Preparing old barrel staves

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

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SaltyStaves
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

Post by SaltyStaves »

CopperFiend wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 12:59 pm I think you'll find that the differences between how a barrel stave and sunk wood behave are exactly what we are discussing.

Copper
There is no magic cut that you can make to lumber that changes the fact that end grain is going to be in the spirit.
I think I worded this poorly. I was talking specifically about oak in a jar. We are on the same page.
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vernue
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

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My staves (wine barrels) are years old, exposed to the elements and well-aired on racks, not stacked. I don't sand or clean them at all, just toast 'em and roast 'em. They seem to work all right - but is there any danger in what I'm doing? Is it a bad practice?
Both me and my whiskey are ageing. I hope my whiskey finishes first.
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subbrew
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

Post by subbrew »

vernue wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 11:25 pm My staves (wine barrels) are years old, exposed to the elements and well-aired on racks, not stacked. I don't sand or clean them at all, just toast 'em and roast 'em. They seem to work all right - but is there any danger in what I'm doing? Is it a bad practice?
Only thing I could see is if the iron hoops had rusted and the wood had a lot of iron oxide on it. Not dangerous but it may produce some metallic flavors. I do sand all that off mine if they are going into jars.
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vernue
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

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subbrew wrote: Mon May 16, 2022 11:16 am
vernue wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 11:25 pm My staves (wine barrels) are years old, exposed to the elements and well-aired on racks, not stacked. I don't sand or clean them at all, just toast 'em and roast 'em. They seem to work all right - but is there any danger in what I'm doing? Is it a bad practice?
Only thing I could see is if the iron hoops had rusted and the wood had a lot of iron oxide on it. Not dangerous but it may produce some metallic flavors. I do sand all that off mine if they are going into jars.
Well, sure. I also flick off the bird poop. I asking more about the fungus (I assume that's what the black stuff is) and discolorations. I remember reading on the badmo thread that this stuff is actually good. Which is why I'm asking here - it seems like the prevalent opinion here is to sand off all that stuff. So I'm trying to figure out which is best - differences of opinions lead to interesting ideas.
Both me and my whiskey are ageing. I hope my whiskey finishes first.
5 g. clawhammer
50 l. homemade pot still
5 l alembic for alchemy and experiments
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subbrew
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

Post by subbrew »

I take a rasp and knock off the worst of the black but I don't try to get to fresh, clean wood. Leave the bird poop though, adds a unique character to the product.
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

Post by NormandieStill »

The black is possibly fungus, but given we're talking about oak heartwood, it's far more likely to be tannin staining. If you want to know for sure, put some oxalic acid (citric acid will work as well) on a small piece and see if it changes colour.
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Re: Preparing old barrel staves

Post by jonnys_spirit »

lol bird poop! I just hit it with a wire brush to clean it up a little and then blowtorch it for 20 seconds or so to get an alligator char and/or toast in oven around 350*F for a couple hours... That pretty much seems to clean up the surface debris..

Cheers!
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i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
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