The Badmotivator Bain-Marie and Oak Barrel

[Jack C]

Ordered 2 a few days ago medium char. Ready to try them out.

[Oldvine Zin]

I just received the two bad mo barrels that I ordered. Just want to say what a great packing job, padded and vacu sealed + a couple of extra bungs! way to go bad mo!!!
stay safe
OVZ

[Deplorable]

I just received the two bad mo barrels that I ordered. Just want to say what a great packing job, padded and vacu sealed + a couple of extra bungs! way to go bad mo!!!
stay safe
OVZ

The packing is certainly impressive. Isn't it?

[BrewinBrian44]

I was also impressed by the packing

[Oldvine Zin]

The packing is certainly impressive. Isn't it?

But the barrels are more so

Stay safe
OVZ

[Deplorable]

The packing is certainly impressive. Isn't it?

But the barrels are more so

Stay safe
OVZ

They are.
Been meaning to ask you, if I'm making my blend bases on how grungy I blend for a 5 gallon barrel fill, how long should I expect to leave it full before I even peak at it? I was thinking 6-8 months. And expecting this to be able to go 1 year on first fill without over oaking. Does that sound about right?

[OtisT]

Deplorable,
My personal experience is that the Badmo style barrel ages slower than a 5 gallon barrel. I’ve never had a 5 gallon barrel myself, but I have sampled quite a few spirits from other folks’ barrels. For me, this is logically backed up by the significantly lower wood surface area to volume ratio of a Badmo.

When I desire a strong oak profile in my spirits, I have been soaking the new make in jars with new toasted (sometimes charred) sticks for a month or two, then I transfer the spirt to the Badmo for aging. I get a lot more color and a bigger oak profile this way. My spirits done this way still take the same 6-8 months time to turn that corner (when I can’t smell the new make any longer) but after a year it is dark and delicious already.

Otis

[Oldvine Zin]

They are.
Been meaning to ask you, if I'm making my blend bases on how grungy I blend for a 5 gallon barrel fill, how long should I expect to leave it full before I even peak at it? I was thinking 6-8 months. And expecting this to be able to go 1 year on first fill without over oaking. Does that sound about right?

So from my experience a 5 gallon barrel has way too much surface area for a long age, that said I have aged some 5 + years with good results but heavy on the oak. The bad mo barrels basically simulate a 53 gal barrel with the smaller fill, so with them is a longer age time so depending what you are making it's a longer age time.

Stay safe
OVZ

[Deplorable]

It'll be a while then, this was a 21% rye mash on Sasion yeast. It's peppery. It's up near the rafters in the garage.out of site, out of mind.

[Badmotivator]

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]

If there's usable remnants from the fabrication of the barrel heads, you should consider selling them as dominoes for glass aging.

[Badmotivator]

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

[jonnys_spirit]

I jumped through and caught bits of this conversation. Very interesting Ben! I like the idea of averaging out any particular barrel/piece-of-wood by running through these and perhaps some glass/fingers as a solera - which also averages and blends different grain bills and runs... I'm going to eventually need a few more to keep them full which is an ongoing task

The solera approach works for me because I mainly make bourbon with the odd other spirit here and there..

Cheers!
-j

[hellbilly007]

Congrats on the product exposure, Badmo.

I got to watch the first 10 minutes or so but had to get back to work. Definitely plan on watching the rest

[bitter]

Nice badmo great job

[Saltbush Bill]

Good to put a voice and face to the name and product.....well done.

[Deplorable]

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'll be a few years before I touch it.

[Badmotivator]

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'll be a few years before I touch it.

Thanks, D. I don't look or sound like I envisioned either.

Please do pay a visit when you can! DM me if you're near Eugene.

[TwoSheds]

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 finish?

Thanks for being so open with your knowledge and techniques!

TwoSheds

[Deplorable]

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'll be a few years before I touch it.

Thanks, D. I don't look or sound like I envisioned either.

Please do pay a visit when you can! DM me if you're near Eugene.

I go through Eugene at least once a year. Usually pulling my 5th wheel. I've got friends in Oregon City and family in Grant's Pass.

[Badmotivator]

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 finish?

Thanks for being so open with your knowledge and techniques!

TwoSheds

You nailed it. The processes before the charring are fairly violent, and I would like to disturb the char as little as possible. Toward that end I recently cooked up another improvement: rather than put the head in a vise in order to drive the spigot into its hole, (and also an earlier pre-char operation where I ream the tapered bunghole), I put together a pneumatic clamp that doesn't disturb the char layer at all. Man, I got tired and sore from that dumb vise after a big batch of heads. Here is the new, easier, gentler clamp. You can see that the char layer does not contact the frame at all, leaving all of that beautiful char intact.



Also, by the way, I am totally loving these cheap pneumatic cylinders. They are so stinking fun!

Cheers!

[bitter]

You keep rocking this so happy to see your video with Jesse!

B

[TwoSheds]

You nailed it. The processes before the charring are fairly violent, and I would like to disturb the char as little as possible. Toward that end I recently cooked up another improvement: rather than put the head in a vise in order to drive the spigot into its hole, (and also an earlier pre-char operation where I ream the tapered bunghole), I put together a pneumatic clamp that doesn't disturb the char layer at all. Man, I got tired and sore from that dumb vise after a big batch of heads. Here is the new, easier, gentler clamp. You can see that the char layer does not contact the frame at all, leaving all of that beautiful char intact.



Also, by the way, I am totally loving these cheap pneumatic cylinders. They are so stinking fun!

Cheers!

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...

Thanks again!

TwoSheds

[Badmotivator]

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.

[WhiskeyRebellion]

badmo barrel filled with my Highwayman rye. I'll revisit in 3 years

[bitter]

Cutting process times down is really valuable to me, for many reasons you can easily imagine.

The pneumatics stuff is all on Amazon.

You can make a template and use a flush trim bit so they are all exactly the same. Then the variable with fitment would be wood grain and moisture level.

Not sure you looked into it but and slight oval might be good as wood swells more across the grain and almost none in length. Check your existing barrel once swollen and measure across grain and across length with a vernier caliper to see current difference so you can account for the difference in expansion across the grain.

B

[Dougmatt]

I am the happy owner of 2 Badmo barrels #608 and 611. Sincerest thanks to Badmotivator who provided a little extra customer service for my order.

Upon receipt I did the below and thought I would share.

On arrival, I filled both barrels with water for leak check. Had a tiny initial leak on 608 that resolved itself under water in 30 minutes when I check again so no big deal.

I had filled them completely with warm water and when I went to remove the bung in 611, I could not do so by hand. Eventually had to wrench it out. Also while full and this was happening the spigot wouldn’t allow any flow. I’m wondering if it sealed and built a vacuum strong enough to hold everything.. regardless I guess I need to leave headspace of some amount?

Anyway 611 (M0) is now 3/4 full of panela rum as of 8/19! Really like this form factor. Sits nicely at top of a wine rack I have.

[Knife_man]

Great job and great idea Badmotivator . Massive thanks for making the process of making them available and encouraging /helping out for those that makes their own.

Has anyone got a source for reasonably priced bain-marie inserts or similar in the UK?

Only things I've found are a 12L bucket which looks like the handle could be removed but that's way to big for me by the time I'd filled it the first batch would be done aging . https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brewing-Buck ... 635-2958-0
The 6L would be perfect but can't find any in stock .

I have found a reasonably priced 2.5L which looks like it should work and ordered one for experimenting with but 2.5L is a bit small. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-5L-Thicken ... 635-2958-0

I've spent hours searching for every type of stainless container I can think of with fairly limited success. Loads of 5-6L stock pots but they all seem to have riveted handles which would be difficult to remove AND leave holes

[Irishgnome]

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

Great run through with Jesse! Happy to see your progression to stardom Ben.

Cheers,
Irish

[Badmotivator]

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 what he’s built.

Cheers back at you! In the future you’re going to see Jesse charring barrels using your awesome shield, so your name (handle) will certainly be dropped.