# Oak Barrels



## rcsoccer (26/6/12)

Does anyone know where I could get a wine/rum/fruit wine barrel from? I've been asking all the wineries up near Cairns, but they all use stainless steel tanks and oak chips. I have a beer with B. lambicus aging in a plastic fermenter right now, but I wanted to brew another beer with Wyeast Roselare and mix them together into a barrel and age it for at least a year. I live in Townsville, so I'm pretty far away from any "real" wineries.

Thanks!


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## winkle (26/6/12)

OregonBrewer said:


> Does anyone know where I could get a wine/rum/fruit wine barrel from? I've been asking all the wineries up near Cairns, but they all use stainless steel tanks and oak chips. I have a beer with B. lambicus aging in a plastic fermenter right now, but I wanted to brew another beer with Wyeast Roselare and mix them together into a barrel and age it for at least a year. I live in Townsville, so I'm pretty far away from any "real" wineries.
> 
> Thanks!



Try googling "roll out the barrell Cooperage" at Contarf (Redcliffe) for new ones 5l, 10l, 20l to 50l or they recon headsheads etc - not cheap though. There is another Coooperage that supplies XXXX with new barrells as well but I don't have thier details on hand. There should be another at Bundy maybe?


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## rcsoccer (26/6/12)

winkle said:


> Try googling "roll out the barrell Cooperage" at Contarf (Redcliffe) for new ones 5l, 10l, 20l to 50l or they recon headsheads etc - not cheap though. There is another Coooperage that supplies XXXX with new barrells as well but I don't have thier details on hand. There should be another at Bundy maybe?



Yeah, I don't want a new barrel. They are too damned expensive! And, I want one that has had something in it to give the beer some flavor. I was planning on putting cherries in my B. lambicus beer, but I would like to age it in a used barrel first, then add the cherries later. In the US I could get a used 55 gallon (200 liter) bourbon barrel for $80!


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## kjparker (26/6/12)

Seen these?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Authentic-Wine-...=item2ebf57f99c


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## rcsoccer (26/6/12)

clueless said:


> Seen these?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Authentic-Wine-...=item2ebf57f99c



Yeah, I saw those. If I lived closer to Brisbane I would go get one, but Townsville is about as far away from an actual city as you can get....  Maybe I'll take a road trip down there one day and see if I can get one.


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## drsmurto (26/6/12)

Why not age in a keg with oak chips?

EDIT - yikes! $190 for a barrel. I paid $40 for the last one i bought and was recently offered several for nothing. All french oak, all still suitable for winemaking.


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## hoppy2B (26/6/12)

There is or was 6 large wine barrels just out of Mt. Barker on the road to Wistow at $50 dollars each. Look pretty good, if anyone in Adelaide or the hills area is looking for some.
There is also nice bags of chook poo for $5 a pop on the same road for anyone growing hops. 
:lol: Not me selling them. I drive past them every other day.


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## Wimmig (26/6/12)

$150 - $300 is not uncommon for full size barrels. They are often sort after for gardens, designers etc. Though, a place not looking to sell to these people often let them go in the $50 area. The last one i got was $50, 2 prior to that free. Came with free redbacks too :s


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## punkin (27/6/12)

Roll out the barrel do used and reconditioned barrels too. They are a mom and pop business and will do whatever it is you want when i comes to barrels. I can't reccomend them highly enough, i have 3 of their 50l jobs.

http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/

Give them a ring, you may be suprised how cheap the freight is. Maybe not though...


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## Malted (27/6/12)

punkin said:


> Roll out the barrel do used and reconditioned barrels too. They are a mom and pop business and will do whatever it is you want when i comes to barrels. I can't reccomend them highly enough, i have 3 of their 50l jobs.
> 
> http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/
> 
> Give them a ring, you may be suprised how cheap the freight is. Maybe not though...




Any indicative prices for their stuff Punkin? Doesn't seem to be any prices on the website. Was thinking a 5, 10 or- 20L jobby but don't want to hassle them just for a tyre kicking exercise.


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## hsb (27/6/12)

Can only find these prices (50l upwards) on their website:
http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/wine_barrels.html

$389 for 50l!

The 22.5 litre spirit barrels look interesting 
http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/images/spirit_big.jpg

but I worry that price is going to be very prohibitive.
Funny that cooperage barrels should now be more expensive than Stainless steel, a world forever changed.


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## Malted (27/6/12)

hsb said:


> The 22.5 litre spirit barrels look interesting
> http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/images/spirit_big.jpg
> 
> but I worry that price is going to be very prohibitive.
> Funny that cooperage barrels should now be more expensive than Stainless steel, a world forever changed.




Thanks for that. I have checked eBay and there seem to be a few of the smaller ones about.


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## Malted (27/6/12)

Bejeepers: check this out on eBay. Brand new from Mexico. *SIX new two litre barrels *(charred to your specifications) for *about $267 plus about $73 dollars postage*! http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Six-6-2-liter-W...=item3a6f6fecc8

Only wooden taps so you'll have to put a metal one in yourself.

Check out the guys store, he has heaps of sizes and combos. You can even get custom artwork on them.


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## punkin (27/6/12)

You can compare the mexican barrels to the keg king elements :lol: 

There is a lot of reports about leakage, wax coatings on the inside, varnish, thin staves etc.

Unfortunately there is no way to get cheap, new barrels.

best bet for second hand is to get 100l octaves from the wineries or some of the distilleries sell once used barrels on occasion.

Beware the ebay ones when second hand too. I would not buy a barrel except from a cooperage or someone who has bought it from one.


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## Malted (27/6/12)

punkin said:


> You can compare the mexican barrels to the keg king elements :lol:
> 
> There is a lot of reports about leakage, wax coatings on the inside, varnish, thin staves etc.
> 
> ...



Maybe there is. Maybe there is.

His eBay store sounds legit to me, have a read of these paragraphs:

*they are made with a full wood stave, 1 to 1/2 inches thick, we recycle the hoops that come off the old 200 liter barrels that are of no use anymore, since they held a 200 liter barrel together all those years then there wont be any problem holding together a 10, 20, or even a 50 liter. **https://docs.google.com/document/d/17nhxDe5YMo0rVtiVrk4GGBsmwGAQjy_6HzFKaQPbP5I/edit?pli=1*

*Finished barrels are tested with water, they leak a little until the wood swells against the metal hoops, leaking water with charring from inside stains the outside of the barrel, to prevent the staining a coat of lacquer is applied...The barrels can be ordered without lacquer but it does not come off in the spirits neither does it affect the taste. Just before the barrels are shipped the water is poured out, when received they need to be filled with water to be sure they are still watertight, they may leak a little until the wood is rehydrated and swells against the metal hoops. 

*He even has a discussion group: *http://groups.google.com/group/white-oak-barrels*

@Punkin: I am not being argumentative. Please have a _good_ read of his information. He seems to counter most of your concerns. I'd value your opinion of his barrels.


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## punkin (27/6/12)

I'll pm you with forbidden info.


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## drsmurto (27/6/12)

The wax lining or lacquer applied may not degrade when in contact with spirits (although i am dubious on that claim) but throw in a low pH liquid (beer, wine, cider) and I'd love to see how the coating holds up, particularly on extended contact.

I wouldn't use a barrel with a lining/coating on the inside. 

@Malted - plenty of places selling new/used barrels of various sizes in SA, perhaps a weekend trip up to the Barossa is what you need.

A 225L barrel in SA costs bewteen $0 and $80. If you want something newer the cost increases. They are so plentiful down here we cut them in half and use them as pots, i have several for citrus, herbs, strawberries, paid $20-30 for them. I guess the QLDers struggle due to the lack of wineries? Supply/demand?


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## kirem (27/6/12)

Malted said:


> Bejeepers: check this out on eBay. Brand new from Mexico. *SIX new two litre barrels *(charred to your specifications) for *about $267 plus about $73 dollars postage*! http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Six-6-2-liter-W...=item3a6f6fecc8
> 
> Only wooden taps so you'll have to put a metal one in yourself.
> 
> Check out the guys store, he has heaps of sizes and combos. You can even get custom artwork on them.



PMd you, we should be able to sort something out.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (27/6/12)

For that price, I'd do it. Been wanting to an oak aged Barleywine for a while.

Goomba


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## white.grant (27/6/12)

Curious to know what you can do with a 4 pint cask that is worth the effort and wort?


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## punkin (27/6/12)

The three sisters...


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## robbo5253 (27/6/12)

Must be something serious in those if they have Padlocks on them!


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## Golani51 (27/6/12)

How about Victoria. Any cheap sources that anyone is aware of?

R


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## white.grant (27/6/12)

punkin said:


> The three sisters...
> 
> View attachment 55481



What volume are they?


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## winkle (27/6/12)

punkin said:


> The three sisters...
> 
> View attachment 55481



Damm it, now I *need* some of those :angry:


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## Malted (27/6/12)

Grantw said:


> Curious to know what you can do with a 4 pint cask that is worth the effort and wort?


Fark all with beer I would say but that is not the only size they make. 
I was thinking port or spirits for this size and I posted the 2L jobbies of an example of how cheap they were - six of the whoers for that price! 
They make 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 50L good looking doo-hickies at a great price. You decide what size looks crap. Personally I think they look good but have crap taps.


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## CONNOR BREWARE (27/6/12)

what spirits you making punkin?


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## hoppy2B (27/6/12)

Hey, if anyone goes looking for the ones I posted about just out of Mount Barker in the Adelaide hills, its probably a good idea to do it on the weekend. Not sure they put them out every day. They were good looking barrels and pretty big for $50.


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## Bizier (28/6/12)

Grantw said:


> Curious to know what you can do with a 4 pint cask that is worth the effort and wort?



Perhaps with the six barrel deal you could make a miniature Burton union system that could use to fill a 9L party keg


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## white.grant (28/6/12)

Malted said:


> Fark all with beer I would say but that is not the only size they make.
> I was thinking port or spirits for this size and I posted the 2L jobbies of an example of how cheap they were - six of the whoers for that price!
> They make 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 50L good looking doo-hickies at a great price. You decide what size looks crap. Personally I think they look good but have crap taps.



Ahh, I understand you now. Useful sizes for brewing appear to be a lot more more expensive, and the postage makes the local product more competitive.



Bizier said:


> Perhaps with the six barrel deal you could make a miniature Burton union system that could use to fill a 9L party keg


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## punkin (28/6/12)

Grantw said:


> What volume are they?



They are 50l mate.




> what spirits you making punkin?



I'm talking about barrels, not spirits.


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## white.grant (28/6/12)

punkin said:


> They are 50l mate.



Thanks.

They look great by the way.


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