*Personalized* American White Oak 2.8gal Infinity Barrel

Do you need a barrel with roughly the same exposure to an area of oak, per volume, as in the big bourbon or whiskey barrels, that doesn't leave your product over-oaked?  This 1.8 gallon stainless steel and new American White oak barrel will provide just that.  You can professionally barrel age beer, wine, honey, maple syrup, spirits, bourbon, whiskey, hot sauce, coffee, tea, vinegar, mustard, Kombucha, bloody Mary mix, vanilla extract, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbeque sauce, or anything else you can imagine, professionally barrel age at home.  

Barrel Head:

The head starts as new American White Oak staves seasoned for 36 months in the elements.  Think rain, snow, heat, humidity, freezing cold, etc.  The seasoning aids to diminish undesirable characteristics of raw, green and harsh tannins in favor of desirable aromatic and flavor profiles with softer tannins that will complement whatever is being aged.  The faces and edges of the staves are squared and cleaned by processing them through a jointer and planner.  This removes the weathered wood and exposes the raw goodness we are after.  The staves are then toasted to a light, medium or heavy toast depending on the barrel.  After toasting, the staves are doweled together to form a square.  Organic beeswax is used between the staves for added insurance against leaks.  Beeswax is the only sealant used in bourbon and whiskey barrels for sealing.  The toasted white oak square is then sanded on a special circle sanding jig to create a perfect fitted barrel head.  At this stage the head can be pressed into the barrel or undergo an additional process of charring.  More on that below.

Toasting:

Toasted barrels have many of the same flavor advantages as charred barrels. The wood begins to break down and release its delicious compounds.  At a certain temperature and heat duration, the hemicellulose in the wood begins to breakdown into simple sugars. These simple sugars then caramelize and become the extractives that provide flavor and body to the finished product.  The lignin in the oak will first breakdown into vanillin and syringaldehyde when toasted – which are desirable characteristics.  I can produce any toast level you desire, or no toast at all.  If you don't see it listed just let me know.  Toast levels and the flavors produced are detailed below.

Light Toast: Spicy, clove, coconut and creamy fudge flavors
Medium Toast: Coconut, vanilla, sweet caramel, toffee and coffee
Heavy Toast: Butterscotch, smokey, spice and caramelized sugars 

Charring:

Charring the wood actually primes the wood, which impacts the flavor in several important ways that have nothing to do with smokiness.  First off, charring essentially opens the wood up, making it easier to extract flavors. It also catalyzes key chemical changes that are essential. Ever tasted vanilla? That’s because lignin, the source of vanillin (vanilla), produces a higher level of flavor the longer a barrel is charred. Likewise, toffee and caramel notes come from hemicellulose, which breaks down into wood sugars in the presence of intense heat.  When barrel aging, these sugars are absorbed from the barrel interior’s caramelized surface as it ages. The results are usually delicious.  I can produce any char level you desire, or no char at all.  If you don't see it listed just let me know.  Char levels and the flavors produced are detailed below.

Char Level 1 (Light) - Spicy, cinnamon, clove coconut and nutmeg
Char Level 2 (Medium)- Vanilla, honey, caramel, toast, roasted coffee, toffee, cocoa, and spice
Char Level 3 (Medium Plus)- Vanilla, honey, caramel, earthy, strong coconut, spicy, nut aromas and vanilla
Char Level 4 (Heavy)- Strong roast coffee, espresso, caramelized sugar, tiramisu, wood smoke, vanilla and leather

The Barrel:

The stainless barrel starts it's life as a 2 gallon stainless steel food insert pot.  A 1.5" stainless steel tri-clamp ferrule is sanitary silver soldered to the bottom of the pot (which will be the side opposite of the head when barrel aging).  SS Tri-clamp fittings are common in the food and beverage industry and are widely accepted as sanitary.  The 1.5" tri-clamp ferrule gets a Teflon gasket and stainless steel sample valve.  This provides an air tight seal, with no worry of leaks.  One difference you will notice in my barrels to other barrels available is the tri-clamp fitting.  Some other barrels have a silicone bung which could easily leak and may give off flavors in extended aging.  Others have a wood bung and a stainless valve which is threaded into the barrel head.  Although great for sampling, both of these are areas for potential leaks.  Installing the ferrule and valve in the position I do on my barrels still allows the user an easy sample without need to open the barrel.

Construction:

After the barrel and barrel head (with toast and char level of your choosing) are constructed, the rim of the barrel head receives a small bead of organic beeswax.  It is then pressed into the opening of the barrel with a 12 ton press.  The very tight friction fit is more often than not, adequate and will not come loose over time.  As insurance that the head never comes out of the barrel during extended aging in hot environments, I've driven 4 small stainless steel nails through the side of the barrel and into the barrel head.

Note:  All barrels are swelled with water and tested leak free prior to shipping.  Stand is not included.  I can include stands for the barrel at additional cost.