In order to make moonshine, in fact, a special oak barrel for moonshine will help you to make a fragrant drink. Many years ago, specialists in this drink put forward the theory that storing alcoholic beverages in wooden kegs has a positive effect on moonshine. Its taste qualities become more saturated, and the aroma becomes pleasant. The secret lies in the fact that the pores located in the wood allow the barrel to breathe. Thus, oxygen is able to get into the middle of the container with a drink, while alcohol vapors do not have the opportunity to go back.
Before use, the barrel must be steamedExperienced experts say that oak barrels for moonshine must undergo thorough preparation before the start of operation. If you do not pay due attention to the necessary procedures, you run the risk of transferring a large batch of raw materials, and spending a lot of your time absolutely in vain. There are several mandatory procedures that allow you to prepare an oak product for further use at home. One of the important stages is the steaming of the product. The procedure under consideration allows you to get rid of cracks. Such gaps are not considered marriage, they are of natural origin. Regardless of what material the container is made of, even though it is cherry, even acacia, in any case, the product requires preliminary steaming. The steaming process is as follows. An oak barrel is filled with boiling water by a third, after which the container is scrolled. Leave the barrel for complete steaming. After half an hour, the water is drained.
Such manipulations help the wood to swell, which leads to the disappearance of existing gaps and cracks.
Barrel soaking
Soaking the product allows you to detect and correct all the shortcomings of the oak product. The fresh product contains tannins, especially in riveting. It is for their elimination that soaking is carried out. Otherwise, moonshine will have a too tart taste.
Initially, oak barrels must be soaked daily, completely filling the container with water. Initially, leave the water in the barrel for a day. Experts recommend gradually increasing the duration of the water content, from 2 to 5 days. After two weeks, the water infused in an oak container should be clear and not have any foreign odors.
It is recommended to use warm water to soak the container. If you use boiling water, do not leave the water until it has completely cooled. The filled container is carefully inspected. Fluid may leak between the ends and rivets. When the wood swells, the gaps disappear.
Soaking is one of the stages preceding the use of the barrel for its intended purpose. How to store an empty oak barrel?
Speaking of wooden structures, one should not forget how such material lends itself to moisture and temperature changes. As a rule, wood products are subjected to auxiliary processing in order to preserve their functionality for the longest possible time. However, this has nothing to do with barrels. Oak barrels intended to store alcoholic beverages or foodstuffs must not be coated with varnishes, oils or paints. The fact is that such procedures can not only affect the taste of the contents, but also harm the health of the user.
If you plan to leave an oak barrel empty for a long time, you should ensure proper storage of the product. After each use, the barrel should be thoroughly rinsed with drinking water, and then scalded with boiling water with soda ash. Then you should wipe the product dry and place it in a canvas or jute bag. This will protect the container from dust. The most suitable place to store empty oak barrels is a utility room or shed made of wood. Please note that it is strictly forbidden to put the barrel on the ground. Direct contact with the ground will lead to the fact that the product will pick up moisture, and subsequently become moldy.
Barrels should be stored properly What do you need to know about barrel depletion?
Alcohol draws a lot of nutrients out of the keg. It is important after the next batch of moonshine or cognac is drained, pour the next batch of alcohol-containing drink into a previously prepared oak barrel. The break should be minimal and not exceed 24 hours. Therefore, experienced experts recommend preparing the required amount of ingredients in advance for the preparation of the next batch of moonshine. If you do not fill the vessel with another batch of alcohol in a timely manner, the inner walls of the product may become covered with mold, which is quite difficult to get rid of. You should also not forget that the oak gives its tannins to the contents of the barrel. Based on this, the aging period of the drink will change. Each subsequent tincture will require more and more time. As practice shows, the period of preparation of moonshine will increase by an average of 15-20%. Unfortunately, after 10-20 infusions (depending on the volume of the container), an oak barrel, having lost its basic properties, can serve its owners only as an original accessory or storage for alcohol.
Over time, the barrel is depleted and loses its properties. How to age moonshine in an oak barrel?
It is important to observe a number of conditions when aging moonshine. The alcohol obtained after distillation, as a rule, has a harsh taste. In addition, moonshine can be cloudy. After aging alcohol in an oak barrel, the composition of the drink changes, which leads to an improvement in its quality. The aged drink acquires a golden hue, in addition, the oak barrel gives it a pleasant aroma. Tannin, in combination with other substances, helps to increase the strength of the alcoholic beverage, but at the same time, the moonshine will be softer and even acquire a light and pleasant vanilla flavor.
Extra vibrations, smells, as well as contacts with moonshine and its contents are highly undesirable. In the event that it is required to increase the level of humidity in the room where the barrel is located, a bowl filled with water should be placed near it. Do not forget that the water should be changed periodically, otherwise flowering cannot be avoided.
The technology of operating wooden barrels and pouring moonshine into them for aging is elementary and understandable even to a beginner. The process is laborious and lengthy, but the production of environmentally friendly moonshine is worth such an effort.
Oak barrel allows you to preserve the aroma and strength of the drink How to make whiskey from moonshine at home?
In addition to the manufacture of traditional alcoholic beverages such as moonshine and cognac, whiskey is aged in oak barrels. After the mash distillation process, it is poured into a container. After that, the distillate is diluted with drinking water. Using an alcohol meter, it is necessary to reach 63–65% of the strength of the drink. At the next stage, the drink is poured into an oak barrel and tightly closed.
Barley is used as a key ingredient in the production of whiskey. The following components are used to make single malt whiskey:
- barley malt,
- yeast,
- drinking water (in the ratio 1:3).
In any old recipes, an oak barrel or jug is an obligatory attribute. And this is not at all surprising, since such a container allows you to give the drinks impeccable taste and pleasant aroma.
Home production of moonshine is becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that modern alcoholic beverages, even elite brands, are not always of high quality, pleasant taste and aroma.
The effect of changing the taste and color of alcohol when it is kept in a barrel is associated with the ability of wood to enrich the drink with tannins. The most suitable option for storing moonshine is an oak barrel. But you can not use it for its intended purpose immediately after purchase.
An important stage in the preparation of the drink is the preparation of an oak barrel for moonshine. It is necessary to perform this procedure in accordance with all the rules, otherwise the moonshine will be spoiled.
The first step to preparing a noble homemade drink is choosing a quality oak barrel.
You can get a very tasty and aromatic drink using an oak barrel.
It is almost impossible to make it yourself, since the process requires work experience and special skill. The purchase of a container must be approached with all responsibility, then it will last more than one year.
At home, containers with a volume of 2 to 50 liters are used. But the volume of 10 liters is considered the most optimal, since it is in such a barrel that the most acceptable area of contact between the drink and the wood is in such a barrel.
The following criteria also influence the choice of vessel:
Important. Barrels with a built-in tap are not the best option. Wood constantly breathes, will change in volume under the influence of temperature and humidity in the room. Therefore, cracks form at the point of insertion of the crane. Even a small crack will cause all the drink from the barrel to spill out. Barrels with taps are convenient, but not practical.
The concept of the "share of angels" and methods of its reduction
The poetic epithet “the share of angels” refers to the banal process of liquid evaporation explained by the physical properties of wood. The liquid gradually evaporates through the wood pores.
First, moonshine loses strength, as alcohol evaporates through the pores of the wood faster. The speed and intensity of the evaporation process depends on the quality of the wood, as well as the temperature and humidity of the room in which the barrel of the drink is stored.
Oak barrels must be waxed (waxed). The share of the angel is from 1.5 to 7% of the total volume of the drink. Waxing wood helps to moderate the appetite of voracious "spirits". Waxing is not a panacea, and alcohols will gradually evaporate through the pores of the wood in any case. But waxing helps reduce the amount of evaporated liquid by almost half.
Most manufacturers offer buyers a barrel already prepared in this way, increasing the price for them accordingly. But you can buy a clean barrel and carry out the waxing procedure yourself.
For the procedure, you will need natural beeswax (about 100 gr.), Warmed up in a water bath or using a building hair dryer. The melted wax is poured onto the rear end of the barrel so that it fills the circular groove. Then, with a brush, wax is evenly applied to the surface of the barrel. So that the substance does not freeze during the application process and is better absorbed into the wood, the surface of the barrel is heated with a hairdryer.
Important. Beeswax should not be heated on a stove or open fire. Too high a temperature will cause it to burn, and the drink in the treated barrel will acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.
During the waxing process, the barrels use a hair dryer to heat the wood. Processing sequence for a new barrel
Even the highest quality and most expensive barrel cannot be used without special training. The preparation procedure for use for moonshine consists of soaking or steaming, and then thoroughly drying.
Barrel soaking
The procedure is performed in the following sequence:
- Hot water is poured into the barrel (300 ml for every 10 liters of volume). Then the barrel is taken by the ends and shaken vigorously so that the water evenly moistens the inner surface.
- After 20-30 seconds, the water is drained and a new portion is poured. The total number of procedures - 6 times.
- Then the barrel is placed and filled 1/3 with hot water. Every hour add 1 more part of water until the liquid fills the volume.
- After 2 days, the water is drained and a new one is poured. The procedure is repeated until absolutely pure water begins to pour out of the barrel.
- After that, the barrel is washed for 30 minutes with hot water and soda (200 g per 10 liters).
- After washing with soda, the container is rinsed with hot and then cold water.
Steaming
An alternative to long (from 2 weeks to a month) soaking is barrel steaming. This procedure allows you to qualitatively and quickly remove excess tannins from wood. Steaming is carried out using a steam generator or moonshine still.
Do it like this:
Drying technology
You can dry the barrel after steaming or soaking by setting it upside down in the open air. In summer, on hot days, it is not recommended to place the barrel under open sunlight. Wood can be protected from overdrying by covering the container with a thick cloth.
Terms of infusion of alcohol
Infuse moonshine to obtain a noble drink at a temperature of 20-24 degrees. The time of infusion depends on the volume of the barrel and the desired result.
Approximate times for a 5 liter container are as follows:
- bourbon - 3.5-4 months;
- Irish whiskey - 7-8 months;
- Scotch whiskey - 9-12 months;
- brandy or calvados - 4-6 months.
Methods of storage and terms of use of the barrel
You need to store the barrel by installing it with the hole down in a ventilated room without drafts. To prevent the wood from drying out, the top of the barrel is covered with a cloth or canvas bag.
Humidity in the room should be 70-75%, air temperature - 10-15 degrees. The room should not be exposed to direct sunlight. If the air humidity in the place of drying and storage of the barrel is lower, it is wrapped in polyethylene.
In a dry room, oak barrels are wrapped in polyethylene. A high-quality barrel with proper preparation and operation is used for 7-8 cycles. But it is worth considering that with each use the preparation time of the drink increases. Slowing down the penetration of tannins into the drink starts from the 4th cycle.
Features of reuse
An oak barrel for infusing moonshine can be reused. If a new portion of the drink is poured into it immediately after the first, it is enough to rinse the container with cool water 2-3 times.
When time has passed after the first use, the barrel should be prepared more carefully:
- First, the barrel is rinsed with cold water.
- Then half the volume of hot water is poured inside, the barrel is placed on its side and rolled to wash the walls.
- To remove the tartar from the walls, the barrel is washed with a hot soda solution at a concentration of 2%. The remains of the soda solution are removed by washing with warm water three times.
- Before refilling the barrel with a drink, the hoops must be knocked out.
Advice. If the old barrel has ceased to give the drink noble shades, oak chips or chips are added to the moonshine.
Proper preparation and operation of the barrel will allow you to use it for several years, providing self-made alcohol with a noble taste and smell.
The video shows the process of preparing an oak barrel.
Whether moonshine is considered noble alcohol is a matter of personal requirements of each consumer to the product and the conscientiousness of the manufacturer. Much depends on the quality of raw materials, the fulfillment of all requirements for compliance with the technology and, in many respects, on moonshine equipment. An important factor is the ability of the handmaker himself to appreciate his work, and this requires experience in both production and proper consumption. If all the initial requirements are met, you can make Calvados or whiskey, brandy or bourbon at home.
It is easy to make good moonshine at home, good in taste, but it is much more interesting and honorable to set a global goal: to turn it into a noble drink. Fortunately, a tool for this has been invented, used for a long time and successfully - an oak barrel.
Citizens, prepare the container!
Not every oak barrel for moonshine is destined to fall into your hands, but only specially made and processed. Home distillers keep the product in a small (compared to industrial volumes) oak barrel, minimum 5, maximum 50 liters. Not because it is unlikely that you and your friends need a lot of homemade whiskey, but also because in small volumes the processes of both aging and fermentation proceed faster.
How to choose the right barrel
- You should start by looking for a cool cooper whose product meets the requirements.
- It is preferable that split oak species be used for the production of the barrel: North American white, pedunculate or sessile (these are the best options). European species have also proven themselves well - Slavonian (Serbian), Bulgarian, Ukrainian, as well as oak growing in Russia. Such wood will cost the manufacturer cheaper.
- The board for barrels should be qualitatively air-dried or in a special chamber.
- Assembly quality plays an important role, through slots and loosely fitted hoops are unacceptable.
- An oak barrel for whiskey must be fired from the inside, this is done to give the drink a noble sound, obtained by releasing aromas and nuances of taste from the wood.
- Wood is a porous material, so you have to put up with the loss of part of the product during aging, the so-called share of angels. Sometimes angels allow themselves to drink up to seven percent of the contents, and in order to protect them from excessive drunkenness, it is better to buy a waxed barrel.
Preparing a barrel for the sacrament of creating a noble drink is a simple process, but it requires compliance with the rules.
Soaking with water
Attention! Do not immediately fill the barrel with water to the brim!
Steaming
Soaking with water lasts from two weeks to a month. In order to reduce this time and wash out excess tannins as much as possible, we steam the barrel with live steam.
Oak barrel waxing
To reduce losses (the share of angels) of the product, the barrel is waxed - waxed.
In our opinion, this should not be done, because the barrel should “breathe deeply” and then all the processes in it will go right, and you will get a quality product.
Operation and aging technology
Even a well-prepared oak barrel for aging moonshine and turning it into brandy or whiskey is not a complete guarantee of success. It is important to know where, how and under what external conditions to withstand the product.
- If the barrel was bought waxed, it is not superfluous to check how conscientiously the procedure was carried out, whether the waxing of the chimes and the bottom was done, whether 2 staves were left dry for gas exchange
- Store the barrel in a dark and ventilated room without direct sunlight, without extraneous odors and vibrations, do not use neon lighting indoors
- Storage temperature for wine and other light alcohol 10°С to 14°С (recommended 12°С), for moonshine, whiskey, brandy and other strong alcohol 14°С to 20°С (recommended 16°С)
- Keep humidity in the range of 75%-85%. You can increase the humidity by placing a container of water next to the barrel. Excessive dampness will damage both the container and the contents, and too dry environment will increase losses, the angel's share will increase
- Drafts and heating elements near the barrel are unacceptable
Follow these recommendations and this will extend the life of the barrel, and most importantly, get alcohol that is comparable in taste to the products of world famous brands or even better.
The wood of a new barrel contains too many tannins - tannins, the concentration of which must be reduced. If wine or distillate is poured into an oak barrel without preliminary preparation, then the alcohol will quickly become cloudy, then an unpleasant tart aftertaste will appear, which has received the popular name "plinth". Soaking a barrel takes time, patience and a lot of water.
In home distilling, it is better to use barrels with a volume of 2 to 10 liters. The smaller the volume, the faster the wood gives off tannins, which reduces the exposure time. The reason is the area of contact with alcohol. For example, in a five-liter barrel, 1 liter of drink comes into contact with 400 square meters. cm of wood, and in a fifty-liter one - only from 152 sq. see Accordingly, the maturation period of moonshine, cognac or wine in a large container increases significantly.
Barrels from 10 to 50 liters are suitable only for long-term aging of strong drinks. During maturation, part of the content evaporates through the pores of the wood. Regardless of the volume of the barrel, losses are up to 1 liter per year; in cognac production technology, this evaporation is called the “angels' share”. If you pour distillate into a small barrel, after 5 years there will be almost nothing left inside.
I advise you to buy already waxed oak barrels. Waxing protects the wood from external factors, prolonging its life, preventing leaks and making the barrel more beautiful. At the same time, wax does not affect gas exchange, the drink continues to “breathe” normally through the pores. It is also desirable that the barrel was without a tap, as this is the most vulnerable structural element, which often gives a strong leak. At one point, all the contents may be on the floor. For a beautiful presentation, it is better to buy a small barrel of 1-3 liters and pour the drink there before the guests arrive.
Crane - convenient, but dangerous! Barrel preparation technology
1. Fill a new barrel with 90% of the volume of clean, filtered water at room temperature, close the cork and leave for 3-4 hours.
2. Check the barrel for leaks by carefully inspecting the wood around the perimeter of the rings, then the bottom front and back. A slight leak is not critical, this problem will resolve itself in the next step, when the wood swells. The main thing is that there is no jet, since such a barrel is considered full of holes and needs to be repaired.
3. Fill the barrel to the top with water, close tightly and transfer to a room with room temperature. If leakage is observed, add water every 12 hours until the leakage stops. After 3 days, drain the water (it will be dirty brown or yellow), then pour in a new batch of clean water.
The first water is the dirtiest 4. After a day, drain the water, add boiling water to the barrel (1 liter per 10 liters of volume), close tightly and swing the product from side to side several times so that the boiling water washes the entire inner surface of the barrel. After 45 minutes, fill to the top with water and close tightly.
5. After 24 hours, change the water again. The process of soaking the barrel (daily replacement of cold water) is repeated until the last water becomes clear, tasteless and odorless. This usually takes three to six weeks.
6. Boil water (50% of the volume of the barrel), then cool to 70-75°C, add soda (20 grams per 1 liter), mix and pour into the barrel. Shake vigorously for 8-10 minutes, then drain the soda solution.
7. Pour hot water over the entire volume of the barrel, hold for 15 minutes, drain, and fill again with clean cold water, which should be poured out after 8-10 hours.
8. If the barrel is intended for strong drinks (moonshine, cognac, whiskey, bourbon), the container is ready for use. In the case of wine, I recommend first aging odorless double distillate diluted to 18-20 degrees for 30-45 days.
In addition to the volume of the barrel, the aging result is influenced by: air humidity (optimal 80-85%), temperature (10-12°C for wine, 14-16°C for strong alcohol) and the time of infusion. Process control is carried out by periodic tests. When the taste suits, the drink is poured into glass containers for long-term storage.
Preparation of a new oak barrel for cognac includes several stages:
- Sealing end parts of rivets.
- Steaming.
- Soaking.
- Washing with hot and cold water.
- Filling with cognac.
1. Sealing the end parts of the rivets.
Considering that the fluidity of cognac is much higher than that of water, we recommend that before the steaming process, the ends and chimes of the barrel be covered with natural oil paint (or varnish, if the aesthetic appearance requires it) in the same way as it is done at cognac and wine factories. This is a preventive measure that is necessary for reliable long-term storage of cognac and reducing unproductive losses of the drink due to possible capillary seepage and excessive evaporation of the liquid (it is through the protruding end part of the stave that the greatest loss of drink occurs).
Oil paint is applied before the steaming process, while the barrel is dry. After soaking, this procedure is difficult to perform, because the wood becomes wet and the paint does not “take”. In this case, it will be necessary to completely dry the container.
As a standard, the following parts of the barrel are stained: the end of the staves, the junction of the staves and the bottom, as well as 1-4 cm of the bottom itself (depending on the size of the barrel) in a circle. This applies to both bottoms.
It is generally accepted in the cognac and wine industry to use paint of the following colors: for white wines - green, for red - red, for cognacs and spirits - white. In private winemaking, paints of other colors, various varnishes, etc. are used. Thus, capillaries are sealed and oak barrels are marked at the same time. See the photo below for more details.
Please note that the paint must be applied with high quality, in several layers (improved coloring) in order to close all open capillaries. See the photo below for more details.
Yerevan wine-brandy factory "Noy". Armenia
Brandy factory "Ararat". Armenia.
2. Steaming.
After the sealing procedure, the oak barrel must be steamed with hot water steam. The steam speeds up the process of swelling of the riveting, and small gaps are closed more quickly, and the barrel is disinfected.
To do this, the barrel is filled by a third with boiling water and scrolled in such a way that hot water “runs” over its entire inside. Hot water is left in the barrel until it loses its steam-forming abilities (about 30 minutes in time). The top cap does not close tightly. After that, the water is drained through the upper (filler) hole of the barrel by opening the tap at the bottom. If there is a cork instead of a tap, then it must be pulled out.
3. Soaking.
Soaking is necessary for the final swelling of the stave and for washing out excess tannins, which can oversaturate the drink with oak flavor, as well as color it too dark.
The barrel is filled to the top with cold water and changed after two or three days (the frequency depends on the temperature in the room) until it ceases to turn oak brown and becomes light. This process can take up to 3 weeks. Drain the water through the top hole of the barrel by opening the tap. If there is a cork instead of a tap, then it must be pulled out.
4. Washing with hot and cold water.
After soaking, the oak barrel is steamed with boiling water, filling the barrel with it by a third, closing the cork and tap. After 30 min. everything merges. This can be done twice. After that, the barrel is allowed to cool by rinsing it with cold water.
The washed oak barrel is turned upside down, the corks are pulled out, the tap is opened and the remaining water is allowed to drain, after which it is immediately poured with cognac.
Important Details
In the first days of soaking the barrel, water seepage is possible. Therefore, consider where it is best to soak it, because water from an oak barrel can make the surface wet and turn it brown.
If at the beginning of soaking there are small leaks in the product, then the oak barrel must be topped up with water. The final closure of small cracks occurs on the fifth day of soaking. It is important to carefully inspect the barrel on this day. If it's still leaking, give us a call.
oak barrel large sizes can be soaked by shaking it on the ground or on another prepared surface, after considering the flooring so that the tree does not get dirty.
Pour water out of barrels easier and faster through the upper hole, while opening the tap or pulling out the cork (if there is a cork instead of a tap).
When a tap replaces a cork, attention should also be paid to its sealing, namely, to paint the part that protrudes beyond the barrel. Alternatively, you can boil the cork in beeswax or paraffin.
Please note that the aging time of a drink in an oak barrel depends on its size and the number of times it is used. The smaller the barrel and the fewer times it has been used, the faster the drink will mature in it. Therefore, we advise you to periodically check the readiness of the filled product so that it does not stop.
Until the first filling with liquid, store the cooperage product, carefully wrapping it in polyethylene. The film will protect the oak container from drying out if you have an insufficient level of humidity (less than 75%) and high temperature (above +16 °). Please note that we are talking about a newly purchased product that has not yet been in contact with the liquid.
Attention! Do not store oak cooperage products in a warm and dry place.
Emphasize! Compliance with the instructions is mandatory. Non-observance deprives you of the right to file claims for product defects against the manufacturer.
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