaller barrel within weeks, but one should be cautioned to not expect a "mature" spirit flavor profile from a small barrel in a matter of weeks
There's a way to speed up maturing that tastes like the real deal to the layman, large differences in day and night temperatures will force the spirit in and out of the wood much like the natural process, but will age it faster if you heat it during the day and refrigerate it during the night. I have tried this and have to say that you can get a year's worth of aging done in two months at most
Hi George, thanks for this video. I opened up my 20L barrel this week and charred the inside. Man it smelt so good. I put duct tape around the bottom ring to hold the ring in place, and I put duct tape where the top ring usually is. This holds the staves in place while you fight the end lid out. I got my wife to help with an extra set of hands. The top tape makes it a little harder to remove the end piece but the security it gives I think was worth it. I could pick the opened barrel up and turn it upside down if i wanted to. I've started swelling the barrel now. After 24 hours submerged, I have one leak in the stave seam. One of the staves didn't seem to line up correctly with the seam in the end piece when I put it back together. How long should I attempt swelling that area for before trying some other fix method? Do you recommend reopening the barrel now that I've swollen it for 24 hours? Half of me thinks if I can reseat that stave better it will fix the leak. The other half is telling me because the staves are already swollen, if I open it now I'm going to 1. Have a hell of a time getting it open and back together and 2. It may makes it leak like a mofo and the staves won't swell together as well as they should. Any advice is appreciated.
I had no intentions of being negative on Barley and hops. Mostly a very informative video.Just a few observations. barrels are made different and some of the cheap barrels WILL make your product look nice however that is all they do. I good quality barrel made with the right wood and will mature your liquor to a fine drink rather than a nice "looking " drink. So like most things in life, cheap simply means cheap.
+Brian K King you are correct. Our barrels are quality barrels and teh staves are thick. I appreciate your comments and thank you for bringing your observations to light. George
Reviewing this video again. I completely killed my barrel trying to recharr it. It's a funky flower pot now. George what proof do you fill your barrel at? I did it at 80 and it was wayyy to oaky. I believe next time I'll use 140. You would have pissed yourself watching me try to charr my barrel the thing turned into a bonfire and all the staves opened like a flower. I think a good water rinse before putting fire close to it will be in order for next time.
Varnish is only a matter of appearance. I have more than a few barrels . I do agree that an expensive barrel is not needed however the only thing a cheap barrel does is impart that nice color, NOT the maturity that comes from a quality built barrel with the right wood. If all your after is appearance then just buy chips at the local brew shop, if you want quality aging then spend the dollars for a quality made barrel. Look at an end shot of a barrel to see the thickness of the staves used.
Barley and Hops Brewing LLC Amazing videos and information. I've had a used 3 ltr barrel sitting empty for about a year which I'd like use again for ports. I filled it with water to resoak, let it sit for week. I then emptied, and flushed / rinsed a few times just with water. The risnse water was clear but there was slight efforvesence bubbles at the tail end. From a sanitation point of view, is water sufficient to clean a barrel?
Great job, thanks so much for the info. I actually have one of the little ones. I have a question. Would this be a good experiment to create an "infinity" barrel"? Some reason seems like a kool idea but what do I know? Thanks again
Hi George! I distilled 50% corn and 50% barley to about 88% alcohol/176 Proof. I then watered 3 gallons down to 72%/ 144 proof. Now I have 3 gallons of 144%proof aging. My question is how long should it age in a 3 gallon barrel? I know if you do it too long it can give it a strong wet wood taste. To avoid the undesirable wet wood taste I left a higher proof. Any suggestions?
+James Milkavich My opinion is about 6 weeks should result in a quality product. You can leave it longer but make sure you check it regularly to ensure it doesn't over do it (to taste). I normally pre-soak mine in dark oak chips for 24-36 hours before using the barrel. This way I am assured maturation in the shortest time possible and it also allows me to use the barrel more often before it goes neutral.
Questions: can you shave the interior that is charred to rechar again to release deeper tannins; does the process require ethanol to break down essentials into flavor or will pure water also work?
I'd try to introduce those wood chips through the side using a small mesh bag instead of taking the barrel apart. Just use a string to tie the bag to the cork. Just a thought.
I have a 1 liter barrel that was made from a 53 gallon charred barrel that was used once to make bourbon. I'm using it right now to age an inexpensive 1 liter bottle of 3 yo bourbon from Heaven HIll....it was only $11 for the bourbon. After using the barrel just one time I was thinking of enlarging the bung hole to allow me to add medium toasted oak chips. I would then seal the enlarged bung hole with a properly sized wood dowel or a cork from a bottle of whiskey. Of course, I could just pour the whiskey into a jar and add the oak chips, but I want to reuse the oak barrel because it breathes and supposedly enhances the flavor.
Have you tried before charing to dry out the barrel and refill the barrel with vanilla and caramel extract and let it it set for a few weeks then dry out and char the barrel? I find that drying and resaturation of the wood with flavor enhancers like vaniila a few times brings back that flavor and paired with a recharing gets that roasted taste.
Of you've used the barrel to the point of it becoming neutral, as you mentioned, can't you add some of those charred chips into the barrel to get the same natural flavors from the wood and still have a functioning barrel? 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hi Clyde here, I enjoyed your video very much. I'm now subscribed to your channel. And I have questions about the dimensions of staves, I really would like to make my own barrels. Looking forward to seeing more videos, and thank you.
Have you ever used something called “gaffers tape”? Infinitely superior product. No stretch. Doesn’t leave residue. It is a lot more expensive, but it’s about 15-20 usd for a 2”x60’ roll.
Hi George! Once the tannins and vanillins are depleted, if I were to make my own replacement white oak barrel bottom and top, would that provide enough surface area for tannins and vanillins? Home-making new barrels wouldn't be worth the effort to me, but making new barrel heads would be relativity easy. Would it work to replace the barrel heads after every 5 or 6 uses?
Hi I just have a question regarding the 2Ltr size barrel. I recently picked one up and am currently using it to age whiskey. How many times can an oak barrel be reused???
Are these barrels reusable and washable If yes then how can we wash and what liquids are available for washing them? Please let me know and is charring essential every time after having used them?
What happens if I use a 2L virgin barrel, leave my spirits in it for too long. Say an entire year or 5? Would it then be unpalatable or unsafe at that point?
does it matter what proof it is when you place them in the barrels ? do I cut it with distilled water then put it in the barrel or do I put it directly in the barrel then cut it after it has picked up the wood flavor ?
Hey George! I have a 20L oak barrel just like the ones in this video. I filled it with water to seal. It probably sat for 2-3 months with the water in it before I was ready to fill it. I realize now I should’ve treated the water if It was going to sit that long. When I emptied it, it was full of algae or whatever the growth was. Is there anything I can do to clean it now? Even if I need to take it apart completely.
Hi !, I´m look into a few tips to wash on barrels, I was reading a little about of brettanomyces and its relation with the wood, I pulled up that just the heat can remove it, I was watching this video and I see you use a blowtorch, is it enough ?, what other home stuff can I use to wash in ?, once I used alcohol 96° and burn it, can I only wash in with hot water ?, I´m a small batch brewer (Beer and Mead).
Once you have Brett, it will be hard to remove it. "Heat" is an insufficient method. While blow torching the wood to the point of combustion would kill Brett...and everything else, any wood not raised to this temperature could still potentially contain Brett and continue to impart taint to your spirit. Brett is actually an extremely tolerant genus, so heat, alcohol you name it rarely works completely. Barrel maintenance using sulfur pastilles, avoiding contact with dirt or cork, not leaving moist for extended periods of time would all assist in avoiding Brett. If you have Brett already. Bomb the thing with sulfur pastilles. Probably wont help too much, but it is worth a shot.
Perhaps a rubber band, a bike inner tube cut into a long strip, around the top of the barrel would help when reinserting the top. Like having π r hands helping out. I don't have a bareel so can't test that theory out.
Hello George, Im in tropical Cairns, Queensland, Australia. I bought a very cheap used and leaking barrel. On smelling it, it seems to have had a red wine or port in it, which i am happy about. After removing silicone sealant and heavy varnish from the barrel and soaking the whole barrel in water, and a few wooden toothpick repairs on it, it doesnt leak. My queston is, allowing its not a charred barrel, and i dont know how many times this barrel has been used and with what, Im wondering if a corn whiskey would go well in it? (the irish and scotts used old sherry barrels to mature a grain spirit-thanks to googling) By the way, I LOVE the wealth of information you impart in your videos. Thanks a lot, George.
I was thinking about what you said about the recharing, what if you add some of the light woodchips in the barrel, that should give you the vanilla and other tastes that come out of the new barrel i think. the recharred barrel then only works for the collor, but the chips for the taste (sorry if my english is not perfect, but its not my first language)
I don't know if you will answer questions anymore since it was so long ago this was posted but I'll try anyway. First, would it be better to scrape the old char off the inside before recharring? Second and this is a long one, I got a barrel for xmas a couple years ago. I filled it with water to soak till it stopped leaking and for health reasons I was unable to get it drained and filled with spirits so it sat with the water in it for a month before I drained it and put it away. Do you think it would have gotten moldy inside and spoiled or do you think it would have just dryed out and may still be useable?
I have never scraped any char before re-charring so I am not sure. The health of your barrel may be in question. If you could wash it out and use some star-san to sanitize the inside I am confident that this will do. Anytime I leave a barrel for a few months or so I always spray the inside to sanitize and then rinse it out. Star-san is a contact sanitizer so you don't need to soak it. Just spray a liberal amount inside the barrel and swish it around for a minute or so then rinse. George
I had bad luck with 2 barrels I bought on Amazon. Both leaked after following the manufacturer instructions for sealing. Do you have a reliable source for a 20 liters barrel?
I have a 5L barrel, I do believe it is varnished, but mine looks like your 10L barrel! It started turning black around the hoops just a few days after I started curing it with hot water 😭 could there have been something wrong with my barrel in the first place or is this still normal to get some blackness pretty much as soon as you begin the curing process??
Do darker liquors really cause worse hangovers? Interested to know if you've keep half a run clear and darkened the other, and the science behind it. Thanks!
Not sure that this is true for everyone. I am aware that spirits commercially produced that have added blends do lend themselves to more hangovers. The congeners produced during distillation that give some spirits their unique flavor are routinely blamed. Clear spirits made at home tend to not produce these effects even if aged in oak for color and flavor. I do believe that the majority of the hangover is due to dehydration and also the affect of mixtures added to drinks. In the end - if you over do anything hangovers cannot be avoided all together.
Tried to re-char my 3-liter barrel following these steps, and now I can’t get the hoops back on at all. All the staves have really opened outward. If I had to do it again I wouldn’t have removed as many hoops, or at least put the big ones back on once the end was out, before starting with the torch. Anyone have any good tricks for getting the hoops back on?
George, I've watched your distilling videos up thru Barrel Charring. The first one referred to making Rum but as the series continued, you had been calling it Spirit. How do you make the various spirits? Thanks, Mike
I have been looking for information about setting up a solera aging system for rum using 4 to 8 barrels. I can't find anything online; do you have any knowledge about this?
Wow, George you must had spent 1/10 of a second with that torch, it was so fast that you cold not have killed one bacteria. Here is how you recondition a wine barrel: Wine Barrel - Recondition & Toast by Tony Campanella Jan 25, 2017.
1.8 liters is pretty darn close to an actual 2 quarts. My guess is that the barrels were made to English measurements, but when switching to metric the makers just called it "liters".
First off, BEST VIDEOS ON THE WEB (on the subject). Some other folks' videos have some questionable content, but I know (by verifying on occasion with my own research) that I can always trust your info. My question is: How long with spirits "keep" in the barrel? I've got a 10yr old son and one more on the way. I thought it would be a neat idea to fill 3 barrels and age them all until the youngest is of drinking age (21 years and change). Provided the spout isn't jostled while in storage, will I get much evaporation in that amount of time? Also, what effects do light/temp have on aging?
You will lose a small amount over that time (maybe a large amount but that is all dependent o temp and conditions. You could always top-off the barrel every few years to keep it ful. There is no limit of how long you can store them. Anything is possible. George
Not sure if this works, but I read somewhere that the way the big whiskey makers keep some barrels for a decade or more for "special reserve" is to take them out of the open-air (not climate controlled) aging warehouse after an initial aging, then they put them into a climate controlled facility. There is still some loss over time, but it is reduced a lot. So, keep the barrels in a place that will have relatively stable temperature and humidity year round, and try what George says and top it off as needed every few years, leaving it alone for the last 1-3 years so the maturity is really apparent. Also, I saw a vid of a guy using a heat gun to melt a block of bees wax onto the outside of the barrel to slow down the greedy angels even more. Last thing I would guess might make a difference is using a larger barrel, 3-5 gallon. Otherwise you may end up with none of the original whiskey remaining by the time your youngest is grown since some is lost each year, then replaced with new spirits. Good luck!
@@ihf7265 I haven't watched the video you speak of, but when I buy a new pair of sneakers, I get a tealight candle and rub it all over the material sections until they go white and I then hit them with the hairdryer and they become waterproof. I wonder if you could do the same thing with these barrels, just rub a tealight candle all over them and hit it with a hairdryer to help seal it and give it a shine, rather than varnishing...?
I am not sure that is possible. I thought about inserting a torch to try to do this but that could cause a mini explosion of something goes wrong and I would not be able to see the level of charring taking place. I think the only real option is opening it up or for the cost of these maybe buying a new one is more effective. George
B B and H you still read here ? isn't "varnish" and 'staining" like w thompson's water seal, close to same thing? and 2nd, the 'chips" wouldn't be for tequila as well for enchancing taste or color would it ? thank you sir, love the video...still holds up. -Chris
Varnish and thompson's water seal are not the same thing although I am not sure it would hurt anything. Varnish is the industry standard so I've stuck with it. You can use the chips in tequila as well but it all depends on the flavor profile you are looking for. George
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing thank you sir. why would anyone re scortch it? does it bring out the flavor possibilities for an old barrel. My small 'cabo wabo sammy hagar barrel " leaks a bit at nozzle...do you do repairs where i could ship it ?-chris
Can you age an already manufactured whiskey? Can you age it for a number of years? If so does get better or at a certain point does it no longer get better?
I used a Canadian blended whiskey fortified to 90 proof with everclear in my 2 liter barrel for 3 months. It made it comparatively to a higher shelf whiskey.
Why not char the bottom or top and pieces?! MOre surface area! Another thought I have is... Why cant some one sell fresh white oak bottom & top end pieces pre char'd as well? It would give a thoroughly used barrel the opportunity to add oak, tannin, and vanillin flavors.
I would suggest you chuck in some of those Oak Chips while you have the thing open, you're the only one who'll know and it makes a barrel potentially re-usable indefinitely...
What happened cuz I stuck the spirit into the barrel and it sucked into the walls of it and evaporate it and I sealed It Off it's raining to that would happen when I want to go pour some out to see how it age there was nothing in the barrel I tried it again and the same thing happened seems like the battle shrunk and that's why the spirits dried up but I'm not sure about that either I don't know if you can make anything out of this conversation yet but it's crazy thank you Mike
What I think what happened is Spirit sucked into the walls of the barrel exhausted all the alcohol. And then I tried it again for another 6 months and the same thing happened again so I didn't use the barrel anymore and it seemed like the bands will lose from the barrel but as I look at the barrel there was no leakage for many of the scenes so the battle was tight I just didn't understand why it sucked up into the barrel it was chod because I looked at it before I put the spirit into it I don't know if this makes any sense to you but maybe you could figure it out thank you again Mike
Mike. The angels share would not take the whole barrel. You must have a leak. If there is no evidence of a leak underneath it then it is probably leaking/venting to the atmosphere at the top of the barrel. For long storage I always wrap them in some plastic cling wrap to slow down any venting or leaking.
I just bought my first barrel which is a 1 liter barrel. It has tacks in the rings of the barrel. Can you still disassemble them and rechar them or is it more trouble than its worth?
Man just buy oak chips,place 2-5 grams of it in 1 liter and it will do same job,it will release all that were lost in previous aging and drink will still age cause of oxidation process of barrel...
I have been chipping the distillate prior to putting into the barrel regardless of the barrel's age. Also I found a flexible head torch that I use to rechar the barrel without having to break it down. Works well for the small barrels.
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It never ever ceases to amaze me...... who the hell is disliking these videos. George does nothing other that further this craft give some respect weather you agree or not.
this guy is like watching Mr. Wizard
Those that complain also never validate. Afraid to learn something new, I guess.
How about if you leave a new piece of fresh wood in the barrel before you close it back up
Don’t worry, they got rid of the dislike button during Biden’s last campaign 😂 so pathetic
Over the years I have had many wine barrels refurbished. Typically they are re-shaved before being charred again. Shaving them exposes the new oak again so it can impart those flavours you are looking for. Varnishing is a no no... so the contents can breath and naturally evaporate. Good video on how to pull the barrel apart.
George, you are a fount of knowledge and credit to your industry. Your series of educational videos on mashing, distilling, cutting and aging are the best on the internet.
Always a pleasure to watch your videos
Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Thanks for doing these videos; they're very informative and you convey the information in a lively, upbeat manner which makes them very enjoyable to watch.....
Thank you! Amazing videos and information. Learning something new every-time. South African fan.
Thanks for showing me how to re-char! I've been afraid to take apart my barrel, but you made it look easy!
Just started following ya'll and have been instantly drawn in by your vast knowledge. What I enjoy the most is that you manage to fraise this complicated processes in terms that simple person like myself can understand. I look forward to watching the rest of your segments and maybe even chatting with you on the phone. Thank you for your time and effort.
Thank you.
Always a pleasure to watch George ? Brilliant
Hi George,Another great informative video, had never really thought about dismantling my barrels to re-char them. The avenue I went down here was to season my barrels with off the shelf sherry, usually charging them up November time so there's plenty of sherry over the festive period to keep Granny well oiled. Then once the sherry is done, fill barrel with a 40% shine to pull an authentic sherry cask finish, seems to be working none too bad. Keep up the good work>
That sounds great. I know it must be very pleasing when ready.
George
I've still got some good use in my barrels, but was wondering about re-char. As usual, George has covered it 👍👍 Thanks George
#HAPPYDISTILLING 🥃
I personally use both methods: Chip aging (mellowing, flavoring) and traditional barrel aging. The trade-off is: faster with chips, but better, more rounded flavors from the barrel, BUT, lots of evaporation loss during aging. I personally prefer Med-toast Hungarian chips, cubes actually. They are mellow and impart somewhat between American and French oak. I age good quality Tequila in my 2 and 3 liter med-char American Oak barrels. First batch ages about 6 months, 2nd about 8-10, 3rd about a year. They definitely have a service life to them, but do work well. If I go longer then a year, there is too much Tequila loss to evaporation (Diablo's Share) and aging content otherwise gets too diluted with the several toppings. The popularity of these small oak barrels has spawned all manner of sellers all over the internet with widely varying quality, product support and knowledge. However, there appears to be only two actual makers of the good quality aging barrels; one in Tennessee and another in Arkansas. I like to polish the hoops and lightly stain my barrels and finish and stain the stands; they look and smell beautiful. I have aged/made some absolutely stunning Extra Anejo Tequila.
Hey there, roughly how much % wise would you lose in evaporation over a year aging in a barrel? If you had 10L to start, would you lose 10% (1L) over a year? More? Less?
Well Done! Your presentation is very engaging!
To Barley and Hops Brewing LLC,
Wonderful and imformative video's, this one especially. Even the posters, whom have my thanks, have lended to some techniques I've been wondering about in the pursuit of the creation of a whiskey flavor that I'm trying to recreate independently as I've heard that the flavor exists. Last summer I tasted a Smokey Maple Bourbon made by a local brewer(who refuses to share their process). Now since I've tried to find them to buy more... to no avail, my next option was to search for a competitive flavor...not happening. What I tasted was a micro batch limited to being produced only once a year and limited to no more then 1k bottles(please note that their primary product of choice IS fancy vodkas(which tastes to me more or less like rubbing alcohol). I did try Jim Beam Smoked Maple that more or less tasted like watered down whiskey drown in watered down maple syrup. While I build 2 and 5 liter barrels from sugar maple(yes, currently studying barrel wright skills), I currently think that Fighting Cock Whiskey re-aged in a charred sugar maple barrel, might emulate the flavor I seek. Until then, I'll be terrorizing the local liquer store for all of the The Kraken Black Spiced Rum they can get their mits on.
If I go with the charred chips(or as I plan to make charred sugar maple staves of 1/4x1/4x5 inches temporarily), what is your suggestion for a main container to put the afore mentioned staves in???
Thank you for posting. I am new to the barrels and you have answered my question about the different kinds of charred oak.
Great video. Ordered a 1 L barrel to season with PX sherry to finish cask strength malt scotch. Good to hear they hold a little less than the listed # as whisky comes in .75 L bottles.
Excellent video ! Gave me so much info to keep me going and delivered so well.
After you use it 5 times you can add some lightly toasted chips in there and add some medium and heavy toasted chips. Then you could probably get another 3 more batches in there. By aging it in a barrel it gets some air over time.
I saw your comment so once I'm done using it 5 times, I just add the chips and that's it, I can add my own whiskey all over again and let it age? So the chips stay in the barrel, righ? , you don't take them out After every use?
Your channel is amazing and very informative
So many questions have just been answered. Thank you sir
Once again, a SUPERB video from George. Or "once again" is wrong term, this is old, but I did see it today, so for me it is new :D
My 2 liter barrels (unvarnished)holds just under 2leters. I filled with warm water and let stand for several days. I stored them inside at 68 degrees for 1 month and outside in my greenhouse from feb through april Michigan weather. Whiskey came out amber in color .tasted pretty good.
I was wondering if after you re-char a barrel could you add a small amount of uncharred chips to replace the chemicals and flavors that have been lost from the barrel staves to previous agings? If so, how much would you use?
Also, If I age a spirit in my barrel, then want to age a beer afterwards, like a porter, stout, or maybe a dunkel, how long would I age the beer in the barrel before kegging or bottling?
Thanks so much for the great videos and all the info!
You are right, there's some websites that wanted to charge 100 dollars for a 2L and that did not even come with the whiskey flavor. there was another company that did come with it, but also with the 2L Barrow. I checked on eBay and I saw a 3L and 5L for around 35 to 40 bucks. And I went to another website that sells the whiskey flavor for about $2.50, a pop and total, I could spent 55 bucks for a 5L and 7 flavors of whiskey. I asked one of the sellers about why are they selling the barrel so high, they said that it can be replaced if one of them doesn't work also they said that they can put your own Name on the barrel but to me that doesint matter. Once you're whiskey tequila or whatever you are trying to age, it's going to go back to glass bottle. So no, thank you. I will not spend a hundred bucks. But half the price I'll get more plus a 5L Barrel. Thank you for the information.
Great informative video George! Thanks!
Easy barrel displacement measuring.
It is easy to test displacement size. Fill barrel with water. Put barrel in a larger bucket. Fill bucket with water to cover barrel. You may hold barrel under water with a stick. Mark water level in bucket. Remove barrel. Mark water level. Now, taking a known measuring device: cup or jar or? Fill bucket to upper mark. How much water it takes to fill bucket from lower mark to higher mark is the barrel displaced amount. ☺
Really cool. This video is a knowledge bomb Mr George
I didn't realize until now that I've been to your store. I was stationed at Ft. Hood years ago. I'm pretty sure I have tasted your whiskey also.
I live back in NC and I see that your store, according to Google Maps, is closed permanently. I hope you are doing well, have a good day
I have 4 ring 10L barrels and take 3 bands off all but a bottom band. Although i have not rechared my barrels i thinl i will try doing this. All my barrels are American white oak made in Spain by Rodriguez. These where used shortly for flavoring spirits.
A very good programme learnt a lot
Your the best George, THANK YOU!
Thank you for the video post, I learned a lot from watching it and trust your expertise. I liked some other poster's idea's about using a muslin bag for adding flavor during a recharge of the barrel.
Which leads me to offer 1 idea and ask many questions.
I think maybe a cheese cloth tied up with charred wood chips would work also if you added some old used wine bottle cork tops for buoyancy to keep the spigot clear. And when you get to the bottom of the barrel, just put on KC & The Sunshine Band "Shake Your Booty"
Now my questions are these; On using charred wood chips after a barrel has been used 6-times, Would Pecan wood be safe for consumption to get a nutty flavor? Walnuts?
What about adding Cinnamon sticks? or Dried vanilla beans? into the recharged barrel?
I am new here to this topic, so maybe my questions seem strange or out of place, but this is the 1st video I have watched on this topic, so I am a newbie.
All good ideas. You can use any of the items you listed and will be satisfied with the results.
Now it's time to shake that booty LOL
I would not recommend adding corks. While buoyant, they could potentially impart TCA, a type of unfavorable aromatic taint to your spirits. Even with high proof spirits, the alcohol content may not be enough to inhibit the bacteria responsible for producing TCA and the alcohol may in fact increase the extraction rate of TCA already present.
Your statement at about 4:30 is only partially true. The surface area to volume of liquid contact ratio allows for a more rapid "infusion" of some of the character elements of the wood, but absolutely nothing can replace time for "aging" a spirit. The phenols and saccarides the tree stores as sugars dissolve at different rates in alcohol. Those are the flavoring elements that lead to the subtler tones in the final taste and nothing can replace "time" for that process to occur. One can more rapidly infuse some of the other features like color and tannens in a smaller barrel within weeks, but one should be cautioned to not expect a "mature" spirit flavor profile from a small barrel in a matter of weeks
There's a way to speed up maturing that tastes like the real deal to the layman, large differences in day and night temperatures will force the spirit in and out of the wood much like the natural process, but will age it faster if you heat it during the day and refrigerate it during the night. I have tried this and have to say that you can get a year's worth of aging done in two months at most
Thank you for making this video.
I bought 5 1ltr barrels on clearance. I just distilled a sugar wash and got 180 proof shine that is now aging in one.
It might help to wrap a bungee around the barrel to hold the stays in place.
Hi George, thanks for this video. I opened up my 20L barrel this week and charred the inside. Man it smelt so good.
I put duct tape around the bottom ring to hold the ring in place, and I put duct tape where the top ring usually is. This holds the staves in place while you fight the end lid out. I got my wife to help with an extra set of hands. The top tape makes it a little harder to remove the end piece but the security it gives I think was worth it. I could pick the opened barrel up and turn it upside down if i wanted to.
I've started swelling the barrel now. After 24 hours submerged, I have one leak in the stave seam. One of the staves didn't seem to line up correctly with the seam in the end piece when I put it back together.
How long should I attempt swelling that area for before trying some other fix method?
Do you recommend reopening the barrel now that I've swollen it for 24 hours? Half of me thinks if I can reseat that stave better it will fix the leak. The other half is telling me because the staves are already swollen, if I open it now I'm going to 1. Have a hell of a time getting it open and back together and 2. It may makes it leak like a mofo and the staves won't swell together as well as they should.
Any advice is appreciated.
I had no intentions of being negative on Barley and hops. Mostly a very informative video.Just a few observations. barrels are made different and some of the cheap barrels WILL make your product look nice however that is all they do. I good quality barrel made with the right wood and will mature your liquor to a fine drink rather than a nice "looking " drink. So like most things in life, cheap simply means cheap.
+Brian K King you are correct. Our barrels are quality barrels and teh staves are thick. I appreciate your comments and thank you for bringing your observations to light.
George
+Barley and Hops
Good to know George, I'll keep you in mind for when I'm in need of a new Barrel.
I use deep south barrels they work great and the service is awesome
Thank you, George!
Reviewing this video again. I completely killed my barrel trying to recharr it. It's a funky flower pot now. George what proof do you fill your barrel at? I did it at 80 and it was wayyy to oaky. I believe next time I'll use 140. You would have pissed yourself watching me try to charr my barrel the thing turned into a bonfire and all the staves opened like a flower. I think a good water rinse before putting fire close to it will be in order for next time.
Great video George. Thanks mate!
Varnish is only a matter of appearance. I have more than a few barrels . I do agree that an expensive barrel is not needed however the only thing a cheap barrel does is impart that nice color, NOT the maturity that comes from a quality built barrel with the right wood. If all your after is appearance then just buy chips at the local brew shop, if you want quality aging then spend the dollars for a quality made barrel. Look at an end shot of a barrel to see the thickness of the staves used.
Thanks very large George! So, what are the pro and cons on using chips vs. a small barrel? Thanks again.
Barley and Hops Brewing LLC
Amazing videos and information. I've had a used 3 ltr barrel sitting empty for about a year which I'd like use again for ports. I filled it with water to resoak, let it sit for week. I then emptied, and flushed / rinsed a few times just with water. The risnse water was clear but there was slight efforvesence bubbles at the tail end. From a sanitation point of view, is water sufficient to clean a barrel?
Great job, thanks so much for the info. I actually have one of the little ones. I have a question. Would this be a good experiment to create an "infinity" barrel"? Some reason seems like a kool idea but what do I know? Thanks again
Hi George!
I distilled 50% corn and 50% barley to about 88% alcohol/176 Proof. I then watered 3 gallons down to 72%/ 144 proof. Now I have 3 gallons of 144%proof aging. My question is how long should it age in a 3 gallon barrel? I know if you do it too long it can give it a strong wet wood taste. To avoid the undesirable wet wood taste I left a higher proof. Any suggestions?
+James Milkavich My opinion is about 6 weeks should result in a quality product. You can leave it longer but make sure you check it regularly to ensure it doesn't over do it (to taste). I normally pre-soak mine in dark oak chips for 24-36 hours before using the barrel. This way I am assured maturation in the shortest time possible and it also allows me to use the barrel more often before it goes neutral.
+Barley and Hops thank you for your reply and your help!
+James Milkavich Anytime
James Milkavich Co
Questions: can you shave the interior that is charred to rechar again to release deeper tannins; does the process require ethanol to break down essentials into flavor or will pure water also work?
Yes you can but there is a point of diminishing returns. I usually re-char and use my barrel 4-5 times before I toss it out and get a new one.
I'd try to introduce those wood chips through the side using a small mesh bag instead of taking the barrel apart. Just use a string to tie the bag to the cork. Just a thought.
I have a 1 liter barrel that was made from a 53 gallon charred barrel that was used once to make bourbon. I'm using it right now to age an inexpensive 1 liter bottle of 3 yo bourbon from Heaven HIll....it was only $11 for the bourbon. After using the barrel just one time I was thinking of enlarging the bung hole to allow me to add medium toasted oak chips. I would then seal the enlarged bung hole with a properly sized wood dowel or a cork from a bottle of whiskey. Of course, I could just pour the whiskey into a jar and add the oak chips, but I want to reuse the oak barrel because it breathes and supposedly enhances the flavor.
Hey George, at what point do you kinda give up on a small leak. And or do you have any good tips on how to fix it.
Have you tried before charing to dry out the barrel and refill the barrel with vanilla and caramel extract and let it it set for a few weeks then dry out and char the barrel? I find that drying and resaturation of the wood with flavor enhancers like vaniila a few times brings back that flavor and paired with a recharing gets that roasted taste.
Of you've used the barrel to the point of it becoming neutral, as you mentioned, can't you add some of those charred chips into the barrel to get the same natural flavors from the wood and still have a functioning barrel? 🙏🏻🙏🏻
brilliantly presented..good job mate CHEERS !H
Hi Clyde here, I enjoyed your video very much. I'm now subscribed to your channel. And I have questions about the dimensions of staves, I really would like to make my own barrels. Looking forward to seeing more videos, and thank you.
Have you ever used something called “gaffers tape”? Infinitely superior product. No stretch. Doesn’t leave residue. It is a lot more expensive, but it’s about 15-20 usd for a 2”x60’ roll.
Great video! God is good! God bless!
Have an idea for older barrels, can you get some white oak pieces, char em and stick em in the barrel ?
another point of the size of the barrel. a part of it is purely marketing... they round the capacity up
My 3 liter barrel was 3300ml or 3.3 liters.
Can we put wooden chips inside the barrel for the second time around so as to retain some of the characteristics of a fresh barrel.
Hi George!
Once the tannins and vanillins are depleted, if I were to make my own replacement white oak barrel bottom and top, would that provide enough surface area for tannins and vanillins? Home-making new barrels wouldn't be worth the effort to me, but making new barrel heads would be relativity easy. Would it work to replace the barrel heads after every 5 or 6 uses?
Not sure. Give it a try and let us know how this works out.
What a great video..thanks
Hi I just have a question regarding the 2Ltr size barrel. I recently picked one up and am currently using it to age whiskey. How many times can an oak barrel be reused???
I was thinking the torch inside too but just thought I would call on your experience first to see if there were any other week tricks thanks
Are these barrels reusable and washable If yes then how can we wash and what liquids are available for washing them? Please let me know and is charring essential every time after having used them?
Great video George, being here in Texas, has anyone tried using charred mesquite wood to age spirits?
Great video! Thanks!
You can verify it. By sticking it in a bucket. And see what it displaces.
No, that would be it's extra wood displacement too, simply fill it and measure what comes out into a measuring jug.
Do you recommend scraping off any of the original char before recharring
Can you keep using spent barrel to mellow your shine?
What happens if I use a 2L virgin barrel, leave my spirits in it for too long. Say an entire year or 5? Would it then be unpalatable or unsafe at that point?
does it matter what proof it is when you place them in the barrels ? do I cut it with distilled water then put it in the barrel or do I put it directly in the barrel then cut it after it has picked up the wood flavor ?
Hey George! I have a 20L oak barrel just like the ones in this video. I filled it with water to seal. It probably sat for 2-3 months with the water in it before I was ready to fill it. I realize now I should’ve treated the water if It was going to sit that long. When I emptied it, it was full of algae or whatever the growth was. Is there anything I can do to clean it now? Even if I need to take it apart completely.
Use star san to sanitize it after you rinse it out with warm soapy water and clear water.
After StarSan I would nuke the thing with sulfur additionally.
Hi !, I´m look into a few tips to wash on barrels, I was reading a little about of brettanomyces and its relation with the wood, I pulled up that just the heat can remove it, I was watching this video and I see you use a blowtorch, is it enough ?, what other home stuff can I use to wash in ?, once I used alcohol 96° and burn it, can I only wash in with hot water ?, I´m a small batch brewer (Beer and Mead).
Once you have Brett, it will be hard to remove it. "Heat" is an insufficient method. While blow torching the wood to the point of combustion would kill Brett...and everything else, any wood not raised to this temperature could still potentially contain Brett and continue to impart taint to your spirit. Brett is actually an extremely tolerant genus, so heat, alcohol you name it rarely works completely. Barrel maintenance using sulfur pastilles, avoiding contact with dirt or cork, not leaving moist for extended periods of time would all assist in avoiding Brett. If you have Brett already. Bomb the thing with sulfur pastilles. Probably wont help too much, but it is worth a shot.
Perhaps a rubber band, a bike inner tube cut into a long strip, around the top of the barrel would help when reinserting the top. Like having π r hands helping out. I don't have a bareel so can't test that theory out.
Hey George can I use an old port barrel....
Some residue of port and simply ad my spirit to it
Thanks
Yes, absolutely
Hello George,
Im in tropical Cairns, Queensland, Australia. I bought a very cheap used and leaking barrel. On smelling it, it seems to have had a red wine or port in it, which i am happy about. After removing silicone sealant and heavy varnish from the barrel and soaking the whole barrel in water, and a few wooden toothpick repairs on it, it doesnt leak. My queston is, allowing its not a charred barrel, and i dont know how many times this barrel has been used and with what, Im wondering if a corn whiskey would go well in it? (the irish and scotts used old sherry barrels to mature a grain spirit-thanks to googling) By the way, I LOVE the wealth of information you impart in your videos. Thanks a lot, George.
Use some permanent steel wool in the bottom of your test tubes ( alcometer ) . That won’t ever break!
I was thinking about what you said about the recharing, what if you add some of the light woodchips in the barrel, that should give you the vanilla and other tastes that come out of the new barrel i think. the recharred barrel then only works for the collor, but the chips for the taste (sorry if my english is not perfect, but its not my first language)
+Erik Feenstra Would work but I would be worried about clogging up the spigot.
George
+Barley and Hops Maybe drop a suspended muslin sack (have the string tied off somewhere outside the top bung) with crushed char inside the barrel?
+Randall Schoverling That should prevent the spigot from getting clogged.
George
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing It will cut down capacity but adding a few toasted white oak sticks to the barrel before putting the end back on works well.
Hello, would you recommend barrelling certain homebrews in these smaller barrel models or does it only work for spirits and wines?
I don't know if you will answer questions anymore since it was so long ago this was posted but I'll try anyway. First, would it be better to scrape the old char off the inside before recharring? Second and this is a long one, I got a barrel for xmas a couple years ago. I filled it with water to soak till it stopped leaking and for health reasons I was unable to get it drained and filled with spirits so it sat with the water in it for a month before I drained it and put it away. Do you think it would have gotten moldy inside and spoiled or do you think it would have just dryed out and may still be useable?
I have never scraped any char before re-charring so I am not sure.
The health of your barrel may be in question. If you could wash it out and use some star-san to sanitize the inside I am confident that this will do.
Anytime I leave a barrel for a few months or so I always spray the inside to sanitize and then rinse it out. Star-san is a contact sanitizer so you don't need to soak it. Just spray a liberal amount inside the barrel and swish it around for a minute or so then rinse.
George
I had bad luck with 2 barrels I bought on Amazon. Both leaked after following the manufacturer instructions for sealing. Do you have a reliable source for a 20 liters barrel?
I have a 5L barrel, I do believe it is varnished, but mine looks like your 10L barrel! It started turning black around the hoops just a few days after I started curing it with hot water 😭 could there have been something wrong with my barrel in the first place or is this still normal to get some blackness pretty much as soon as you begin the curing process??
This is a natural thing. It is whisky fungus. Check out our video on this topic for more info. It is harmless
Fantastic
Do darker liquors really cause worse hangovers? Interested to know if you've keep half a run clear and darkened the other, and the science behind it. Thanks!
Not sure that this is true for everyone. I am aware that spirits commercially produced that have added blends do lend themselves to more hangovers. The congeners produced during distillation that give some spirits their unique flavor are routinely blamed. Clear spirits made at home tend to not produce these effects even if aged in oak for color and flavor.
I do believe that the majority of the hangover is due to dehydration and also the affect of mixtures added to drinks.
In the end - if you over do anything hangovers cannot be avoided all together.
I want some of those glasses, lol. What are they called and where can I buy them? (The drinking glasses, lol)
Trying to find a video to help me reassemble my barrel. It dried out and came apart completely
Would the varnish taint the spirit as it breathes?
Could they make a synthetic barrel and you just place a piece of white oak into it with every batch?
Tried to re-char my 3-liter barrel following these steps, and now I can’t get the hoops back on at all. All the staves have really opened outward. If I had to do it again I wouldn’t have removed as many hoops, or at least put the big ones back on once the end was out, before starting with the torch. Anyone have any good tricks for getting the hoops back on?
Use a ratchet strap and it should pull them back, the coopers use a wire rope wrapped around it drawn right.
George,
I've watched your distilling videos up thru Barrel Charring. The first one referred to making Rum but as the series continued, you had been calling it Spirit. How do you make the various spirits? Thanks, Mike
I have been looking for information about setting up a solera aging system for rum using 4 to 8 barrels. I can't find anything online; do you have any knowledge about this?
Wow, George you must had spent 1/10 of a second with that torch, it was so fast that you cold not have killed one bacteria.
Here is how you recondition a wine barrel:
Wine Barrel - Recondition & Toast by Tony Campanella Jan 25, 2017.
1.8 liters is pretty darn close to an actual 2 quarts. My guess is that the barrels were made to English measurements, but when switching to metric the makers just called it "liters".
First off, BEST VIDEOS ON THE WEB (on the subject). Some other folks' videos have some questionable content, but I know (by verifying on occasion with my own research) that I can always trust your info. My question is: How long with spirits "keep" in the barrel? I've got a 10yr old son and one more on the way. I thought it would be a neat idea to fill 3 barrels and age them all until the youngest is of drinking age (21 years and change). Provided the spout isn't jostled while in storage, will I get much evaporation in that amount of time? Also, what effects do light/temp have on aging?
You will lose a small amount over that time (maybe a large amount but that is all dependent o temp and conditions. You could always top-off the barrel every few years to keep it ful. There is no limit of how long you can store them. Anything is possible.
George
it will evaporate in about 90 to 120 days
Not sure if this works, but I read somewhere that the way the big whiskey makers keep some barrels for a decade or more for "special reserve" is to take them out of the open-air (not climate controlled) aging warehouse after an initial aging, then they put them into a climate controlled facility. There is still some loss over time, but it is reduced a lot.
So, keep the barrels in a place that will have relatively stable temperature and humidity year round, and try what George says and top it off as needed every few years, leaving it alone for the last 1-3 years so the maturity is really apparent. Also, I saw a vid of a guy using a heat gun to melt a block of bees wax onto the outside of the barrel to slow down the greedy angels even more.
Last thing I would guess might make a difference is using a larger barrel, 3-5 gallon. Otherwise you may end up with none of the original whiskey remaining by the time your youngest is grown since some is lost each year, then replaced with new spirits.
Good luck!
Rich Morrison pptn
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@@ihf7265 I haven't watched the video you speak of, but when I buy a new pair of sneakers, I get a tealight candle and rub it all over the material sections until they go white and I then hit them with the hairdryer and they become waterproof.
I wonder if you could do the same thing with these barrels, just rub a tealight candle all over them and hit it with a hairdryer to help seal it and give it a shine, rather than varnishing...?
thanks George also is there any way to rechar a barrel without taking it apart
I am not sure that is possible. I thought about inserting a torch to try to do this but that could cause a mini explosion of something goes wrong and I would not be able to see the level of charring taking place. I think the only real option is opening it up or for the cost of these maybe buying a new one is more effective.
George
B B and H you still read here ? isn't "varnish" and 'staining" like w thompson's water seal, close to same thing? and 2nd, the 'chips" wouldn't be for tequila as well for enchancing taste or color would it ? thank you sir, love the video...still holds up. -Chris
Varnish and thompson's water seal are not the same thing although I am not sure it would hurt anything. Varnish is the industry standard so I've stuck with it.
You can use the chips in tequila as well but it all depends on the flavor profile you are looking for.
George
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing thank you sir. why would anyone re scortch it? does it bring out the flavor possibilities for an old barrel. My small 'cabo wabo sammy hagar barrel " leaks a bit at nozzle...do you do repairs where i could ship it ?-chris
Can you age an already manufactured whiskey? Can you age it for a number of years? If so does get better or at a certain point does it no longer get better?
I have no idea.
I used a Canadian blended whiskey fortified to 90 proof with everclear in my 2 liter barrel for 3 months. It made it comparatively to a higher shelf whiskey.
Why not char the bottom or top and pieces?! MOre surface area!
Another thought I have is... Why cant some one sell fresh white oak bottom & top end pieces pre char'd as well?
It would give a thoroughly used barrel the opportunity to add oak, tannin, and vanillin flavors.
I would suggest you chuck in some of those Oak Chips while you have the thing open, you're the only one who'll know and it makes a barrel potentially re-usable indefinitely...
What happened cuz I stuck the spirit into the barrel and it sucked into the walls of it and evaporate it and I sealed It Off it's raining to that would happen when I want to go pour some out to see how it age there was nothing in the barrel I tried it again and the same thing happened seems like the battle shrunk and that's why the spirits dried up but I'm not sure about that either I don't know if you can make anything out of this conversation yet but it's crazy thank you Mike
What I think what happened is Spirit sucked into the walls of the barrel exhausted all the alcohol. And then I tried it again for another 6 months and the same thing happened again so I didn't use the barrel anymore and it seemed like the bands will lose from the barrel but as I look at the barrel there was no leakage for many of the scenes so the battle was tight I just didn't understand why it sucked up into the barrel it was chod because I looked at it before I put the spirit into it I don't know if this makes any sense to you but maybe you could figure it out thank you again Mike
Mike. The angels share would not take the whole barrel. You must have a leak. If there is no evidence of a leak underneath it then it is probably leaking/venting to the atmosphere at the top of the barrel.
For long storage I always wrap them in some plastic cling wrap to slow down any venting or leaking.
Great got to do this
I just bought my first barrel which is a 1 liter barrel. It has tacks in the rings of the barrel. Can you still disassemble them and rechar them or is it more trouble than its worth?
For the price of a 1 liter barrel I would just get a new one but yes you can open it and re-char it.
Man just buy oak chips,place 2-5 grams of it in 1 liter and it will do same job,it will release all that were lost in previous aging and drink will still age cause of oxidation process of barrel...
I have been chipping the distillate prior to putting into the barrel regardless of the barrel's age. Also I found a flexible head torch that I use to rechar the barrel without having to break it down. Works well for the small barrels.
@@paulhutchison6994 That's great. I haven't found a small enough torch for that yest. I still replace them more than re-char them anyway.