I just ordered a 5 gallon Balcones whiskey barrel from homebrewing.com. What can I expect for a delivery estimate? Just trying to plan accordingly and would like to know approximate arrival. Thanks.
Kinda depends. I'm in CO and I usually get them in a week give or take a few days. I've waited up to a month and a few days before. But that was once. Most of the time they are 1-2 weeks. I'd guess yours will take longer being in Michigan. Expect 1.5-2.5 weeks and I bet you'll be good. You can always ask homebrewing.com their expected shipping/delivery dates. Hope that helps.
I've noticed on some other posts that you have a lot of experience with these barrels... so I have a quick question for you: the website says to do a soak with hot water before 1st use. But you claim to soak with spirits instead right? That approach makes more sense to me, as it would retain more flavor. How much do you use? This would also check for leaks right? Thanks.
I usually use about a 1.75 L jug of whiskey. Your choice to go cheap or middle of the road. I wouldn't put premium booze in though. I don't put nasty cheapo stuff either. I usually get a 1.75 Liter jug of Buffalo Trace or Maker Mark from Costco (Cheapest I can find them) and use those. They both work well. Sometimes I'll do Jameson. Sometimes I'll do brandy, cognac, rum, gin, Absinthe or Tequila, etc... Depends on what I am going for. And yes you can check for leaks with the spirits, but you need to rotate the barrel, let it sit in that position for a while and check each part of the barrel to see if it is leaking or not. If you do have a leak, let that area stay in position so the spirit can soak into it and bulge the wood around it. Put a bowl or a baking sheet underneath to catch the spillover and put it back in the barrel. While you soak the barrel rotate it so the spirit comes into contact with each part of the barrel over time. Slosh it around every few days also. I do it for about 2 weeks to a month depending on when my beer is ready to go in. Remove the spirit and save it for later to re-season the barrel for another 2 weeks or so after emptying your first beer and prior to adding your next beer. Hope that helps. Good luck!
I would recommend Benchmark No 8. It's a stupid cheap bourbon but you can get 1.75 L for like $15 (at least in KY). I use it for mixing. It's not bad, but it's not great in the way that macro lager is not great, it's just lacking in flavor.
