Preparing an oak barrel for storing moonshine. Preparing a barrel for use What to do with a new oak barrel

Tips and instructions for soaking oak barrels

Oak barrels are used for infusing wine and moonshine, in particular for additional purification of the drink, improving taste, giving a natural aroma and color.

Before using a new oak barrel for the first time, it must be steamed and soaked. This is done so that the container is washed and releases excess tannins and swelling.

Preparing a new oak barrel includes several stages:

1. Sealing the end parts of the rivets.

2. Steaming.

3. Soaking.

4. Washing with soda.

5. Rinsing with hot and cold water.

6. Filling with drink.

1. Sealing the end parts of the rivets. Sometimes some winemakers paint barrels with natural oil paint in order to reduce the evaporation of wine and make the barrels more durable. Painting will actually reduce evaporation and extend the life of wooden barrels. But this process has a rather serious drawback: when painting, the pores of the staves become clogged. This leads to the fact that the influence of air on the wine stops and thereby slows down and disrupts the correct course of maturation of the drink.

Sometimes some winemakers paint barrels with oil paint in order to reduce the evaporation of wine and make the barrels more durable. Painting actually reduces evaporation and extends the life of wooden barrels. But this process has a rather serious drawback: when painting, the pores of the staves become clogged. This leads to the fact that the influence of air on the wine stops and thereby slows down and disrupts the correct course of maturation of the drink.
Oil paint is applied before the steaming process, while the barrel is dry. After soaking, this procedure is difficult to perform because the wood becomes wet and the paint does not “take.” In this case, you will need to completely dry the container. The following parts of the barrel are standardly painted: the end of the staves, the junction of the staves and the bottom, as well as 14 cm of the bottom itself (depending on the size of the barrel) in a circle. This applies to both bottoms.

For white wines it is green, for reds it is red, for cognacs and spirits it is white. In private winemaking, paints of other colors, various varnishes, etc. are used. Thus, capillaries are sealed and oak barrels are marked at the same time. Please note that the paint must be applied efficiently, in several layers (improved coloring) in order to close all open capillaries.

2. Steaming.

After the sealing procedure, the oak barrel must be steamed with hot water steam. Steam accelerates the swelling process of the stave, and small cracks close faster, and the barrel is disinfected.

To do this, fill the barrel a third with boiling water and rock it so that the hot water “runs” along the inner walls of the barrel. Then the barrel is covered with a film, on which a thick cloth (blanket or quilted pad) is placed so that the barrel is well steamed. Hot water is left in the barrel until it stops producing steam (about 30 minutes). The top plug does not close tightly. After this, the water is drained through the top (fill) hole of the barrel by opening the tap at the bottom. If there is a plug instead of a tap, then it needs to be pulled out. This procedure is repeated again.

3. Soaking.

Soaking is necessary for the final swelling of the stave and for washing out excess tannins, which can oversaturate the drink with a bitter taste and color it dark brown.

The barrel is filled to the top with cold water and changed after 2-3 days until it stops turning the water brown and becomes light. This process can take 3-4 weeks. Drain the water through the top hole of the barrel by opening the tap. If there is a plug instead of a tap, then it needs to be pulled out.

4. Washing with soda.

After soaking, the oak barrel is washed with a hot 2% solution of soda ash (this is 20 g of soda per 1 liter of water or 200 g per 10 liters). The container should be filled approximately halfway with this solution. Soda should not be poured into the barrel, but poured in after dissolving it in a small amount of water. You can rinse an oak barrel by rocking it in your hands or rolling it on the ground for 30-40 minutes.

5. Rinsing with hot and cold water.

The solution of water and soda is poured out, and the wooden barrel is thoroughly rinsed with hot water several times until the soda is washed out and the water becomes absolutely clean. Then rinse with cold water to cool. The washed oak barrel must be turned over with the top hole down, the plugs are pulled out, the tap is opened and the remaining water is allowed to drain, after which it is immediately filled with wine.

Important Details

During the first days of soaking the barrel, water may leak out. Consider where it is best to prepare it, because water from an oak barrel can spoil the surface and stain it brown.

If at the beginning of soaking there are small leaks in the product, then the oak barrel must be topped up with water. The final closure of small cracks occurs on the 5-6th day of soaking. It is important to carefully inspect the barrel on this day. If it is still leaking, contact us.

A large oak barrel can be soaked by rolling it on the ground or other prepared surface, having previously considered the flooring so that the wood does not get dirty. It is easier and faster to pour water from the barrel through the top hole by opening the tap or pulling out the stopper (if there is a stopper instead of the tap). When the tap is replaced by a cork, attention must also be paid to its sealing, namely, painting the part that protrudes beyond the barrel. Alternatively, you can boil the cork in beeswax or paraffin.

Please note that the aging time of the drink in an oak barrel depends on its size and the number of times it is used. The smaller the barrel and the fewer times it has been used, the faster the drink will mature in it. Therefore, we advise you to periodically check the readiness of the poured product so that it does not overcook. Before pouring liquid for the first time, store the cooperage product carefully wrapped in plastic. The film will protect the oak container from drying out if your humidity level is less than 75% and the temperature is above +16 °. Please note that we are talking about a newly purchased product that has not yet been in contact with liquid.

Attention! Do not store oak cooperage products in a warm and dry place.

We emphasize! Compliance with the instructions is mandatory. Failure to comply with these rules deprives you of the opportunity to file claims for product malfunction.

The technology for the production of elite alcoholic beverages involves aging alcohol for a long time in an oak barrel so that the liquid filled with useful substances contained in wood.

The properties of wood are such that oxygen from the air easily penetrates into the middle of the container, enriching the drink located there. But there is no way back for alcohol vapor.

Small-capacity oak barrels used at home from 2 to 50 liters. At the same time, the alcohol matures faster, becoming saturated with the taste and aromatic properties that oak wood imparts to the drink.

The contact of each liter in a two-liter keg with the surface of the container is 400 sq. cm, and with a container volume of 50 liters the contact area is only 152 sq. cm. Therefore, for your own consumption it is better to purchase oak barrels up to 10 liters.

An oak barrel for moonshine must meet the following requirements:

optimal capacity for home needs – 2-50 liters;
container has been produced made of split oak wood along the grain. The price of the product directly depends on the growth of the tree. For example, wood from Serbia is quite expensive, but barrels made from oak grown in Russia, Slovenia, western Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Hungary are relatively cheap;
it is desirable that the inner surface is burned by fire not below average. The treatment helps release the aromas from the cheap wood. At the same time, medium roasting is characterized by the smell of vanilla, coconut, almond, caramel, which is suitable for converting moonshine from an oak barrel into, brandy. Strong firing releases aromas suitable for Calvados. The drink is saturated with the smell and taste of chocolate, cocoa, and the smoky aroma of prunes appears;
do not do it purchase products with inserted metal tap. If there is a leak at the point where it is connected, the entire drink can flow out in a fairly short time. If there is no other choice, it is recommended to remove the tap altogether by plugging the hole with a wooden gag;
better to choose waxed products. If you purchased an untreated oak barrel, you should carefully lubricate it with wax yourself. Wax does not prevent the wood from “breathing”, while at the same time protecting the product from damage;
the hoops on the barrel should fit tightly. The material is galvanized iron or stainless steel, since the environment in which the container is used is characterized by high humidity. If the hoops are loose, you need to carefully tap them around the circumference with a hammer, avoiding bending.

It is practically impossible to make an oak barrel with your own hands, since it requires special training, skill and work experience. It is necessary to take the purchase of a container seriously so that the wooden product lasts as long as possible.

What is the angels' share and how can I reduce it?

When aging moonshine in an oak barrel, natural evaporation of liquid. The amount of loss is 1 liter per year, regardless of the container volume. Therefore, it is undesirable to store alcohol in small containers for a long time: in 2 years the drink will completely disappear from a two-liter keg.

The evaporating volume was called angels' shares, each alcohol manufacturer tries to reduce this share without compromising the quality of the drink:

cracks are sealed with natural oils and paint;
the outer part of the oak barrel is treated with wax;
Moonshine should not be kept in a barrel for long. As soon as the drink acquires the desired qualities ( cognac color, softness, pleasant aroma), it is recommended to pour the liquid into glass bottles. Further infusion and storage of moonshine occurs in another container.

The strength of the drink depends on the storage conditions:

at high humidity (65-75%), moonshine becomes less strong, but the proportion of angels also decreases;
if alcohol is stored at room temperature (20-25 °C), then its maturation occurs faster, the strength increases, but natural evaporation is also higher.

Preparing a new barrel

A new product is not suitable for immediately filling it with moonshine. Should carry out pre-treatment keg to reduce tannin content.

Preparing an oak barrel for moonshine includes several mandatory operations:

Soaking product allows you to detect and correct defects in the barrel. In addition, components that are unnecessary for infusing alcoholic raw materials (tannins, dyes, tart substances) pass into the water.
Steaming, in addition to waxed containers, helps clean the container from harmful bacteria that can harm homemade alcohol.
Drying The finished product ensures long-term use of oak containers to obtain a tasty alcoholic drink.

Oak containers should first be soaked every day, filling the container to the top with water and leaving it in the barrel for a day. Then it is recommended to extend the infusion period of the aqueous content to 2-5 days. After half a month, the water infused in the container should be absolutely transparent, colorless and have no foreign odor.

The second stage begins with steaming the inside of the barrel with boiling water (preferably steam). The container is filled halfway with boiling water with the addition of baking soda, the amount of which is approximately 10% of the volume of liquid.

The inner walls are thoroughly washed with a hot soda solution by rolling the barrel on the ground on its side. Then you need to rinse off the soda solution with hot water.

The oak product is washed several times with clean warm or cold water. Storage conditions for containers must meet the following characteristics:

air humidity about 75%;
absence of drafts and direct sunlight;
temperature range from 10 to 15°C.

How to use the secondary container?

How to prepare an oak barrel for infusing moonshine when reusing:

it is necessary to rinse the container several times with clean, cool water;
roll the barrel on its side, filling it halfway with boiling water;
remove the remaining cream of tartar with a hot solution of soda (2%);
Rinse the product thoroughly to remove soda residue several times;
After storing red wine in a container, it is advisable to treat its inner surface with a 2% solution of bleach. Then rinse the wooden surface with boiling water and treat with steam;
rinse again with cold water and leave to dry outside in direct sunlight.

If the treatment does not help get rid of the sour musty smell, you should burn the inside and wash the container in the same way as for a new product. The use of secondary containers is preferable for infusing moonshine. Barrels after Sherry enjoy particular authority.

A properly prepared oak barrel can last for several years, providing homemade alcohol with the unique aroma of noble drinks.

Despite the fact that oak barrels are considered the most suitable, durable and reliable containers, they cannot be used immediately after purchase. If you did not receive a new product, you should conduct an external inspection, which should reveal important defects. Particular attention should be paid to hoops. If they are not located where they should be, they need to be knocked out. This preparation of the barrel involves the use of special hammers and hammers.

Preparing a newoak barrelfor the preparation of whiskey and cognac - an important step towards obtaining quality drinks. The fresh product contains a lot of tannins, especially in the stave. To eliminate them, soaking is carried out. Otherwise, the wine or distillate will be spoiled and acquire an overly tart taste. And no one wants to transfer a large batch of raw materials and waste a lot of time!

High-quality preparation of an oak barrel for moonshine allows you to get rid of another problem - cracks. They are not defective, they are natural small gaps that are inherent in any new container. Therefore, both a large barrel and a small jug require steaming and washing, which amounts to pouring water over the container. This helps the wood to swell, cracks and gaps are eliminated naturally. Further, during aging and storage of wine/cognac/moonshine, the optimal level of humidity will be maintained without human intervention.

Preparing a barrel for cognac: steaming stage

Many people, out of ignorance, make the same mistake - pour water to the brim, i.e. A 50-liter container is filled with 50 liters of water. Proper steaming begins with using a small amount of boiling water. So, for every 10 liters of volume, take 1-2 liters of boiling water.
After pouring, you must carefully roll the barrel or shake it (in the case of a small jug) until the steam stops rising. This indicates that the wood is absorbing water. This preparation of an oak barrel must be repeated several times. Those. You have to heat the water, pour it in, wait for the water to cool, pour it out - and so on in a circle 3-4 times.

Preparing a barrel for cognac: soaking stage

After steaming, it is necessary to soak the new product well. On the one hand, this allows it to be saturated with the necessary moisture, and on the other hand, it allows you to eliminate unnecessary tannins. Initially, the container is filled with cold water. It should be changed every day, the procedure is carried out until the liquid stops being colored. Some experts advise preparing oak barrels and jugs for use using warm water. This will speed up the process of releasing tannins.

After this, you should rinse with a 20% alcohol solution, or better yet, leave it in a container for 5 weeks. For such purposes, it is worth using a well-purified distillate after double distillation, diluted with water. Low-quality raw materials or technical alcohol can have a bad effect on the quality of future drinks. After all, the preparation of an oak barrel for moonshine, cognac and other drinks is carried out with the aim of cleaning it, and not contaminating it with fusel impurities! If there is not enough alcohol water, you can rinse with a baking soda solution. At the same time, only 2 grams are taken per 1 liter of water. soda, and the container is filled to only 1/3 of the volume.

During the soaking process, the container may leak, which is normal. This does not mean that you purchased a defective product. Microcracks after swelling of the wood are repaired on their own, and you get a high-quality and well-prepared barrel. After the above procedures, the container is rinsed again with boiling water. But even after this, you cannot immediately pour drinks into it. Surfaces, both internal and external, should be slightly dried naturally.

In order for the further operation of the oak barrel to be correct, all alcoholic beverages must be made from pure water. Tap water before filtration contains a lot of chlorine and heavy metals, which can settle on the walls. Therefore, both steaming and infusion should ideally be carried out using clean spring or filtered water.

Preparing an oak barrel for moonshine: eliminating defects

The new product may have too large gaps. A leak may also be the result of improper preparation of an oak barrel. If the container begins to leak after pouring moonshine or cognac, you should not expect a natural reduction in the gaps as a result of swelling of the wood. In order not to lose a valuable product, you should immediately pour it into another container.

The next step is to dry the defective area; a household hair dryer is also suitable for such purposes. But the air should not be too hot, so the device should be kept at a distance of 30-40 cm. Then the leak area must be treated with wax, which is sold in beekeeping departments. It is worth coating the surface several times, after each, waiting until the beeswax dries. Immediately before the procedure, the product should be heated in a water bath so that it melts well, but you should not allow it to boil. The most convenient way to apply wax is with an art brush with natural bristles. Careful preparation of an oak barrel for use is carried out according to this scheme only once. But during operation, it is equally important to properly care for the wood and maintain its properties.

Empty drum storage

Moving, transportation, simple containers - all this means that an oak barrel will stand for some time without an alcoholic drink. To prevent it from losing its qualities, you should properly store an empty container made of natural wood. In order not to prepare the cognac barrel every time, after draining the residue, it must be filled with clean water to ¼ volume. The jug or barrel must be rolled with liquid so that the walls are well washed. Afterwards the water is drained and the procedure is repeated 3-4 times. It is very important to achieve clean water, i.e. it should stop staining, which indicates high-quality washing of the container.

The next step is to pour hot water into the barrel and add baking soda. The proportions are shown above. Then you need to roll the barrel, rinse it again with cold water and leave it to dry. Dryor the barrel needs to be wrapped in woven cloth and placed in a dark place until used.

Before long-term storage, experts advise fumigating the container with sulfur. This will prevent the appearance of insects and the growth of fungi and harmful microorganisms. But for prevention, in any case, the barrel is stored in a dry, cool room where high-quality ventilation is organized. If you cannot avoid the wood from drying out, you should fill the container with cool water.

What you need to know about oak barrel depletion?

Everyone knows that with each new time of aging young alcohol in a wooden container, it takes more and more time to “work.” The process of transferring valuable components to the drink slows down significantly. But how many cycles can 1 good container withstand?

A noticeable difference in infusion time can be felt after the third time. Repeated use does not affect the strength characteristics in any way. A barrel can serve as a vessel for homemade alcoholic beverages for a very long time. It is worth considering that the inner surface of the rivets becomes thinner over time, so if you have not purchased a new product, you must carefully check it before use. SpecialistsAlkopribor companyrecommends not to hastily part with a barrel that has gone through 6-7 aging cycles. This container is optimal for infusing alcohol on oak chips, which can be purchased in our online store.

If you don’t know how long wines and spirits should be aged, you should follow special rules. So, to obtain Calvados and cognac, moonshine should be infused for 3 to 6 months at a concentration of 5-30 g. oak chips per 1 dm 3. If you intend to make red wine (fortified, table or dessert - it doesn’t matter), the drink must be infused in a barrel for at least 6 days with a maximum period of 1 month. In this case, chips should be taken at the rate of 1 gram. per 1 dm 3. For white table wines, the smallest amount of chips is required - from 0.3 g. up to 1 gr. to the above volume. In this case, homemade drinks are aged for 1-2 weeks.

Storage conditions for homemade drinks in barrels

If you have correctly prepared an oak barrel for moonshine or cognac, wine or Calvados, you should not leave the aging process to chance. For such noble containers, you should choose cool rooms with moderate humidity; of course, the presence of heat sources near the container is excluded. Even if it is a basement, air circulation must be ensured, and homemade drinks should be protected from drafts.

The Angel's Share is important in home beverage storage. This concept refers to evaporation. A loss of 5-10% alcohol within 12 months is considered normal. Thus, if you put 50 liters of cognac, after 1 year there may be 45 liters in the barrel, and this is normal. But if you leave the barrel in a dry room, for example, in an apartment, then losses over the same period can reach 70%. The rate of evaporation largely depends on the area of the liquid. In small containers (barrels, jugs), less volume is lost, but the maturation of alcohols also proceeds more slowly.

Optimal air humidity levels are considered to be from 80% to 85%. In this case, the room temperature should be no more than 17°C, but not less than 10°C. In order not to waste time on experiments, it is better to listen to the advice of professionals. It is known that cognac matures better and of higher quality at 16°C. But for wine and low-strength drinks, it is worth maintaining the temperature at 12°C. It is not difficult to organize such conditions if you think about the ventilation, the area of the room and use a standard household thermometer for control. At lower temperatures, ripening is inhibited, and higher temperatures increase the rate of evaporation. To maintain humidity, you can install several containers of water in close proximity to the barrel.

Is it really impossible to use an oak barrel in an apartment? Can. In order for the drinks to be of high quality and the containers not to spoil, it is necessary to take into account certain nuances. And proper preparation of an oak barrel for use in an apartment is one of them. The pre-steamed and soaked barrel should be coated with a thin layer of beeswax. The bottom and chimes are also processed. It is worth leaving only a couple of rivets in the lower part waxed, because... Gas exchange is still required. By following simple recommendations, you can use the barrel in any home, and you will receive drinks of the highest quality.

After releasing the barrel from long-term aging of moonshine or wine, the structure becomes saturated with an unpleasant odor over time and may turn sour or become rotten. In this article we will discuss the proper care of an oak barrel: cleaning it and preparing it for the next filling.

Barrel durability

How long a cooper's product will last depends only on you. Proper care and storage of the barrel in comfortable conditions will ensure longer service life of the structure.

To reuse an oak vessel, several washing steps must be carried out. If wine was stored in a barrel, it can be further treated with sulfur or alcohol gases and cleaned of wine residues using a soda solution.

Barrel care rules:

store a new barrel in polyethylene;
after the wine, rinse the barrel and light the sulfur;
strong alcohol greatly depletes oak barrels (do not keep the vessels empty);
store containers in a humid room (75-80%);
distance between barrels 500 mm;
wooden vessels should be on racks or pallets;
If the barrel has been sitting idle for a long time, check for mold.

Cleaning a barrel from mold

If there is a slight build-up of mold, the wooden barrel must be cleaned immediately. Even if the fungal growth is very small, it can spoil the taste of an alcoholic drink or, much worse, affect human health.

There are different stages of neglect: yellow and white coating.

Even after thoroughly cleaning the container from yellow mold, black areas will remain on the walls, this indicates that the oak structure is already invariably affected by mold that cannot be removed. It is better not to store wine in a damaged vessel.

If, when cleaning the barrel from white deposits, no dirt remains, it means that it has not been spoiled and can be further used for its intended purpose.

Preventive measures for the care of wooden barrels involve frequent steaming or rinsing with plain water. But it is necessary to take into account that such a procedure can only be performed after complete removal of traces of mold, otherwise the vessel will become saturated with unpleasant odors, which will then affect the taste of the drink. First, we completely scrape off the mold, and only then we perform several stages of washing with cold and hot water (you can also use a soda solution).

Cleaning method No. 1

This method involves treating the inner walls with charring. To do this, we take several grape stems and burn them inside a wooden structure. After this manipulation, it is necessary to clean the oak barrel, since a small layer of soot forms on the walls; carefully scrape it out with a convenient tool. The second stage is steaming: fill the vessel with boiling water and add oak shavings. After several hours, pour out the contents and fill with cold water for a day.

Cleaning method No. 2

Evaporation using sulfuric acid solution. To do this, you need to dismantle the bottom of the barrel and thoroughly clean the inner walls (you can use a tin sponge). To do this, dilute the water with sulfuric acid (for 1 bucket of water - 12 g of acid).

Over the next hour and a half, you need to shake the barrel and roll it on the ground so that the solution touches the entire internal area. Then we drain the solution to rinse the oak barrel with water. Turn it upside down until completely dry and repeat the rinsing procedure.

The next step will be washing with a carbon solution. Take 10 liters of water and 2 kilograms of bone charcoal and mix. Using the prepared solution, rinse the walls from the inside. Rinse in cold water and leave to dry.

The level of mold damage to a wooden vessel determines how much effort will have to be made to remove it. Sometimes a good cleaning with a hard sponge is enough to eliminate the smell. In more advanced cases, it is recommended to smoke the pickling barrel with sulfur. By the way, this method also helps to clean an oak barrel from the smell of moonshine or wine.

Cleaning a barrel from rot

To remove rotten areas, you should use the method of burning grape stems (as in the first method of removing mold). In particularly advanced cases, it is better to re-plane all the rivets; process the ribs.

The reliability of this vessel is questionable, especially if it is planned to age wine products in it in the future. The wine may taste rotten.

Cleaning a sour barrel

To clean the inside of an oak barrel, it is necessary to carry out several stages of steaming.

The first stage involves evaporation with a solution containing a large amount of soda. For 20 liters of hot water you need 300 grams of soda ash. Stir and pour the prepared solution into the barrel for 2 hours.

The second stage is evaporation with ordinary water. After the procedure, rinse with cold water. To check whether the acid has actually been removed, litmus paper is used.

We repeat the evaporation procedure with soda again if the acid was not removed the first time. If after several results there is no effect, discard the barrel; it is no longer suitable for aging wine.

Yeast cleanup

Yeast sticks very strongly to the bottom staves of the barrel and no amount of washing or steaming washes it out, the question arises: “How to clean an oak barrel from stuck yeast?” In this case, it is better to disconnect the bottom and remove the plaque with strong friction. Then steam the vessel with a lime solution. Dilute 70 grams of lime disulfate in 5 liters of water, stirring well. We remove the solution from the barrel, rinse it and set it to dry.

Remember to rinse the barrels after each use to prevent them from drying out.
Carry out preventive procedures to remove acidity and odors from barrels every six months;
We treat with sulfur gas once every 1-2 months.

05.05.2018

buy an oak barrel , preparation and operation.

how to choose an oak barrel

Preparing an oak barreloak barrel

Oak barrels use

At first glance it is very simple buy an oak barrel, choose any one marked “oak”, pour your distillate into it and wait for that desired day when you can start tasting the finished drink. Unfortunately, if the awareness is not complete, sometimes this happens, but the result discourages any desire to repeat such an experiment. How to make good whiskey, Calvados or rum aged in a barrel and get a decent result. To do this, we will consider 3 main points: choice , preparation and operation.

So we need to start with a question -how to choose an oak barrel? Firstly, coopers use rocky and petiolate varieties of wood to make oak barrels. The standard age of a tree is considered to be at least 90 years; it is best suited for barrels for strong alcoholic drinks. Next, you need to pay attention to the method of making the barrel. A sawn or chipped product is best considered chipped, as all natural qualities are preserved. And the last important indicator is the firing of the wood. It is believed that wood will give off its qualities if it was fired over an open fire, then such a product is simply extinguished with water.

There are 3 types of barrel firing: 1. Light - suitable for aging wine, 2. Medium - suitable for cognac, whiskey, rum and Calvados, 3. suitable for - some types of cognac, wine, whiskey and fruit grappa.

Types of barrel firing and purpose:

Also note that when firing over a single fire there are no gaps between the staves; if you see gaps, this means that each stave was fired separately.

Preparing an oak barrel- it’s a painstaking matter. Here you first need to understand how long the cooper’s product was in its finished state. The longer the barrel lay in the warehouse, the more it lost moisture and, accordingly, the longer it will have to be soaked until the leak stops (the rivets will fit into the grooves). We also need to get rid of excess burning, for this we need to pour and drain water once every couple of days. Approximately the preparation will take about 2 weeks, it all also depends on the volume of the product. Some distillers recommend steaming the barrel first before filling it with water. To do this, we put a heat-resistant hose on any kettle and direct the other end into the barrel. Afterwards it is advisable to filloak barrelfruit drink, priority dry wine. The wine will absorb the harsh woody flavors and give off fruity notes to the barrel. Afterwards, the wine will not be suitable for drinking, but it can be safely distilled in your distiller.

Buy an oak barrel for moonshine in Moscow and other cities of Russia is not so easy, the main thing is to find the right supplier.

Oak barrels useat home. First of all, you need to remember that a barrel has its own life cycle on average - this is 4 times, 5 times simply does not have enough of its properties. But you can add it to the barrel and then even the 5th time you can achieve the desired result. The ripening period of elite alcoholic beverages directly depends on the size of the barrel and, of course, the recipe for the drink.

Table of the relationship between barrel size and aging period:

Types of barrel firing and purpose:

Also note that when firing over a single fire there are no gaps between the staves; if you see gaps, this means that each stave was fired separately.

Buy an oak barrel for moonshine in Moscow and other cities of Russia is not so easy, the main thing is to find the right supplier.

Table of the relationship between barrel size and aging period:

Types of barrel firing and purpose:

Also note that when firing over a single fire there are no gaps between the staves; if you see gaps, this means that each stave was fired separately.

Buy an oak barrel for moonshine in Moscow and other cities of Russia is not so easy, the main thing is to find the right supplier.

, preparation and operation.

Types of barrel firing and purpose:

Also note that when firing over a single fire there are no gaps between the staves; if you see gaps, this means that each stave was fired separately.

Buy an oak barrel for moonshine in Moscow and other cities of Russia is not so easy, the main thing is to find the right supplier.

Table of the relationship between barrel size and aging period: