Question for brewers who use oak.

There were used barrels at Jack's Abby for like $50 when I was there this summer.

 

http://www.thevintnervault.com/category/612/Oak-Vats.html

Only place I've seen fouders for sale, although I stumbled across these in my search for used wine barrels so there might be other places.

 

Not a brewer or distiller, but here's a source for Whiskey barrels. Many are sold through a dealer such as this one.

http://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/Wood-Barrels.html

Fresh oak barrels are much more expensive as they are still hand made, etc. and there is considerable demand right now from the distilleries as Bourbon is going through a rapid popularity surge.

 

I believe brewers often use oak chips, cubes or spirals rather than barrels.

 

I can't recall ever seeing a beer that claimed to be "oak barrel aged." It's usually stated just as you put it. Since you asked about cost, you can check out Northern Brewer for prices of oak barrels vs cubes for homebrewers.

 

Haven't brewed in a long time but I used to buy a bag of plain oak chips and a bag of charred chips and mix them together. Then I'd put some in a mason jar and soak them in what ever ( mostly bourbon) spirit I was using .After fermentation was ended I add the chips and taste the beer every couple days until it reached the lever I was looking for.

 

these kind of phrases are marketing and are highly unregulated. cheap wine designed to impart an oak flavor also can be treated with oak chips (the prisoner) rather than new french oak, which is exponentially more expensive.

 

Used Whiskey barrel (nothing special) - $200 and really hard to source these days, they sell out quickly when available
Used Wine Barrel - $100-200 and up depending on what it is, where its from, but easy to find/ always available
Fresh Oak Barrel - I want to say around $500, but I don't know of any brewers who buy new oak barrels
Oddball Spirits Barrel (rum, brandy, etc) - anywhere from $150 to 500+ depending, availability also depends on what it is
New Foeder - about $6K for a small one (around 7BBL), which is basically a giant barrel. About $12k and up for a proper, upright 15BBL or larger foeder.

The $50 whiskey barrels someone mentioned seeing are almost certainly decorator grade, no longer functional.

 

The type of oak(American, Slovenian, French), who made it, how many times it's been used and the pedigree of whatever was in it previously can have a huge impact on the cost. On the cheap end, an American oak wine barrel can be had for under a hundred but it has most likely been used many times before and will impart more wine flavors than oak flavors. On the high end, a fresh French oak barrel from a good barrel smith can go $5k.

 

for the home brewer I suggest looking for a smaller start up distillery near you. To age off their bourbon quicker, new distillers often use 5 gallon barrels which are perfect for a home brew batch. This is the barrel my neighbor has - it cost him about $120 or so from memory (which is a ton for a little barrel) but he has put half a dozen batches through and it is still putting down some nice vanilla toasty flavors



eventually he will convert it to a sour barrel, so if you spread the cost over all the beers he will use it for, it will probably be about $10 per batch, so not too bad. Obviously if you only want to go with first use, then it is way more expensive.

Edit - oh, and the pic is from last weekend when we were pulling off the 13% imperial stout that spent the entire winter in the barrel... Hurry up bottle conditioning yeast, I am thirsty!

Since you are in Illinois, try giving FEW distillery in Evanston a call - that is where he got this barrel from (but a few years ago).

 

I wish more brewers used these. It's nowhere as expensive as barrel aging and it adds another layer of complexity. Example; SA Griffen's Bow, 21st Amendment's Hop Crisis and Monk's Blood, Sixpoint 3 Beans (O How I miss you), DFH Burton Baton and Old Schoole, Stone Oaked Bastard and so on...

 

But you don't get to say what bourbon was in the barrel previously! Imagine all those disappointed neck beards who don't get to wax lyrical about the differences between heaven hill vs Elijah Craig 12 barrel aging without realizing they are barrels from the same distillery with the same distillate in them... Won't somebody please think of the neck beards!

 

I assumed that oak staves, chips, etc. never saw bourbon and that the oak itself gave off flavours of it's own. But I hear what your sayin'. Maybe some have seen bourbon.

 

Fair point - the chips / cubes might be briefly soaked in bourbon, but are really just straight up oak. I am with you though. It seems stupid to use whole barrels for aging when some chips in a stainless steel tank gets the same result with much less wasted oak... If only Oak aged yeti was in 4 packs I would be all up in that!

 

I have been brewing beer professionally for 15+ years and have used oak in many forms, many times on so many different beers. Just to touch on the "oaked" (with chips or spirals or old catchers mitts -whatever) vs barrel aged. Classic (non sour)barrel aging offers not just the character from the barrel and in some cases, its previous contents... but also, the oxidative qualities. the cubes and such just add wood and whatever its been soaked in.(not a fan personally, more one dimensional) Of course sour barrels have a whole additional level of flavors and aromas to discover.

In our barrel room (20 barrels) I currently have several used rye whiskey (both large producer and small local), bourbon, and red and white wine barrels. I have a couple rum, a gin and possibly a cognac barrel soon. None are incredibly difficult to find. Some of the listings above are good sources, and there are certainly others. I have also found that breweries will pass once used barrels to others when they can free some up. Over the years, I have purchased through brokers, direct from wineries and distilleries, and through breweries. I also have traded on several occasions. In the late 90s, I traded 6 corny kegs for 2 bourbon barrels. Best deal ever I thought... except those cornys are still probably being used, whereas the barrels were split a few years later and smoked a lovely pork butt.

I have paid everywhere from free - to a barter for a hand full of beers(local whiskey producer)... to $350 thorough a broker(french oak white wine, grand cru select barrel) most others range from $125-$200.

If we are going to consider the cost to the consumer? The processes involved, effort, and expertise are the reasons for the price at the store or bar. Of course rarity has an effect too, although rarity does not speak on quality, whereas the previous reasons do.

I really dig working with wood, but it does have its challenges.

 

for used wine barrels, just go visit some wineries and ask if they are selling any. Should cost around $50 for a totally neutral barrel. Have to be careful they aren't selling you one that's gone VA or something. I'll probably have some to sell myself in Lodi, CA in a year or so.

edit: keep in mind red wine barrel + light colored beer = pink beer