Barrels

Any hardware used for mashing, fermenting or aging.

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bronzdragon
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Barrels

Post by bronzdragon »

Well, I finally bit the bullet and ordered 2 Gibbs brothers white oak barrels, toasted.

I had a gallon glass jug full of rum just up and burst on me yesterday, for what reason I have no idea, it was just sitting on the shelf. It drenched everything. I'm glad nothing was powered up.

Anyway, from now on, everything gets put in wood around here.

I'll report back when I get them, on quality etc.

~bd~
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Re: Barrels

Post by Hawke »

Have heard nothing but good about Gibbs' barrels. Just remember, the smaller the barrel the larger the surface contact ratio. It's easy to over oak with the small ones.
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junkyard dawg
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Re: Barrels

Post by junkyard dawg »

I've had a full 4 liter jug burst before. I don't cap 'em tight and leave plenty of headroom. It expands a lot when it gets hot...It'll bust a jug thats not made for holding some pressure.

sorry to hear about your loss... :?

Congrats on the barrels, you'll love them for a long time. Like Hawke said, and find a new way to store it out of the barrel. Your first batch might not even need 2 weeks to be very strong dark and oaky.
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bronzdragon
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Re: Barrels

Post by bronzdragon »

Well, I had to come back and do a follow up post.

There was a snafu with the Gibbs Bros. website upon ordering. But the next day, the lady there contacted me and I called her back. She was very helpful and I even talked to one of the coopers there, I forget the first name but he was a Gibbs.

And although he could have made a further sale on making me a small stand for the barrels, he told me over the phone how to make a decent stand without the extra charge from him.

I got my barrels very quickly. First off, let me say these are not cheap. I was a little wary of the price at first, but since I had heard all of the good reviews, I went ahead with the order.

I got them in, followed the directions on how to cure them, and I filled them. There were no leaks, these things are solid as they come. Thick white oak staves and banded securely, and it looks like it's all done by hand. You just don't get craftsmanship like this anymore.

So, to sum up, I'm very happy with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone, if you're looking for a good barrel ... pass the others by and go straight for a Gibbs.

cheers
~bd~
"If it weren't for the alcohol, beer would be a healthfood."
Dnderhead
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Re: Barrels

Post by Dnderhead »

I investigated different barrel vendors, and went back to Gibbs, by the time I paid freight etc they all came out about the same.
besides Gibbs will give me a discount.
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Re: Barrels

Post by lloyd778 »

I bought a 10 gallon recently from Gibbs. Delivery was quite slow. They told me two weeks when I ordered and after three weeks I called them and again was told "about 2 week". I was in a hurry to fill it so i could wait and wait for it to work its magic. haha The Gibbs barrel is OK. I do not see where the quality is great. Just my opinion.
bronzdragon
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Re: Barrels

Post by bronzdragon »

Just thought I'd add a little here since I just emptied these barrels. They were filled about 3-4 years ago, I lost count. Time flies when you're moving a thousand miles. Anyway, I thought that the whiskey and rum would be way over flavored from the barrels but I was pleasantly surprised. I did lose a fair amount from absorption, but the drink was not ruined and in fact, tastes great.

When I need another barrel, I'll be calling Gibbs.

~bd~
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Re: Barrels

Post by ErnieV »

Do you have a link and do they ship to the UK?
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Re: Barrels

Post by Jimbo »

ErnieV wrote:Do you have a link and do they ship to the UK?
http://www.gibbsbrotherscooperage.com/c ... eadd4f4e7f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Re: Barrels

Post by ErnieV »

Added one, proceeded to checkout, couldn't choose the UK as the shipping address :-(
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Re: Barrels

Post by Jimbo »

might be cheaper to get an EU barrel for you. French and Hungarian white oak are also very popular in the booze aging world.
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bronzdragon
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Re: Barrels

Post by bronzdragon »

I'd try giving them a call and see what it would cost you in shipping. It couldn't hurt. Might be too expensive, never know. The lady that answers the phone has always been super nice to me.

Cheers

~bd~
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Re: Barrels

Post by ErnieV »

I've found these in the UK but can't see whether they do one that's got a medium toasting...

https://www.thebarrelmakers.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Re: Barrels

Post by Jimbo »

Ernie,

I believe youre looking for a char. Toastings are generally for wines, char for spirits. Note Gibbs sells both. Altho some places only specify 'toast' levels, where the higher toast indicate char. Symantics. Just gotta be careful you order what you intend.
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Re: Barrels

Post by DFitz »

Recently I bought 5 Gibbs barrels. Three were used from a nearby micro, the other two new, a 10 and 5 gallon from Gibbs. These are some great straight forward folks to deal with. I pick them up direct when I'm in the area. I've been pretty happy with them so far. I hear a lot about over oaking but I tend to think its malarky. If you hold it on glass for 6-8 mos after aging in the barrel I come to find that the over oaked tendencies will level themselves out and leave you some fantastic hooch. This has been my experience anyway.

I have another hobby of curing meats and making salamis. Its all about patients.... Leave it to do its magic and its well worth the time.

Anyway, great barrels! I'll pick up more when I pass through Hot Springs this fall. :D
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