I got a free barrel!

[StraightNoChaser]

Freakin sweet! The store next door was getting rid of their barrels from 1B purchases, so who do they call first? Me!

I popped the bung out last night and it smells absolutely phenomenal. I wish there was some way to suck the last juice out of the wood. Maybe I should call JB for tips?

Now the question is... what the hell do I do with it? lol

[Lost Pollito]

I wish there was some way to suck the last juice out of the wood.

If you fill it up with a couple gallons of water, and roll it around for awhile, you should be able to extract some bourbon. A low proof though. I recall reading a thread on that somewhere here.

[SMOWK]

If you fill it up with a couple gallons of water, and roll it around for awhile, you should be able to extract some bourbon. A low proof though. I recall reading a thread on that somewhere here.

[Josh]

Do you own a smoker? Cut it up and use the chunks to smoke various tasty meats. That's what I'd do.

[Lost Pollito]

You could also make a great bar out of it. :grin:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13332

[StraightNoChaser]

It's called "The Bum's Share"

[sutton]

How many gallons? Fill it with white dog ...

[spinningrecords]

Nice score. Let us know how you end up purposing it.

[yountvillewjs]

We often steam barrels to kill bacteria. If you could get the internal temp pretty high, bung it and wait for a few minutes. The head will flex as the pressure gets intense, but you'll extract whatever was left in the staves.

[Ejmharris]

Find a home brewer and have them brew 53 gallons of a brown ale or stout. Fill with beer and enjoy. I had a friend but one from an oversupply at a local winery (HH barrel I think). He put in an oatmeal stout. It was fantastic.

[Clavius]

I have a Woodford Reserve barrel that I... acquired in a similar fashion. It does smell great when you pop the bung out. I still don't know what I should do with the barrel though. Thought about selling it.

[ILLfarmboy]

It's called "The Bum's Share"

[Young Blacksmith]

Put a round glass top on it and make it a micro bar.

Take it over to DEBC and have them fill it with beer.

Do the second first, put a tap in it, and do the first!

[barrelslime]

Make a big batch of home made wine and let it age in that barrel.

[mrviognier]

If you fill it up with a couple gallons of water, and roll it around for awhile, you should be able to extract some bourbon.

[ethangsmith]

I have 6 barrels here at the house- 4 from Michter's in Schaefferstown, Pa, 1 from Continental Distilling in Philly, and 1 from Sam Thompson in Pittsburgh. All of them are quite old and as barrels age, they will shrink and get quite loose from being dried out. If you don't secure your hoops quickly, they will begin to shift and compromise the barrel's structure. I would suggest buying some "hoop nails" or even some self-tapping screws to secure the barrel together before it gets wobbly.

[yountvillewjs]

Works - and is necessary - for wine; not needed for spirits. Alcohol content ensured nothing's growing in that.

[mrviognier]

Ah...got ya.

Still, I'd advise strongly against adding water or steam in an effort to leech out some bourbon. It'd be an enormous waste of time...and what little spirit you would get would be chock-full of barrel tannin and flakes of char. :puke:

[MarkEdwards]

Another good idea is to get a skillsaw, cut it in half, and make two planters out of it.

And you'd end up with two very happy plants!

[CorvallisCracker]

Two words: Niagara Falls

[sailor22]

You don't have to cut it up. It looks like a fresh tight barrel that will be a good candidate for re-use.

If you can afford a lot of inexpensive whiskey then work up a tasty vatting and dump it in. Tasting as it ages will be be loads of fun and teach you a lot about how whiskey ages.

Or do like we did and get a group of friends together and share the cost of the whiskey to be dumped in. Have a party or get together every 6 months for tastings.

[BarrelChar]

Filling it with white dog and waiting a few years would have the greatest payoff, but by then, humans will probably be replaced by robots or something. Who can wait that long? Quickest result would be to contact a local brewer and jam it full of beer, preferably something dark like an imperial stout, and offer to split the eventual contents. Wait 7 months and you'll have a rich, premium bourbon stout and beat the Mayan doomsday, allowing you one month of stout-fueled debauchery before Armageddon.

Or you could fill it with root beer, thereby creating an entirely new product that's never been attempted--and be a hit with the straight-edge crowd. Or just slice off the top and bottom of the barrel and cut out some arm holes for the perfect "Angel's Share" costume for Halloween.

Longer-term alternative: Fill it with OWA, wait 13+ years, and presto! Pappy Van Winkle 20! (Too soon?)

[craigthom]

Do you own a smoker? Cut it up and use the chunks to smoke various tasty meats. That's what I'd do.

I have done this making barbecue in a regular Weber kettle grill. It takes a lot more attention to keep the temperature stable than with a dedicated smoker, but the results have been great.

[Josh]

I have done this making barbecue in a regular Weber kettle grill. It takes a lot more attention to keep the temperature stable than with a dedicated smoker, but the results have been great.

Never tried to do it in my grill. My smoker is just a big terrra cotta pot with a hot plate in the bottom. Whole set up cost me <$35. It's lasted for over three years now. Not a bad investment!

[Clavius]

Do you own a smoker? Cut it up and use the chunks to smoke various tasty meats. That's what I'd do.

Can this seriously be done? Will the wood from the barrel actually make for some tastier meats? If so, I may do this with the Woodford barrel I have. I just don't have anywhere to display it and it's taking up room in my garage.