New shipment of Imported Okanagan American Oak Barrels has arrived in store.

Handcrafted from the finest tight grain KENTUCKY & MISSOURI AMERICAN OAK in sizes to suit the small scale winery or hobbyist:

Better prices for our latest shipment

23 litre.. new shipment price......$320.00
30 litre.. new shipment price......$395.00
50 litre . new shipment pricce... $480.00

all barrels are crafted from NEW seasoned Kentucky/Missouri Oak and have a MILD TOAST INTERIOR FINISH.

Very tight grain oak Ideal for spirit maturation

prices quoted include GST
for a quote for goods delivered, or information please contact info@ibrew.com.au

Why choose an Okanagan barrel?

Okanagan American Oak Barrels are made of stave wood from the Mid-West region of the United States, specifically the Missouri and Kentucky areas.

The oak species is Quercus Alba.The oak is naturally air dried for a minimum of 24 months before being skilfully shaped into staves and raised into barrels. The weather cycles of rain, snow , wind and sun serve to wash out the heavier tannis and "mellow" the wood. The wood is then graded and passed through a dry kiln, not to dry the wood more, but to even out the moisture content of all the pieces.

The wood is selected on grain tightness and uniformity, giving the finished barrels a wonderful complexity.

Manufacturing process:

Staves are 3/4" thick for 23 litre barrels and 1" thick for 30, 50, 100 and 225 litre barrels. The staves are raised in a steel hoop and placed over an oak fire to be heated for bending (20-30 minutes at 170 degC.) Initial moisture content is +/- 8%. Once bent into shape, the barrel is back over the oak fire for around 40-45 minutes for toasting. Temperatures reach 220 deg C.The barrels are finished with galvanized hoops, pressure tested with air and water, drained, sanded, and gassed with S02 (to prevent bacterial growth)

Welcome to the next level of winemaking!

Oak alters the flavour of wines in two ways. Firstly, the wine dissolves and absorbs a complex of aromas and flavours from the oak. Tannins, vanillins and sugars are a major part of this extraction, but there are a myriad of trace factors which differ with the various oak species, where the trees were grown and how the wood was dried and coopered. Secondly, oak is a porous material through which air can pass and into which liquid can penetrate. Wine stored in an oak cask is subject to very slow oxidation which gives wines their maturity.

Cal Craik, cooper and owner of Okanagan Barrel Works proudly displays a 50 litre barrel ready for shipment to Australia.

Okanagan Barrels are imported by DrinkART Pty Ltd and sold through the Bett-A-Brew retail outlet at Parkwood on the Gold Coast or online here at www.ibrew.com.au