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They look like a good barrel and should age spirits nicely over the long haul. I wouldn't mind trying one but it seems you can't keep up with demand and after a half dozen failed attempts at release time, I am giving up. I don't like playing games to purchase products. Tonight's release lasted less...

I'm still waiting for my reamer to taper the bunghole. Questions for Ben: To get around the low SA/V ratio (around 30 or so if you put 1.6 gal into it) I was thinking of adding 1 or 2 toasted/charred sticks (5/8 x 5/8 x 5) before inserting the head. 2 sticks would add about 25 sq in, and would make...

how do you guys find the grade of stainless steel for these "barrels"? most of the bain marie ads do not list if it is 304 or 316 stainless. I would think you want the 316 for long term storage with minimal corrosion. I'm pretty sure they all use 18/8 stainless. I have never seen even a h...

Hi Badmo, I'm in Australia and looking to build a couple of barrels. I Have just got my hands on an ex Markers Mark 200L barrel. What do you think of cutting down barrel heads and using them on a bain marie? I have found Winco bain marie inserts on Amazon that will ship to Australia. Love to get yo...

I would reply to each of the last awesome comments but that would make for a messy read. But this whole latest convo about the cans is very interesting. Thunder Group and Choice and Winco (I think) all have a wall thickness of 0.6mm, which has an empirical failure rate of about 1.5%. This is not a d...

Great run through with Jesse! Happy to see your progression to stardom Ben. Cheers, Irish Phooey. Thanks, though. :) It was pretty fun to chat with him, and I only said like five stupid things in an hour and a half, which I consider better than par. And what a good guy! I’ve got mad respect for wha...

Nice process! You definitely have the tap installation down to a science. Where do you source the pneumatics? My brain is looking for a use for them already... TwoSheds Cutting process times down is really valuable to me, for many reasons you can easily imagine. The pneumatics stuff is all on Amazon.

Badmotivator, nice jigs and setup there! I'm curious why you char so late in the process? If you do it before you cut the circle and drill for the tap and bung you wouldn't have to worry about shielding the edges. Too messy working with charred wood? Worried about wearing the char off while you fin...

That was great Ben. You don't look or sound anything like I envisioned. When gas is cheaper, I need to get down your way and pay a visit. In the meantime barrel 238 sleeps in the garage, along the south wall near the rafters, full of a 21% malted rye bourbon. Out of sight, but not out of mind. It'l...

If you've ever wondered what I look and sound like, here's Jesse and I rapping about these barrels:

With freight it's looking more like $1.65/lb though.

At that price I can fill one of my barrels, making about a case of fifths, for around $40. Not bad. With the (retail) cost of my barrel and bottles included, those fifths would be around $13 each.

It looks like we'll be in the neighborhood of 95c/lb. I'm talking to one local distillery to see if they'd like to get in.

Should I start a new thread to get more visibility, so more PNW folks notice and consider joining?

Any interest in a new PNW group purchase? I could arrange it and pickup could be at my workshop in Eugene, OR. I can also conceive of a road trip to PDX and SEA if members there wanted to get in but can't travel easily.

C'mon, you rummies. Let's do this.

I recently met up with the owner of Pekot & Carwick, an independent bottler in Berkeley, CA. He makes an unbelievably delicious Umeshu with Ume grown in California. https://www.pekutandcarwick.com/products/prunus-mume The nose is a riot of interesting characters: almond, life savers, flowers, pl...

Might some aromatic components from the tea come over? Like it does in macerated gins?

Welcome! I hope you find what you're looking for here and make a few friends. It's customary to advise newcomers that they read until their eyes bleed to get familiar with the body of knowledge and the culture of the forum. You are embarking on a wonderful adventure. Those folks who are further alon...

I like your Pipe Barrel! Nice work! A few thoughts came up as I read through the thread: What Otis was talking about (the reason coopers use quartersawn oak) is that oak has channels in the wood that go two directions; the ones you’re familiar with are the capillaries that run vertically in the tre...

Thanks for the nice feedback about the packaging and the spare bungs, fellas. I think it's probably overkill and it costs a bit, but the extra steps give me some peace of mind and it looks cool.

Deplorable wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:07 pm Holy crap. I was just reading this thread earlier today and here you are bringing it back from the dead.

Spoooooky.

I figure there’s probably like a whole generation of new distillers who never saw this thread. And a whole new crop of people who need to ignore it anew.

Zombie thread resurrection!

MALT WHISKEY SHY=13.25 or mSHY=1.6
To fill one 1.7gal badmotivator barrel: 35lbs malt

Boring protocol details: mash 2lbs/gallon BIAB, some sparging. Fermented with DADY off grain. Pot still strip through a little copper mesh. Spirit run through two copper plates.

Glad to hear that tongue and groove can work. This flooring wasn't treated. It was unfinished and just kiln dried. I've thought about that claim about aged/weathered vs kiln dried and I'm not sure I buy it. So what if it's been weathered. Once it's been planed, cut, etc. it's back down to new bare ...

On the surface the project looks fairly achievable if you have access to the tools and a bit of woodworking skills. I'll do them slowly while at work, on company time, so it may be a while before i have a pic of a finished one. I'm only wondering how to make and what material to use for the bung. Y...

CanadianIceman wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 6:31 pm 20220415_173448.jpg
I picked up some seasoned white oak scraps from a local cooper. Gotta start building theses badmo heads

Do it man!

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me (here or through my website) if you get stumped.

BadMo, are you considering offering reconditioning services or an exchange system at all? Where people can send you their used barrel for a new face if they find that they aren't getting the same flavor enhancement they started with? Just a thought. Good question. Not really. When you compare the c...

BadMo, How many uses before you're considering your barrels "spent" or neutral? Have you reused any to the point where they're just a neutral aging vessel yet? No idea. I’ve actually never emptied and refilled any. Even when I have put spirits which typically call for a lighter wood contr...

Holy cow. The next 100 only took 3 months. This is fun!

20220223_212354.jpgQuick update, sealed great. A suggestion for those of us without a press to install the barrel head. I put the head in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour after waxing the edge. Got my mini torch out and heated the edge of the baine marie for a few passes. Head dropped in and a couple ...

TB and I had been talking about these for a long time and I finally reached out to him and pulled the trigger on one myself. It'll get here just in time to fill it with a high rye bourbon. I wanted a specific barrel number, so Ben obliged and got it done. Can't wait to fill it up and [not so] patie...

hartmanhooch wrote: ↑Sat Jan 15, 2022 4:03 am Just took delivery of #182 & #184, can’t wait to fill em up, thanks Badmo!

Awesome! I’m super grateful for your interest and enthusiasm. It’s unbelievably gratifying to hear that folks are happy with them. Keep in touch!

Hi, folks. I thought I'd share another significant moment for me and for this concept: https://youtu.be/NALeWjqKv-g Things are moving fast now! My records indicate that Barrel #100 was made just 8 months ago. I'm starting to think there might really be something to this idea. :) Happy New Year to ev...