Oak Barrels, will they hold pressure?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

RedIrocZ-28

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
850
Reaction score
31
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
I have been wanting to get an oak barrel for aging purposes and I have also had this little dream of walking over to the fridge and undoing the spout and pouring a nice beer out of an oak cask after a hard days work. But I have never seen anyone talk about these casks holding pressure, so I don't know how much if any carbonation they could withstand. From a standpoint of their construction I know the sidewalls could handle an immense amount of pressure, but the end caps I am not so sure how they are secured.

Has anyone ever used one of these for serving carbonated beer?

http://cgi.ebay.com/10L-Oak-Wood-Wo...0|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50
 
But I have never seen anyone talk about these casks holding pressure, so I don't know how much if any carbonation they could withstand. From a standpoint of their construction I know the sidewalls could handle an immense amount of pressure, but the end caps I am not so sure how they are secured.

I don't think the barrel in your link can hold much pressure.
Look at my barrel, made for dispensing carbonated German beers.
The walls and caps use 1-1/4" wood.
Compare the walls to my Wine/ Whiskey barrel, 1/2" wood.
My bier barrel has a coating inside to prevent wood flavors.

German Beer Barrel
111cdbf3.jpg


Wine or Whiskey barrel
87f6d595.jpg


Old traditional way of coating a barrel
82b323b6.jpg


Cheers,
ClaudiusB
 
Wood casks are only used for low-carbonation ales (which is to say CO2 @ only 1 atm). Nothing wrong with that, the whole cult of real ales is based on flat beer.:p

If you are just looking for "cool", get a Party Pig and build a cask around it.
 
They char the inside. Not sure what they are using in that picture. I have heard that they actually build a small fire in the larger barrels as they build them to fully char the inside.
 
What are they coating those barrels with
Natural tree resin
The new method uses a machine sprayer and rolling machine to coat the inside.

Doesn't look like anything I would want to drink from.
It's safe and all barrels are sanitized.

They char the inside. Not sure what they are using in that picture. I have heard that they actually build a small fire in the larger barrels as they build them to fully char the inside.
Barrel toasting applies to wine & whiskey barrels not German beer barrels.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB
 
In days of yore, beer barrels were internally coated with resin or pitch to prevent imparting oak flavor or tannin for things like transportation by boat from Burton-on-Trent to India.

Wine and Whiskey barrels are toasted to caramelize the sugars in the oak and encourage oak contribution. Toasting barrels has become quite the science in the past 5 years, but its nothing you'd want in a beer.
 
I have seen barrels being hand built and charred a while back on TV. I think it was Discovery channel or something. Very cool to watch.
 
They don't much hold pressure, the bungs will pop and if enough is applied then the barrel will explode. I work at a winery and we have a steam machine to clean. We were warned to make sure not to turn the pressure up too high otherwise we will explode a barrel and send shrapnel everywhere. Granted I am talking a whole lot of pressure. If you are going to do it then you are going to want to pressurize low as said above and make sure to drive a wooden bung into the bunghole (a ***** to get out though).
 
I am still looking at getting one of these barrels, maybe not so much now for serving purposes but more for oaking a batch of Stoudt.

I just can't pull the trigger. Its going to cost me $150 for a 5gal barrel delivered no matter what place I order one. Or $225 for a 13gal barrel. Decisions decisions... :(
 
More info about beer barrels.

Beer barrels don't use wooden bungs like wine & whiskey barrels.
Imaging storing a Weizenbier inside a wine barrel.
The barrels are equipped with special inserts which can be removed for cleaning and maintenance, requires a special tool.
Each insert has a check valve.

Bottom insert removed

100_5122.jpg


Barrels can be connected to standard or old fashion faucets.
I do it the old way with my special tools.

100_5139.jpg


New style plastic stainless beer barrels with old and new way of dispensing beer.
100_5135.jpg


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

100_5140.jpg
 
Claudius, where do you get one of these beer barrels? I have been ninja googling high and low and I am only able to find Wine or Bourbon/Whiskey barrels. I can only assume that these barrels are quite costly, but I have yet to find them.
 
Trying to figure this out. I bought this at a flea market 28 years ago while stationed in Eastern PA. Wurtzburger Hofbrau. It cost me $10. For $2 more he sold me a nickel plated brass tap with pressure gage. I cleaned it up and put a glass top on it. It’s my man cave lamp table. There’s about two inches between the glass and the keg top. I usually have a wooden tap and pre WWII German paper beer coasters there. They have advertisements for guesthouses on them. I got them for $1 apiece when stationed in Germany in the 70’s.
The guy I bought them off got five for free. He was a plumber and was doing work on a house in Scranton, PA. The elderly homeowner said they were in the way and he could have them if he’d get them out of the way. I’ve always regretted not buying all.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7994.jpeg
    IMG_7994.jpeg
    2.1 MB · Views: 0
Back
Top