Score of the century!!

[seanhagerty]

I just left a barrel manufacturer about 30 miles from my house. I have sitting in their yard a 53 gallon bourbon barrel with my name on it. Total price was about 50 bucks!!!!

They sell factory seconds there. The shop owner told me to check it out and if it wasnt water tight, to bring it back and they would hook me up!!

Now all i need to do is get 10 of my closest brewer friends to help me fill that bad boy up!!

[BrewNoob]

Good luck on that. My brew club made a really good bourbon stout, they got a bunch of people together and all added theirs to it. Some of the best brew I've had.

Gerard

[Speyedr]

Hey Sean, do they make smaller barrels too?

[rich]

Hey Sean, do they make smaller barrels too?

Yeah, a five or 10 gallon barrell would be great. I 've priced some this size and they're outragously expensive.

[Speyedr]

Hey Sean, do they make smaller barrels too?

Yeah, a five or 10 gallon barrell would be great. I 've priced some this size and they're outragously expensive.

And don't forget that if they've never been used you have to get the woody flavors out somehow, unless that is what you're going for. I may do a local winery tour and see if I can score one from the small vineyards around here. I want to barrel age a Lambic.

[seanhagerty]

They do have smaller sizes, the problem is, they only sell new smaller ones. The seconds are available because they make them there onsite. I was looking for the 5 or 10 gallon size myself, when the gal started telling about the seconds. The 5 and ten gallon new barrels were in the 130 -160 dollar price range.

These barrels are already charred on the inside. Do they still need the woody flavor soaked out of them?

Also, how doI pretreat something like this, I don't want to put 50 gallons of GOOD homebrew in them to find they got infected in there

[bub]

I seem to remember hearing about burning a sulfur wick or some such shit to sanitize them....
BUB

[rich]

Also, how doI pretreat something like this, I don't want to put 50 gallons of GOOD homebrew in them to find they got infected in there

From winebarrel.com

New barrels need to be treated in the following way. Fill barrel with a solution of Barolkleen mixed to a strength of 1 pound to 5 gallons of hot water and leave for atleast 48 hours. Next, drain the barrel and flush it with clean water until water runsclear from the barrel. Then mix a solution of 2 ounces of sodium metabisulphite and one ounce of citric acid in one gallon of warm water. Pour this solution in the barreland roll it around so it comes in contact with all the interior of the barrel. Then drain the sulphite solution, rinse the barrel well and fill