 Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
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Has anyone used a satisfactory food safe finish for ageing barrels? If so what was it and where did you find it? :) I'm just looking for something to cut down on the Angle's Share :)
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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" Originally Posted by: div4gold  Has anyone used a satisfactory food safe finish for ageing barrels? If so what was it and where did you find it? :) I'm just looking for something to cut down on the Angle's Share :) As a kid, we sanded down the barrels and used Johnson's past wax on them. They were gorgious looking. It was for wine at that time. Best I can answer."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
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Posts: 453
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Hey thanks for the info, of course I was looking for something that wouldn't seep into the innards and leave some off flavor. The wax should be safe for that. Did it make the barrels kind of shiney? I'm sure it would help with the evaporation from a unsealed barrel. I got one of the premium barrels that was made in Spain and it has some kind of spray on finish that looks similar to shellac and has that kind of glossy finish. The wax wouldn't do that but it would be safe as far as leaching any bad stuff into the ageing product. I have several of the economy barrels that are unfinished and just wanted to seal them up as much as possible. Thanks Howard
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/10/2009(UTC)
Posts: 519
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" Originally Posted by: div4gold Hey thanks for the info, of course I was looking for something that wouldn't seep into the innards and leave some off flavor. The wax should be safe for that. Did it make the barrels kind of shiney? I'm sure it would help with the evaporation from a unsealed barrel. I got one of the premium barrels that was made in Spain and it has some kind of spray on finish that looks similar to shellac and has that kind of glossy finish. The wax wouldn't do that but it would be safe as far as leaching any bad stuff into the ageing product. I have several of the economy barrels that are unfinished and just wanted to seal them up as much as possible. Thanks Howard I don't own any barrels and wish I did. Barrels are clearly on my wish list. I have only read (and read and read) about barrels. Therefore, I am not qualified to respond. However, if your barrels are not ""LEAKING"" as such. I would not recommend trying to reduce the ""angels share"". That process is part of what polishes and ages your likker. Thats how the majic happens. Barrels are not for merely holding your product. They are for aging your product. IMO, I just don't think its a good idea. I could be wrong. I usually am."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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"My only desire for a barrel is as a dispener. Takes way too long for the ageing and requires certain humidity levels and a wide variety of temp. changes, which is hard to achieve at our scale. I can get same quality (or better) with before and after aireation. The first, evaporates the higher alchohols left over from heads that were left for flavoring. The second, after the oaking, merges the oak flavorings and reacts with some of the tannins and vannillins etc. to better the flavors. And a big glass carbouy is cheap and reusable forever. Well if you don't drop it.
If I did have barrels, I would still use them the same way- add chips or sticks, and aireate."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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Posts: 519
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" Originally Posted by: mtnwalker2 And a big glass carbouy is cheap and reusable forever. Well if you don't drop it. I was thinking about using a pony keg (or the like) with a modified fill and a spigot. Kegs are every where. Barrels are spendy. Kegs are like toad frogs  , really durable."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
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"If I had my druthers, I would cycle a 2 barrel solara approach.
Fill one barrel age for say,,,,6 or 8 months. Empty that content into a spent barrel and fill the first again.
Draw my drink down from the spent barrel, then continue to cycle white dog to second barrel, then from second barrel to first (spent) barrel. And then to my cup.
Continuously replenish/repeat cycle.
This way, matured likker can flow continuously.
Course it will take awhile before the likker flows and you need alot of built up product, but once your up and running.....................at peace wit the universe:)"
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/16/2010(UTC)
Posts: 453
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Part of the reason I was looking for a finish , besides the evaporation thing, was for a nice looking dispenser. The premium barrel I got from Brewhaus looks nice and it has some kind of shiney finish on it. I would expect that finish would cut down on some evaporation. Anyway I have 3 other unfinished barrels that I wanted to make look better. Last night I was thinking about it and rubbed some glycerine on one of them. It really brought out the oak color and it looks nice after one coat. I'm going to put on another coat today. I'll post up some pictures later but the glycerine should be a safe way to give a unfinished barrel a better look. I don't think it will seal the wood like the shealac type finish but it sure makes them look better.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/10/2009(UTC)
Posts: 519
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I like that solution best I recon D4G
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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" Originally Posted by: LWTCS If I had my druthers, I would cycle a 2 barrel solara approach.
Fill one barrel age for say,,,,6 or 8 months. Empty that content into a spent barrel and fill the first again.
Draw my drink down from the spent barrel, then continue to cycle white dog to second barrel, then from second barrel to first (spent) barrel. And then to my cup.
Continuously replenish/repeat cycle.
This way, matured likker can flow continuously.
Course it will take awhile before the likker flows and you need alot of built up product, but once your up and running.....................at peace wit the universe:) I totally agree. The Solara method takes the cake. I know some use up to 5 barrels. I also like the keg storage ideas. Better, easier and safer than glass."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/16/2010(UTC)
Posts: 453
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"Here's what the barrels look like. You can see the one barrel before putting the glycerin on. The big barrel is one of the 16 liter premium grade ones from Brewhaus.   "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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"Now that was impressive. Saveing those pictures into a file so I can send them to my kids just before Father's day. Well long enough before, that they will have time to make the orders.
Thanks for shareing."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/16/2010(UTC)
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" Originally Posted by: mtnwalker2 Now that was impressive. Saveing those pictures into a file so I can send them to my kids just before Father's day. Well long enough before, that they will have time to make the orders.
Thanks for shareing. Thats a great idea :) The smaller barrels, 2 five Liter and 1 one liter, are from the Barrel Source, they came in a set for $99.00. The barrels from the Barrel Source are the ecomomy line and are only 3/8th inch thick staves. You don't get the little wood stand for the 1 liter barrel. I made that. The 16 liter barrel is from Brewhaus, it comes with the stand and you can get it in either charred or toasted and it is 3/4 inch thick and is finished with some kind of food safe varnish type stuff. It looks nice and the bands are galvanized and painted and are of a heavier material than the little barrels."
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/16/2010(UTC)
Posts: 453
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The glycerin idea made them look nice but it was temporary, just a few days and they were back to a unfinished look. Oh well. From what I've been able to dig up there are a few food safe finishes out there but you have to put them on and let them cure before use.
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 Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 8/14/2009(UTC)
Posts: 92
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"I heard of a guy that would put his in the ground for 5 - 10 years in glass ???
popapina"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/10/2009(UTC)
Posts: 519
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" Originally Posted by: popapina I heard of a guy that would put his in the ground for 5 - 10 years in glass ???
popapina Yeah my buddy from Puerto Rico explained to me thats what they do. But He could not precisely clarify the benifit of doing such a thing. Kinda like a tradition passed from father to son cuz thats what is done. Marks the location with colored flags to note the year the rum was burried. Also completely fills the vessel with fruit to accompany the likker."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/22/2005(UTC)
Posts: 817
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" Originally Posted by: LWTCS Yeah my buddy from Puerto Rico explained to me thats what they do. But He could not precisely clarify the benifit of doing such a thing.
Kinda like a tradition passed from father to son cuz thats what is done.
Marks the location with colored flags to note the year the rum was burried.
Also completely fills the vessel with fruit to accompany the likker. Just mouth watering thinking of makeing a smoothie out of that fruit, adding some ice for a daquiri type drink on a hot day. Sounds fantastic. Or a topping on some homemade ice cream. May have to make some rum this summer."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/10/2009(UTC)
Posts: 519
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" Originally Posted by: mtnwalker2 May have to make some rum this summer. Couldn't possibly wait till summer. But then I don't do fruit or grain. All this typing and drink talk has taken its toll. Think I'll have a spot quencher." LWTCS attached the following image(s):  Bottle-o-Shine.jpg (31kb) downloaded 0 time(s).You cannot view/download attachments. Try to login or register.
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