Aging in Oak at Home

   Today I received my 1000 Oaks Barrel Company 1 liter barrel to age whatever my heart desires.  I thought about getting a bigger size then 1 liter but decided to do some experimenting first before diving into anything larger.  The company says these barrels are made from “American White Oak with no glue or nails used”.  I have to say I was surprised how cool this little thing is.  The whole thing looks like an aging barrel that has been shrunk down for tiny little people.  There is one advantage to getting the smallest barrel as I did.  The website also says the greater surface/contact area means it will age 5 to 10 times faster then a 55 gallon barrel.  So one month in the small barrel would be like 1 to 11/2 years in a full sized barrel!  It took less than a week to get to my door step in Seattle.  Everything was fine with my packaging and the instructions (which I usually just throw away) were simple and clear.  To “prime” the barrel you just fill it up with hot water for 5 days to expand the oak and make sure it is not going to leak.
   You can “age” anything but let’s take a look into what aging really is doing and if it is going to have positive effect on whatever it is you want to put in the barrel.  When you put a liquid inside of a charred oak barrel you are effectively putting it in an almost living thing.  They allow a tiny tiny little bit of oxygen to come into the barrel (similar to a wine cork).  Along with heat changes and cold changes (through the seasons) the liquid is pulled in and out of the oak absorbing the qualities of the charred wood.  Like the company says, these barrels come with a medium char.  You can make that a heavy char with a butane lighter if that is the taste you are going for. And what “taste” would that be?  It’s tannin strong with vanilla flavors that naturally occur in wood.  Oak and the taste profile it has to offer have a life of about three years.  After three years the barrel has more of a taste profile of what has been aging in it then a unique oaky flavor adding to the liquid.  There is somewhat of a demand for used oak barrels in the beer and wine industries but for the most part companies will replace the barrels after one or two uses (a couple years).
   For the home use the possibilities are endless!  If you make any spirit, wine, cordial, sake, vinegar, or bitters you can mess around with aging and see if it can improve your experiment.  I ask myself “would this (fill in the blank) benefit from a hint of bittery tannin and vanilla?” If so I would think about aging, I will of course post on what crazy concoctions ensue from experimenting with the barrel, and feel free to write me if you are aging something of interest.

By: Mark Sexauer