Great Apple brandy: Toasted or charred barrel?

[goose eye]

schnell it wont a case which one is best it was will it age in glass. it will. why i aint gota clue but
it will. dunder had his underwater. well the ole boys have hid some in a well under a waterfall
in a mill pond anywhere you can think of outside round these parts they hid it. you never want likker around you when the law comes a callin. now it wont make bad likker good only you can do that. round here it always been if it aint white an cyrstle clear an good you best put the kettle back on the blocks.
as far as mason jugs them lids take heat to air tite em the ole boys learned the hard way storein a barel of good wine in 1/2 gal jugs.
it aged it to good vinegar. ha ha



so im tole

[Slow & Steady]

schnell it wont a case (of) which one is best, it was will it age in glass. it will. why i aint gota clue but it will...

Goose Eye is correct, as long as a supply of oxygen is available some aspects of aging will take place, however, the container must be open or have a permeable closure to allow a supply of oxygen to support the mechanism of ethanol transformations during aging.

This thread posed a question concerning which was better for aging apple brandy: toasted or charred barrels and I think we digress concerning the discussion concerning clear apple spirits.
As research shows that new "uncharred barrels" and "used charred barrels" produce similar levels of the aromatic aldehydes: Coniferalaldehyde, Sinapaldehyde, Syringaldehyde, and Vanillin after six years aging of 140 proof neutral spirit*, and many commercial producers of Brandy prefer previously used charred barrels, then the question posed in this thread becomes difficult to answer without side by side tasting, and may be more of a matter of personal taste. As far as my personal preference goes... more research/tasting needs to be done.


*Am.J. Enol. Vitic., No4 1981, Chemical Mechanisms of Whiskey Maturation George H. Reazin

[goose eye]

slow an steady think the question was will it age in glass toasted or burnt. that when some folks said it wont age in glass any kinda how.
you got air tite jug with head space an got water steady shakein that jug. day after day month after month do that oxygen break down after while

[Slow & Steady]

I lucked upon 123 gallons of excellent apple cider from a commercial press (their fresh cider was starting to ferment). I am in the process of running off the low wines and I am planning ahead for the aging process. What works the best? I have heard that new barrels may impart too strong an oak flavor to the brandy. Is this the case? I have a once used bourbon barrel (med char from Gibbs), Perhaps a new toasted barrel would be the best choice? I am looking to tap into the collective experience of the group in order to plan the best course of action. Thanks for the help. MM

slow an steady think the question was will it age in glass toasted or burnt.

Sorry, I was referring to the original post by Monster Mash that started this thread, not the subsequent posts concerning aging in glass. I posted it as a quote to show the reference to new char or once used bourbon barrels (med char from Gibbs).

Many commercial brandy producers do prefer used over new.

[dropping_planets]

looks to me like the angels be gettin' much thirstier with the change of the seasons......

dont mind sharing most things but if i only have 1 pint of white dog from booze thats long gone.... those freaks get nothing....

would a difference in headspace, 100 ml. as oppossed to 1 l., make a difference on a sealed mason jar....?

what about oxygen exchange in corked bottles....?
i sometimes tastes wines at work that are so stupid old, it's amazing that some of them are still good, much less world class legends....

[Slow & Steady]

what about oxygen exchange in corked bottles....?
i sometimes tastes wines at work that are so stupid old, it's amazing that some of them are still good, much less world class legends....

I want to work where you work... no one has ever offered me a world class wine at work... I must be working at the wrong place

[ant]

bump it up

[DGK]

WOW!! what a great bunch of info from this thread!! now if i could only wrap my head around it all.lol
thanks peeps!! and im sure as some times go by i will have alot more questions and hopefully add to this great information. so did we ever decide on toasted or charred?? lol

think if i do any oaking it will be toasted.

anybody ever do any business with oregon barrel works?? with some of their oregon oak barrels?

[MyUncleMo]

Whew - I need a drink after reading through this thread.

You guys are a wealth of information - thank you for that!

I found a new oak charred barrel to age my apple brandy honeyshine in - I kept some white. I also kept a few fractions in small dropper bottles to smell and observe at my desk.

Since it is a small amount (3l), and a small barrel, I am wondering if 2-3 months should be a good point to start tasting for the splinters and sawdust y'all talk about when over oaked. Then in the bottle to continue to age?

The company I ordered from is texas based but the barrels are shipped and I assume built in Mexico.

It should arrive today and will get an Oxy wash and distilled water bath to seal it up.

Any other advice for my first batch?
thank you again.

[dodgebrown]

I realize this is an old thread, but I find it's one of the best on aging and there's some actual science data mentioned here.

I am very new, I've been aging my whiskies on toasted charred oak 1x1x6" stick in 1 L glass mason jars sitting in my shed, so there are good temp swings esp this summer being quite hot. So after 2 month I started noticing over oaking, at least that what I think. A bit more bite, more tannins. So I am taking the oak out, but I wonder whether I should age with the lids flipped rubber side up, this way the seal won't be air tight and I expect more air in-out will take place and considering the discussion on oxidation up thread, it might be better for aging..?
I might use less oak in the future.

I'd like to thank earlier participants of this thread if they're still around, there's a lot of good info here.

[screin]

Hi,

What do you think I should try for my apple? French or American medium toasted?

Thanks

[Reverend Newer]

I am sold on American white oak toasted.

Considered purchasing a few barrrels but after using some 17 month cured white oak from the farm I am going to skip the barrels.

The oak was toasted over a wood fire until the surface is black but not charred. Then the pieces are cut up to expose the raw side too, basically 1" cubes. A small handful per gallon and about 3 weeks was all it took, I now see what they mean about the raw-oak twang Tennessee whiskey is known for.... amazing. Had previously really only enjoyed it white.

[distiller_dresden]

Wow, everyone needs to read this thread... It's not just 'brandy', it's quite literally an 'aging in glass or wood, with wood, and after wood' bible due to the additions of Slow & Steady and the Chemist. Thread is just AWESOME. Great back and forth from everyone; bump!

Using so much I learned or was reinforced that I already had feelings about that's discussed here...

[The Baker]

dodgebrown said, 'age with the lids flipped rubber side up...'

Don't use the rubber seals at all as they are. Rubber and alcohol don't go together, the rubber stinks.
Some remove the rubber and insert a coffee filter to give some aeration. Don't know how long for...
You can wrap the rubber in plumber's tape.

Geoff

[BigJames]

I know I’m late to this thread but I just put 3 liters of apple brandy into a used 3 liter barrel that I have previously used for bourbon. I’ll let you know in a year or three how it turns out