Wooden barrel help

[BDavis]

Hi everyone,

I was recently gifted a second hand 5 litre barrel as I have wanted to age my own port for some time now. After filling it with water it only took a day or so to stop leaking, so I moved onto turning hot water in it. After doing this I noticed wax coming out and after a quick google search I realised it was a wax lined barrel, and useless to what I wanted it for. I was a bit disheartened but at very least I could use it for storing port.

My concern now is that quite a bit of wax has come out and I'm worried that this may have compromised the barrel in some way and I'm worried that I have ruined the barrel.

I have also noticed that when doing my cold water soaking the water comes out clear, but doing hot water rinses, water comes out slightly brown.

​​​​​​I'm not sure if this is normal, so I thought I would get the opinions from people more experienced.

Thank you for reading my querie, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[fizzix]

The consensus is not good.
Check out these threads.

[kiwi Bruce]

The wax used in barrels is food grade and is there to stop the oak tannins from entering the wine or beer it holds, making the product "over oaked" The wax is similar to that used to coat cheese for aging. You have three options...one, you can recoat the barrel with wax and use it just for your port...two, you can recondition it by melting the wax with boiling water, several times until you don't see anymore wax floating out, and then knock the two top hoops off, remove the head and inspect it...if it looks OK give it a moderate char, this will burn any wax off the staves and stop it from soaking into the oak. The charring will also help seal the keg for use with spirits...three, if all else fails you can take the keg apart and use the oak staves for aging...the way T-Pee show, look him up, it's very good info.

[The Baker]

The wax used in barrels is food grade and is there to stop the oak tannins from entering the wine or beer it holds, making the product "over oaked" The wax is similar to that used to coat cheese for aging. You have three options...one, you can recoat the barrel with wax and use it just for your port...two, you can recondition it by melting the wax with boiling water, several times until you don't see anymore wax floating out, and then knock the two top hoops off, remove the head and inspect it...if it looks OK give it a moderate char, this will burn any wax off the staves and stop it from soaking into the oak. The charring will also help seal the keg for use with spirits...three, if all else fails you can take the keg apart and use the oak staves for aging...the way T-Pee show, look him up, it's very good info.

And, four; take it to a cooper and ask his advice and his estimate to get it right; and his opinion of whether it is worth the trouble, how good it will be anyway after renovating.

Geoff

[kiwi Bruce]

That's not a bad call Geoff. I dunno what a 5gal oak keg cost in Oz but here (Stateside) it's still some serious coin.

[Fiddleford]

If it was for beer it may be useless for oak ageing
When coopers make beer barrels they'll put a brine solution in there to take out all the good stuff
I haven't tried putting a beer on oak but I'll assume its not popular
scrape some of that wax off and see if it dissolves into or flavors the spirit

Addition: Geoff has the right ideal, take it to a wet cooper
Not likely to find a slack cooper or a dry tight cooper these days
A white cooper makes things like buckets butter churns and things of the such

[The Baker]

That's not a bad call Geoff. I dunno what a 5gal oak keg cost in Oz but here (Stateside) it's still some serious coin.

Here, too, I guess.

But I know a cooper and for free he will give advice.
And just to take a keg apart and re-furbish and put together, I dunno, maybe fifty or probably less than a hundred bucks.

Tried to do that with two not valuable kegs (he said not the right wood) and really it was a failure. Might have another go at them one day. Maybe.
But a waste of time...

Geoff

[BDavis]

Thank you all for your suggestions, they have been very helpful! I think for the time being it might have to stay as a display piece until I can take it to a Cooper to get checked out. As I'm just a beginner I'd rather have a pro check it out in fear of ruining it myself haha. Thank you all, I really appreciate your help!

[Fiddleford]

Could you post a picture of it?
I like seeing how these coopers make their smaller kegs
i'm also asking because it might not be the right wood

[BDavis]

Of course!

[Fiddleford]

Whoever made it knew to put the rivets on one side
Which is standard
What makes me curious is why are there a third row of rivets
That is unrelated to your question
Do you have one of thous museums where people act like it was back in time around you
We have one with a coopers shop so any questions I have I go to him
Or even if you have a winery in your town there has to be someone there that knows the know, ya know


Great decoration piece anyway

[BDavis]

Haha thanks! Unfortunately I might have to hunt around for a Cooper to check it out, but I do agree it is a nice piece. Unfortunately someone put stickers on the front that said rum, hence the marking where I removed them, but I will try and at least get it looking nice for display!

[Copperhead road]

I like the shape of oval barrels, usually more expensive also.

[BDavis]

Oh that's good to know haha, thank you, I'm also a fan of the shape, something a little different.

[HDNB]

I haven't tried putting a beer on oak but I'll assume its not popular

you haven't lived if you haven't tried Innis and Gunn. they list how many days it's aged for on the label more is not necessarily better. All are good, get the right batch it's insanely good.


https://www.innisandgunn.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Fiddleford]

I haven't tried putting a beer on oak but I'll assume its not popular

you haven't lived if you haven't tried Innis and Gunn. they list how many days it's aged for on the label more is not necessarily better. All are good, get the right batch it's insanely good.


https://www.innisandgunn.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Just checked the beer store and we got the lager and original barrel aged
The lagers on sale but the barrel aged is cheaper
http://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/inventory/2497/3653" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
These prices seem fair ?
I'd move to Quebec but I don't speak a lick of french

[HDNB]

last time i bought it, it was $3.75 a 375mL bottle in a superstore. it's spendy. i always buy by the bottle, a couple 53 day, 71 day 73 day... because the batches vary so much, when you get a good one... then buy the case. didn't know they packaged in cans.

don't particularly care for the rum cask finished one, it's pretty heavy. Actually they are all pretty heavy it's more of a single treat one at a time kind of beer.
they changed the packaging since i bought last. i like the original. never tried the red sky one. doesn't look like they have rum finished anymore.

[kiwi Bruce]

This may be a merchant navy Rum keg, I think the shape is the give away, easier to lash down than a round keg. It's not from the Royal Navy, they had shiny sliver plated letters on the side that read..." The King God Bless Him" On merchant ships the officers had their first tot of the day "when the sun was over the yard arm" or eleven o'clock AM. The crew got their first tot at noon.