Wooden Barrel - 25L

Aging your beer in a wooden barrel is no longer reserved for professionals! Refine or develop your best beers in the style of New Belgium, Fauve or Almanac…

This wooden barrel is made with oak, in the same way as the wine barrels of the great Burgundy houses.

The oak used for this 25L wooden barrel is naturally dried. It is then polished to guarantee a uniform surface and a beautiful resistance between the staves. Finally, the stave is tapered so that it is wider in the center and narrower on the sides.

The heating of the oak wood

Heating (also called toasting) is an essential step for the production of quality wooden barrels. The heat simplifies the shaping of the wood but that's not all…

This small barrel is heated with a traditional method. The staves are exposed to an open brazier. This is where the flavors that the wood will transfer to your future beer are developed.

The rather light heating of this oak barrel will give aromas of vanilla, coconut and light roasting with a spicy touch.

Ideal use :

If this 25L wooden barrel is perfect for your wild brews or trying English cask ales, it will not be limited to these uses.

This barrel is ideal for maturing and perfecting your favorite drinks such as wine, arranged rum, cider, and plant-based spirits like Gin or Tequila. It will also allow you to personalize alcohols such as Whisky, Cognac and Armagnac.

Technical characteristics :

• - European oak
• - Heated
• - Steel hoop
• - Raw exterior
• - Paraffin coated on the inside
• - Drilled for wooden tap (provided)
• - Drilled for wooden plug (provided)
• - Wooden stand provided

Dimensions :

• Length: 45cm
• End diameter: 29cm
• Bilge diameter: 36cm

To facilitate storage and maintenance, this wooden barrel is treated with paraffin wax. This internal waxing improves overall sealing and limits the effect of woodiness. This is a good thing on any new oak barrel.

Indeed, raw and untreated barrels produce woody aromas that are difficult to balance. It takes many years to achieve satisfactory mastery. The use of wax simplifies the management of flavors and makes maturing in a wooden barrel accessible to amateur brewers.

Before first use :

1. Insert the provided tap into the hole provided for this purpose and make sure it is well fixed.
2. Fill the wooden barrel halfway (approximately) with boiling water mixed with salt (15/20g per liter).
3. Close the small barrel and shake it well so that the interior is completely moistened.
4. Let it rest for at least two days and shake it twice a day.
5. Empty the barrel, rinse it abundantly and let it dry.
6. Fill the small cask with heated white wine and keep it always full for 10 days (you will have to check and sometimes fill up, because the wood can absorb up to 10% of the liquid. After this operation, it will only absorb 2% of the liquid you choose to age).
7. Finally, empty the barrel without rinsing it and let it dry.
8. You can now age the drink of your choice in this magnificent 25L wooden barrel !

Storage of the empty barrel :

If you do not use the barrel for several weeks, you must wrap it in plastic film and place it in a room with :

• - good humidity (75%-80% - in itself a room not too dry, not too humid)
• - absence of drafts
• - little light
• - little variation in temperature
• - cover the barrel with a cloth and avoid UV rays.

The size of this small wooden barrel does not suit you ?

Three other formats are available :

• - Small wooden barrel - 4L
• - Small barrel - 6L
• - Oak barrel - 10L

Bonus Info:

We tested this little wooden barrel! While the provided stopper will do its job very well, we find that a conical cork stopper would be better suited.

It will maximize the barrel's seal. Moreover, when you are going to take your samples to taste your beer, the cork offers you the possibility to insert a syringe (with needle). This will minimize oxygen intake.

The ideal size of the stopper is 27-32mm.