Caring For Oak Barrels

[homebrew4less]

Caring For Oak Barrels

Conditioning of New & Rebuilt Barrels:
1) Fill your barrel with a cleaning solution. i.e.(Soda ash or Barolkleen[) 1# (454g) of Barolkleen per 5 gallons (22 litters) of water. (This removes excessive tannins.)
2) Let this solution soak in the barrel for 3 days.
3) Now drain the solution and rinse 3 or 4 times with cold water.
4) Rinse with this solution: 2 oz (50g) of sulphite, 1/2 oz (14g) of citric acid, & 2 gallons (9 litters) of cold water.
5) Finally rinse with cold water.
If your barrels are new, steps 1-3 may need to be repeated several of times.

Storage of Barrels:
When barrels are not being used they must be stored full of a mild sterilizing solution. This prevents cracking & drying. The solution: 2 oz (50g) of sulphite crystals & 5 gallons (22 litters) of water. Every 2 months replace solution or add more sulphite.
Before use, any new or dry barrel will require several days of soaking to tighten it. Other wise, it may leak.