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If memory serves, I believe I seen some where they had dowels helping keep the sections aligned. However, I could be mistaken. If u decide to glue, I would use a minimal amount on the outside edges only. Clamp them together overnight and hope for the best when u reassemble. You could also...

Damn! I'm jealous!!! Where is the condensate line ran from the AC? Are you just draining to a bucket? I've considered building something similar in my garage but not a walk-in design. I figures I could build it from 2x4s, Plywood and spray foam. Basically build a cooler with doors. The...

Did you convert a freezer into a wine cooler?

very good idea!

good question... i suppose it depends on what you have available. i had heavy duty torch and i felt more in control using it than having a fire. however, i feel like a fire is a more traditional method. just depends on what you feel comfortable doing.

Looks great! It should seal up fine. Have fun putting it back together. 😆 Try not to throw staves in frustration. How do u plan on toasting it?

If you're not in a sealed fermentor (under an airlock), then YES- press.

Having now used a barrel and tasting the difference, it's unlikely that I will ever make another Red without barrel aging. It is a game changer IMO.

You should look into Flextanks over barrels. They seem cost effective, easier to use, they have a more efficient storage footprint and seem easier to control the process. If I was commercial, I would seriously look into this as an option over barrels. Especially if I could run side by side...

I find articles like this interesting but unfortunately not of much value to the average home winemaker (HWM). How do we take that information and use it to generate a realistic comparison to what we do at home? What HWM understands what O2 uptake in mg/L even means? Seeing what processes...

If you decide to bulk age, do you intend to add aging oak or is this not something you considered outside of using a barrel? Personally, I wouldn't make a red without oak (just seems wrong). This is also a reason to bulk age vs bottle age.

I also vacuum rack into my barrel. I'll make approximately 18 gal of wine. Barrel takes 15 and remaining 3 gal (topup wine) goes into gallon jugs and swivel top glass as needed. Trevor, are you using So2 additions at anytime during your process? If not, I can see your concern with O2.

Also, i believe if the wine was being overly oxygenated from all the rackings, it wouldn't improve when decanted. Since it does improve, I think it is not overly oxidized. Also, my gut tells me that a wine will be introduced to more O2 through a barrel than through vaccum racking between...

Good question. It does seem like a lot of rackings, right. IMO since I'm racking under vacuum and adding kmeta at racking and on 3 month schedule (when in glass) and monthly (when in barrel at topup) I do not believe O2 is an issue. Typical racking schedule when using my 15 gallon barrel...

Don't know about pressing force with your setup. Most home winemakers dont have that so you likely won't find an opinion. If that is what works for you in the past, then do what you think is best. As far as aging goes, you'll probably find most around here prefer to bulk age in carboys for at...

There is some curve but it's possible to sand without taking too much off the sides. It's how you run the tool. If you blindly just lay into the stave then, yes, you will take a bunch off the edges. There obviously some finesse required. It's like running a chainsaw. Some people can make...

You don't need a special tool. I did it successfully with stuff I already had. Read some articles on it. It's definitely not rocket science. https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Recooping_Barrel You need to number the staves and mark what head belongs to which end before you disassemble. Not...

Dang! What sizes?

Almost pulled the trigger on some more FWK today but i feel like its time to take a break from FWK and go a different route. Ended up spending more money and went with RJS en primeur amarone kits to fill my barrel. These are in the queue to be my third batch through the barrel. I really like...

fyi, something you want to be aware of... after looking closer (on my computer screen) it looks like you might have sanded down the edge of the croze on some areas (see pic). this will likely cause issue getting that head to seal. those grooves are critical areas and this might have caused...