3 litres oak barrel for mead
3 litres oak barrel for mead
Code: AZSM03Price 80 € VAT incl.Make your drinks unique by ageing them in oak barrels
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Handmade oak barrels can be used to keep and age all kinds of liquids. The barrels are made according to the ancient crafting traditions. The inside of each barrels is toasted or charred, while its ends are coated with wax. Since these barrels are handmade, their capacity is approximate.
The thickness of the wooden planks (staves) ranges from ~18 (3 litres) to ~28 m (50 litres). The stave thickness determines the intensity of the flavour and scent. Thicker staves also mean that the barrel can be used more times. Of course, the ageing will take longer every time, while the number of times a barrel can be used also depends on the length of the ageing. The 1,5-2 mm stainless steel hoops can be 20-35 mm wide (the thickness and width depends on the capacity of the barrel).
All barrels should be protected from direct sunlight. It is recommended to keep them in premises at 10–12 C° and 65%–85% humidity – keeping in warmer and dryer places will cause the content to evaporate.
Barrel preparation for use: first of all, pour in 100-200 ml of cold water and give it a rinse. Thus you will wash out the charred wood particles, since the inside is toasted or charred. Fill your barrel with cold water and leave it to soak for up to 3 days. The wooden barrel may leak water at first, but eventually the wood will swell making the barrel watertight. After 1-3 days, pour the water out and fill the barrel with the real deal.
All barrels are covered with a warranty until your first fill. If the barrel still leaks water after 3 days, we will replace it with a new one. Important! If you’ve already filled the barrel with something else than water, we won't replace it, but we may repair it for you. Used barrel reparation is usually free (but the client has to cover the transportation costs).
Ageing: small barrels transfer the oak flavours faster. A drink, aged in a 3 litre barrel, can be tasted in already 2-4 weeks. Other times, you may need to wait a little longer. The larger the barrel, the smaller is the inside wall/content ratio, which means that the ageing will take longer. Where the first ageing in a 20 litre barrel takes 6-12 months, the same process may take a few years for a 200-250 l barrel.
Temperature and humidity: higher temperature makes the process faster, while lower – slower. Temperature changes also impact the flavour and how intensive is the oak in your drink. Dry air and higher temperature promotes the loss of water, which translates into increasing alcoholic volume.