After the barrel is released from long-term aging of moonshine or wine, the structure becomes impregnated with an unpleasant odor over time, it can 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 the cooperage product will last is up to you. Proper Care and storage of the barrel in comfortable conditions will ensure a longer performance of the structure.
For reuse oak vessel, it is necessary to carry out several stages of washing. If wine was stored in a barrel, it is subjected to additional processing with sulfur or alcohol gases, and it is cleaned of wine residues with a solution of soda.
Barrel care rules:
- store a new barrel in polyethylene;
- after the wine, we wash the barrel and smoke sulfur;
- strong alcohol greatly depletes oak barrels (do not keep the vessels empty);
- we 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 idle for a long time, check for mold.
Mold barrel cleaning
If there is a small amount of mold, the wooden barrel must be cleaned immediately. Even if the fungal formation is very small, it can spoil the taste of an alcoholic drink or, worse, affect human health.
There are different stages of neglect: a touch of yellow and white.
Even after a thorough cleaning of 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 spoiled vessel.
If, when cleaning the barrel from white deposits, there is no dirt left, therefore, it has not been spoiled and can be further used for its intended purpose.
Preventive care measures wooden barrels involve frequent steaming or rinsing plain water. But it must be taken into account that such a procedure can be performed only after the complete removal of traces of mold, otherwise the vessel will be saturated 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 solution of soda).
Cleaning Method #1
This method involves the treatment of internal walls by charring. To do this, we take several grape chibouks and burn them inside a wooden structure. After this manipulation, it is necessary to clean oak barrel, since a small layer of burning is formed on the walls; carefully scrape it out with a handy tool. The second stage is steaming: fill the vessel with boiling water and add oak shavings. After a few hours, pour out the contents and fill cold water for a day.
Cleaning method No. 2
Evaporation with sulfuric acid solution. To do this, it is necessary 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 inner area. Then drain the solution to rinse the oak barrel with water. Turn upside down until completely dry and repeat the rinsing procedure.
The next step will be washing with a charcoal solution. We take 10 liters of water and 2 kilograms of bone charcoal, mix. Using the prepared solution, rinse the walls from the inside. Rinse in cold water and leave to dry.
The level of damage to a wooden vessel by mold depends on how much effort will have to be made to remove it. Sometimes, to eliminate the smell, a good cleaning with a hard sponge is enough. In more advanced cases, it is recommended to give the barrel for salting to smoking with sulfur. By the way, this method also helps to clean the oak barrel from the smell of moonshine or wine.
Cleaning the barrel from rot
To remove rotten areas, you should use the method of burning grape chibouks (as in the first method for removing mold). In a particularly neglected case, it is better to reshape all the rivets; process ribs.
The reliability of this vessel is questionable, especially if it is planned to age wine products in it in the future. Wine can be saturated with a rotten taste.
Cleaning a sour barrel
To clean the inside of an oak barrel, it is necessary to carry out several stages of steaming.
The first step consists in evaporating with a solution containing a large number of soda. For 20 liters hot water you need 300 grams of soda ash. Stir and pour the finished solution into a barrel for 2 hours.
The second stage is evaporation with plain water. After the procedure - rinse with cold water. To check whether the acid has really been removed, litmus paper is used.
We repeat the procedure for evaporating with soda again if the acid was not removed the first time. If after several results there is no effect, dispose of the barrel, it is no longer suitable for aging wine.
Yeast cleaning
Yeast sticks very strongly to the lower staves of the barrel and is not washed out by any washing or steaming, the question arises: “How to clean an oak barrel from adhering yeast?”. In this case, it is better to detach the bottom, and remove the plaque with strong friction. Then we steam the vessel with a solution of lime. We dilute 70 grams of disulphate lime in 5 liters of water, mixing well. We remove the solution from the barrel, rinse and set to dry.
- Remember to rinse the barrels after each use to keep them from drying out.
- Carry out preventive procedures to remove acidity and odors from barrels every six months;
- We do sulfuric gas treatment every 1-2 months.
It seems to many that this is an easy-to-use container, pouring into which an alcohol-containing liquid turns out something incredibly tasty. In general, this is true, but in order to obtain a fragrant drink that arouses admiration, you must first prepare an oak barrel for maximum efficiency and long-term use.
The preparation of any cooperage product - oak barrels, jugs, baklags, tubs - begins with soaking. Only after oak barrel soaking, you can use it.
Initially, the new oak product contains a large amount of tannins, and if you immediately pour distillate, wine or other alcoholic beverage into the barrel, it will acquire a very tart taste. Therefore, a barrel (jug, baklaga) is filled with cold water and soaked for 2-4 weeks. Water in an oak product is recommended to be changed every 1-2 days. long barrel maceration it is allowed to prepare the oak for the most correct and effective interaction with the alcohol-containing mixture. It is allowed to pour hot water into the barrel, which will speed up the process of preparing the cooperage product for use.
It should be noted that at the beginning barrel soaking it is possible to leak through the gaps between the rivets. This is not a marriage. It is necessary to add water to the barrel several times a day until the leak stops completely. Having swollen, oak riveting will close all the cracks.
After soaking, the oak barrel must be washed with a solution of hot water and soda ash. This procedure will rid the barrel of microorganisms and bacteria that are undesirable for infusion of alcoholic beverages, which can give the drink unwanted odors. For this you need fill an oak barrel one third of boiling water and add soda ash at the rate of 2 grams per 1 liter of water. Close the lid tightly and roll the barrel thoroughly so that hot water rinses the staves. After that, it is necessary to drain the water and thoroughly rinse the barrel with clean drinking hot and then cold water. If possible, you can steam the barrel. To do this, you need to fill the barrel halfway with water, add soda and bring steam into it through a hose and bring the water to a boil.
So your oak product ready to use. You can pour strong distillate into it for a short time, or you can continue preparing and soak a barrel alcohol-containing mixture (strength up to 15-25%) for 5-6 weeks. After that, strong distillate can be poured into the barrel for a long time to create truly exquisite, aromatic drinks!
The barrel with a drink must be stored away from heat sources, in a cool, damp room with easy air circulation.
In case you do not plan to use it soon, it is advisable to fumigate it with sulfur to prevent the development of microorganisms and also store it in a cool, humid place.
After each use, your cooperage product must be washed and scalded with boiling water using soda ash.
Preparing an oak barrel to use, give freedom to creativity and you will get aromatic drinks that will delight and surprise the most demanding connoisseurs!
Why can't you use a barrel without special training?
The wood of a new barrel, not yet processed by a special technology, contains a lot of tannins - tannins. Their concentration must be reduced by soaking and steaming, otherwise their effect may spoil the poured drink. Such a drink usually becomes cloudy, it has a tart taste, the smell changes, in the people such a drink is called "plinth". If you want to produce quality delicious drink, you should properly prepare the barrel for use. Preparation usually takes place in three stages: soaking, steaming and installationsoaking
Soaking an oak barrel is carried out according to the following technology:- A third of its volume should be poured with boiling water, withstand literally half an hour.
- Swing it so that the water washes the entire inner surface, after which up to 90% of its volume should be filled with cold water. This action will help to identify the integrity of the barrel by examining it around the perimeter of the rings. In this case, a slight leak is not critical, since during the soaking process the wood of the barrel will swell and the flow will soon stop.
- Then it should be poured cold water and change every 24 hours until the drained water is clear, odorless and tasteless. In total, this process takes from two to six weeks. At the same time, the smaller the barrel, the faster the tannins will come out of it, it will soak faster.
The next step in preparing a new barrel will be her steaming or treatment with soda solution. Solution processing is done as follows:
- boil water up to 50% of the volume of the barrel, then cool to 70-75°C
- add soda (20 grams per 1 liter), mix and pour into a barrel.
- Shake the barrel vigorously for 8-10 minutes, then drain the soda solution.
- To rinse the barrel after treatment with a soda solution, it is necessary to fill it with hot water almost to the entire volume, hold it for 15 minutes, drain it, and fill it again with clean cold water, which should be poured out after 8-10 hours.
Waxing At the same stage, the barrel should send off, if the cask is not yet bled.
Waxing will help to clog the small gaps left after soaking on the barrel, to make it look more beautiful. In our store you can buy already waxed and fired barrels.
Installation
final stage preparation of the barrel for use is its installation. It is best to install it in a room with a temperature of 15-20 degrees Celsius, while air humidity should be at least 75-85%. If the room is large in area, it is necessary to have a constant source of moisture in the immediate vicinity of the barrel, such a source can be a filled bucket or basin. It is necessary to maintain humidity in the room to reduce the evaporation of alcohol during aging, as well as to regulate its strength, since in a dry room the strength of the drink can reach up to 75 °, while in a wet room it will keep an average of 35-40 °. After that, oak barrels are usually placed on special wooden stands about 50-60 centimeters high.
Thus, when buying an oak barrel, you need to tune in in advance that its preparation will take enough time. long time(about 3-6 weeks). At the first stage, it must be soaked, the larger the barrel, the longer it will soak. At the second stage, it is necessary to treat it with a soda solution, this action will replace the steaming, which is carried out at this stage in open-type barrels. Installation also requires special conditions - it is advisable to choose a free room with good humidity and not very high temperature. For these purposes, a cellar or basement is well suited.
If you have not yet decided on the choice of an oak barrel or do not know which barrel to choose for a particular drink, we advise you to read the article "How to choose the right oak barrel".
Despite the fact that oak barrels are considered the most suitable, durable and reliable containers, they cannot be used immediately after purchase. If you received a non-new product, you should conduct an external inspection, which should reveal important defects. Particular attention should be paid to the hoops. If they are not located where they should be, they must be knocked out. This preparation of the barrel involves the use of special heels and a hammer.
Preparing a newoak barrelfor the preparation of whiskey and cognac - an important stage on the way to obtaining quality drinks. A fresh product contains a lot of tannins, especially in riveting. To eliminate them, soaking is carried out. Otherwise, the wine or distillate will be spoiled, acquire an excessively 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 a marriage, these are natural small gaps that are inherent in any new container. Therefore, both a large barrel and a small jug need steaming and rinsing, which boils down to spilling the container with water. This helps the wood to swell, cracks and gaps are eliminated naturally. Further, during aging and storage of wine / cognac / moonshine optimal level humidity will be maintained without human intervention.
Preparing a barrel for cognac: the steaming stage
Many unknowingly make the same mistake - they pour water to the brim, i.e. A 50-liter container is filled with 50 liters of water. Proper steaming starts with the use of a small amount boiling water. So, for every 10 liters of volume, 1-2 liters of boiling water are taken. 
After pouring, it is necessary to carefully roll the barrel or shake it (in the case of a small jug) until the steam stops rising. This indicates the absorption of water by the wood. This preparation of an oak barrel must be repeated several times. Those. You have to heat the water, pour it in, wait until the water cools down, 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 staining. Some experts advise preparing oak barrels and jugs for use with warm water. This will speed up the release of tannins.
After that, rinse with an alcohol solution of 20%, and it is better to leave it for 5 weeks in a container. 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 adversely affect the quality of future drinks. After all, the preparation of an oak barrel for moonshine, cognac and other drinks is carried out in order to cleanse it, and not to contaminate it with fusel impurities! If there is not enough alcohol water, you can rinse with a solution baking soda. At the same time, only 2 grams are taken per 1 liter of water. soda, and the container is filled with only 1/3 of the volume.
During the soaking process, the container may leak, which is normal. This does not mean that you have purchased a defective product. Microcracks after swelling of the wood are stopped by themselves, 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 that, you can’t immediately pour drinks into it. Surfaces, both internal and external, should dry slightly naturally.
In order for the further operation of the oak barrel to be correct, all alcoholic beverages must be made on the basis of pure water. IN tap water before filtration contains a lot of chlorine and heavy metals that can settle on the walls. Therefore, both steaming and steeping should ideally be done using pure spring or filtered water.
Preparing an oak barrel for moonshine: eliminating defects
The new product may have too large gaps. Also, a leak can be the result of improper preparation of an oak barrel. If the container began to leak after pouring moonshine or cognac, you should not wait for a natural decrease in gaps as a result of swelling of the wood. In order not to lose valuable product, it is worth immediately pouring it into another container.
At the next stage, the defective place should be dried; a household hair dryer is also suitable for such purposes. But the air should not be too hot, so keep the device at a distance of 30-40 cm. Then the area of the leak must be treated with wax, which is sold in beekeeping departments. It is worth smearing 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 boiling should not be allowed. It is most convenient to apply wax with an artistic brush with natural bristles. Careful preparation of an oak barrel for use is carried out according to this scheme only 1 time. But during operation, it is equally important to properly care for the wood and maintain its properties.
Empty barrel storage
Moving, transportation, simple packaging - all this means that an oak barrel will stand for some time without alcoholic drink. So that it does not lose its qualities, you should properly store an empty container made of natural wood. In order not to prepare the barrel for cognac every time, after draining the residues, it must be filled with clean water to ¼ volume. A jug or barrel must be rolled with liquid so that the walls are well washed. After the water is drained, and the procedure is repeated 3-4 times. It is very important to achieve purity of water, i.e. it should stop staining, which indicates a 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 again with cold water and leave to dry. Dryor the barrel needs to be wrapped in a woven fabric and placed in a dark place until use.
Before long-term storage experts advise to fumigate the container with sulfur. This will prevent the appearance of insects and the growth of fungi, harmful microorganisms. But for prevention, in any case, the barrel is stored in a dry, cool room, where high-quality ventilation is organized. If it was not possible to avoid drying out of the wood, it is worth filling the container with cool water.
What you need to know about depleting an oak barrel?
Everyone knows that with each new aging of young alcohol in a wooden container, more and more time is required for "work". The process of transferring valuable components to the drink is significantly slowed down. 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 should be borne in mind that the inner surface of the rivets becomes thinner over time, so if you purchased a non-new product, you must carefully check it before use. SpecialistsAlkopribor companyrecommends not to hastily part with a barrel that has passed 6-7 exposure cycles. This capacity is optimal for infusing alcohols on oak chips, which you can buy in our online store.
If you do not 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 does not 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 gr. for 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. At the same time, homemade drinks are aged for 1-2 weeks.
Storage conditions for home-made drinks in barrels
If you have correctly prepared an oak barrel for moonshine or cognac, wine or calvados, you should not let the aging process take its course. For such a noble container, you should choose cool rooms with moderate humidity, of course, the presence of heat sources near the container is excluded. Even if this is a basement, air circulation must be ensured, while it is worth protecting homemade drinks from drafts.
"Angel's Share" is essential in home storage drinks. This concept refers to evaporation. The loss of 5-10% of alcohols 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 a small container (barrels, jugs) less is lost in volume, but the aging of alcohols proceeds more slowly.
Optimum indicators of air humidity are considered from 80% to 85%. In this case, the temperature in the room 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 better at 16°C. But for wine and drinks of a small strength, it is worth maintaining the temperature at around 12 ° C. It is not difficult to organize such conditions if you consider ventilation, the area of \u200b\u200bthe room and use a standard household thermometer for control. At lower temperatures, maturation is inhibited, and higher rates increase the intensity of evaporation. To maintain humidity, you can install several containers of water in the immediate vicinity of the keg.
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 container not to deteriorate, certain nuances must be taken into account. And the proper preparation of an oak barrel for use in an apartment is one of them. A 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. Following simple recommendations, You can use the barrel in any home, and at the same time you will receive the highest quality drinks.
An oak barrel is a classic container, proven over the centuries, perfect for storing wine, cognac and other spirits. A well-made oak barrel soaked in accordance with all the rules will fill the drink with a refined aroma and unique taste. However, in order for your drink to turn out exactly as you expect, you need to pay special attention to the preparation of the oak barrel. We will tell you how to soak an oak barrel and organize its proper storage and operation of a barrel for wine, moonshine, bourbon and other alcohol. By the way, in the section on our website you will find the abyss useful advice for the manufacture of noble overseas drinks at home, I use ours.
Preparing an oak barrel for use
The first stage in the preparation of a cooperage product - a barrel - is steaming. It is most convenient to process the product with steam from the inside. If this is not possible, use boiling water. It is necessary to pour boiling water inside the barrel (500 ml per 10 liters of volume) and distribute the boiling water over the entire inner surface with circular movements of the container. The procedure should be carried out every 10 minutes 6-7 times, not allowing the boiling water to cool.
Steaming is followed by soaking. At this stage, the content of tannins in the wood, which adversely affect the taste of the drink, is minimized.
How to soak an oak barrelRight?
This is an easy process. It is enough to fill the oak barrel with water room temperature for up to two weeks. Water should be changed daily or every other day, and use warm water(but not boiling water!) will speed up the process.
After soaking, the cooperage product must be treated with soda - 20 g of soda / 1 liter of water. Alkalinization will “drive out” coarse tannins from the barrel and contribute to a better release of aromatic compounds. Next, the wine barrel should be thoroughly dried.
Fumigation of an oak barrel.
The final stage of preparation will be fumigation with sulfur. To do this, use ignited sulfur, immersing it on a tin plate inside the container and plugging the hole. After that, the barrel should be ventilated.
Upon completion of the above steps, you will have a wonderful barrel for moonshine. Since the “young” barrel gives off the wood components as much as possible - light bitterness and the aroma of “green oak” - the drink poured first should be filled with a strong distillate. In further operation, your container will be an excellent barrel for wine or pickles.
How to store a cooperage product?
Storing an oak barrel will also not cause difficulties. It must be washed clean from the remnants of wine or other drink, treated again with soda and dried. After wrapping the barrel in a thick cloth, leave it in the dark and cool. If the product has not been used for a long time, fumigation with sulfur should also be repeated.
By organizing proper training and storage of an oak container, you can enjoy fragrant drinks and surprise the most demanding connoisseurs!
