Toasting / barrel charring, any experts here?

[Obree]

Think I got more or less of an answer. When fire is used to bend, instead of steam, there is more of an effect on the wood that creates flavor, it seems. At least that is what the cooperage owner at Adirondack Barrel Cooperage claims, it is their reason for using fire. Think they mainly do barrels for a lot of craft whiskey brands.

 

 

 

Bluegrass Cooperage that does the Brown-Forman barrels, seem to use steam from the looks of it, in another video. From the above video, it seems only a few cooperages use fire, most use steam heat to bend. Regardless, depending on the time needed, a certain change in the wood components under heat stress is likely happening, as both the steam and the fire process take a bit of time, at significant temperature, from what I have seen. Not sure if you could call that a form of toasting though, that remains unanswered.

[flahute]

Good stuff! Thanks for hunting these down and posting.