my first filled oak barrel

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

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sadie33
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my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

Started my first UJSSM ferment on Jan 21 and I just filled my first oak barrel (2L). I put the stripping runs from Gen 1 and 2 together for a spirit run and had that in there since 2/27/23. It already had nice color and flavor. I took out 70ml of that batch as suggested by someone (sorry I forget who). Filled the cask with Gen 3 and have 1 cup left over for topping off.

It feels really good! :D Here is a picture of my barrel with my sample taken out and the leftovers for topping off.
UJSSM first barrel fill a.JPG
UJSSM first barrel fill a.JPG (9.49 KiB) Viewed 740 times
UJSSM first barrel fill.JPG
UJSSM first barrel fill.JPG (9.69 KiB) Viewed 740 times
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subbrew
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by subbrew »

Very nice. Don't you just love the "I did this" feeling and pride.
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sadie33
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

subbrew wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:40 am Very nice. Don't you just love the "I did this" feeling and pride.
yes, I do!! I can't wait to be sipping this around the camp fire next summer!
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by TwoSheds »

Nice work! And a great looking barrel. I have a similar barrel I got second hand on a whim, I'm just not sure what's been in it, or if it would hold liquid, been too afraid to fill it so it's a decoration. Maybe I'll give it a fill with hot water and see what happens! UJSSM seems like a good candidate to fill.

People say the small barrels have a lot of influence, and quickly, so you probably want to be sampling that on a weekly basis. I guess that's the other problem. I'd be sampling it on a nightly basis!
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by Dougmatt »

Looks awesome Sadie. What percent did you barrel at?

My first barrel was very similar I think though hard to tell in the picture. Mine was 2L. The first fill over oaked quickly due to the new wood and high surface contact. Tannins were very strong and gave the spirit a prrtty strong tannic bite in about a month (I left it in for 2 months). As TwoSheds says, I suggest you check it weekly and when it has the color and taste you like, leave it in a few more days and then I suggest you pull it to glass.

Hope this helps, and love the barrel!

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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by GrumbleStill »

Nice one Sadie. Really is one of the most satisfying moments goin’.

Mind you, I think you might be a bit of an optimist to think there will be any left come summer…😁
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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TwoSheds wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:37 pm Nice work! And a great looking barrel. I have a similar barrel I got second hand on a whim, I'm just not sure what's been in it, or if it would hold liquid, been too afraid to fill it so it's a decoration. Maybe I'll give it a fill with hot water and see what happens! UJSSM seems like a good candidate to fill.

People say the small barrels have a lot of influence, and quickly, so you probably want to be sampling that on a weekly basis. I guess that's the other problem. I'd be sampling it on a nightly basis!
Thanks TwoSheds. The instructions said to age for 2-4 weeks, but in another thread people have told me they do 3-4 months. I really liked the flavor of my 2 week aged stuff, though I thought it had a bit of a bite. I plan on taking SMALL samples every 2 weeks and topping off.

I also have a hone bear bourbon fermenting that I hear is great white. I'm hoping this keeps my paws off the UJJSM while it ages. :thumbup:
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by TwoSheds »

sadie33 wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:28 am I also have a hone bear bourbon fermenting that I hear is great white. I'm hoping this keeps my paws off the UJJSM while it ages. :thumbup:
Oh I think you may be doing that backwards... I've made both, both are good white, but HBB is the winner in my book. I'd suggest saving the HBB, when the UJSSM comes out of the barrel, refill with HBB and let it go until you're happy, then find something else to go in. After all, there's no reason to have an empty barrel lying around!

Either way, good on you! You've got your barrel full and an all-grain on the way! Fair warning, it just escalates from here... I suspect your next barrel will be bigger!
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

TwoSheds wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:46 am
sadie33 wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:28 am I also have a hone bear bourbon fermenting that I hear is great white. I'm hoping this keeps my paws off the UJJSM while it ages. :thumbup:
Oh I think you may be doing that backwards... I've made both, both are good white, but HBB is the winner in my book. I'd suggest saving the HBB, when the UJSSM comes out of the barrel, refill with HBB and let it go until you're happy, then find something else to go in. After all, there's no reason to have an empty barrel lying around!

Either way, good on you! You've got your barrel full and an all-grain on the way! Fair warning, it just escalates from here... I suspect your next barrel will be bigger!
After reading the HBB thread, I didn't mess around. I bough a 5L barrel for that one :thumbup: It leaked though. I did everything they told me to do and it still leaked. They are sending me a replacement and haven't shipped it yet. :esad: But the HBB is still fermenting so I have time.
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by Bradster68 »

Congratulations sadie. That's super satisfying 🍻
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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sadie33 wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:59 am After reading the HBB thread, I didn't mess around. I bough a 5L barrel for that one :thumbup: It leaked though. I did everything they told me to do and it still leaked. They are sending me a replacement and haven't shipped it yet. :esad: But the HBB is still fermenting so I have time.
Nice! Where did you order the barrel from? Glad they're making it right for you!

My HBB is sitting in a corney keg getting slowly watered down to barrel proof. I'm not sure I believe that slowly diluting is better, but I have the time while I wait, so why not.
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by still_stirrin »

Sade,

My 1st cask was a 2 liter. When it was mature (about 3-1/2 to 4 months) I drained the cask. But, I didn’t refill it right away. As a result, over the next few months, the wood dried and gaps opened up between the staves. I never could get it to seal after that, even when I fully submerged the cask in a bucket of water for a few days.

So, as time goes on with your cask, if you drain it, refill it right away. Otherwise, if you draw off a bottle, make sure to top it back up right away.

Trust me.
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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Bradster68 wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:12 am Congratulations sadie. That's super satisfying 🍻
Thanks and yes it is! :D
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

TwoSheds wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:22 am
sadie33 wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:59 am After reading the HBB thread, I didn't mess around. I bough a 5L barrel for that one :thumbup: It leaked though. I did everything they told me to do and it still leaked. They are sending me a replacement and haven't shipped it yet. :esad: But the HBB is still fermenting so I have time.
Nice! Where did you order the barrel from? Glad they're making it right for you!

My HBB is sitting in a corney keg getting slowly watered down to barrel proof. I'm not sure I believe that slowly diluting is better, but I have the time while I wait, so why not.
I got them from oakbarrelsltd.com. So far I am happy with them. I actually ordered the black hoop ones (I liked the look better). They emailed me and said they were out of stock, but would upgrade to the galvanized ones for free. Or I could wait about a month, but I didn't want to wait. I thought that was nice. And when I told them the 5L leaked she had me fill it with boiling water and set it in hot water for 3 days, but it still didn't work. So they said they would send me out another one.

I keep hearing about corney kegs, but haven't looked them up yet. I don't know what they are. :think:
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:40 am Sade,

My 1st cask was a 2 liter. When it was mature (about 3-1/2 to 4 months) I drained the cask. But, I didn’t refill it right away. As a result, over the next few months, the wood dried and gaps opened up between the staves. I never could get it to seal after that, even when I fully submerged the cask in a bucket of water for a few days.

So, as time goes on with your cask, if you drain it, refill it right away. Otherwise, if you draw off a bottle, make sure to top it back up right away.

Trust me.
ss
Interesting it wouldn't reseal, but I guess I get it.

The company gave me directions about stuff like that. They tell you how long to age it depending on the size of the barrel. They give me a recipe for a solution if you're going to have it empty for a while. They give you a recipe for a solution to clean and sanitize when you want to use it again. there's a bunch of charts and stuff on it.
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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Nice! Their prices seem inline with others I've seen.

Corney kegs were originally designed for soda fountain use. They're typically 5 gallon, all stainless other than a couple seals, so good for spirits. Millions of them (or more) were retired when places shifted to using bags for soda syrup instead of kegs.

There are new versions being made, but used you can sometimes grab them for as little as $20/ea. Well worth it if you start getting into bigger batches.
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

TwoSheds wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:24 am Nice! Their prices seem inline with others I've seen.

Corney kegs were originally designed for soda fountain use. They're typically 5 gallon, all stainless other than a couple seals, so good for spirits. Millions of them (or more) were retired when places shifted to using bags for soda syrup instead of kegs.

There are new versions being made, but used you can sometimes grab them for as little as $20/ea. Well worth it if you start getting into bigger batches.
I did look up the corney keg, I was a little confused as I thought you hooked it up like a soda fountain! :lol: But now that you said all that, I guess it makes sense. :thumbup:
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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sadie33 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:14 am It feels really good! :D Here is a picture of my barrel with my sample taken out and the leftovers for topping off.
Be warned that angels share on small barrels is very aggressive!

Weigh it every couple weeks to keep track of angel loss.

2 years ago I filled a 3L barrel with some homemake & it lost quite a bit when we sampled it 16 months later. Or it could have been the devils share (he has teenagers in the house).

Here's the link for your reading amusement: viewtopic.php?p=7722847#p7722847

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Re: my first filled oak barrel

Post by sadie33 »

rubberduck71 wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:03 am
sadie33 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:14 am It feels really good! :D Here is a picture of my barrel with my sample taken out and the leftovers for topping off.
Be warned that angels share on small barrels is very aggressive!

Weigh it every couple weeks to keep track of angel loss.

2 years ago I filled a 3L barrel with some homemake & it lost quite a bit when we sampled it 16 months later. Or it could have been the devils share (he has teenagers in the house).

Here's the link for your reading amusement: viewtopic.php?p=7722847#p7722847

Duck
Someone else mentioned weighing it so I did do that and wrote it in my notes. Tomorrow I get my first sample since filling it. Actually, that might be wrong. My first fill was on a Tue, but I'll have to check.

And luckily I don't have teenagers or any kids for that matter. :thumbup:
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Re: my first filled oak barrel

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Dang it, I have to wait till Thursday. :problem: :(
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