Does a barrel always have to be a barrel?

[Thedutchtouch]

The idea of barrel aging beers comes up from time to time, particularly in the lambic/sour beer realm, which makes me wonder, dogs the barrel really have to be a coopered legitimate barrel? Wouldn't a sturdy oak box work just as well, if constructed in a way that it would not leak? Or is a barrel simply the most convenient shape to have tight seams stay that way?

I could relatively easy build a watertight oak box. I can't build or buy a barrel as easily, which prompts the question.

 

[Hopinista]

If you don't want a barrel you could always just load some oak cubes into your secondary?

 

[Thedutchtouch]

If you don't want a barrel you could always just load some oak cubes into your secondary?

This is true, but not exactly at what I'm trying to get at. Ageing a sour in a barrel is a bit different than adding oak cubes to the secondary for flavor.

 

[Hopinista]

Clearly, but unless you have a lot of space/money it's not very practical