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Barrel grid


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2 hours ago, 3-Oaks Distillery said:

Does anyone have a grid or graph for a 53 gallon wood barrel that tells you how many gallons are in the barrel by measuring the end of the barrel with a tape measure?

At first read I would say 53 gallons.  Whiskey barrels are not standard size.  53 gallon whiskey barrel dimensions are 21- 22 inches in diameter for the heads top and bottom by 35-36 inches in height, the circumference of the bilge will be around 26 to 28 inches. There might be other sizes I not aware of.

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The original post by 3-Oaks is not completely clear, but I read it as wanting a method for determining how much liquid is in a particular 53 gallon barrel, presumably after some spirit has been lost to the angel's share.

If that is indeed the question, here are two methods.

1. Make sure you record the tare weight before filling the barrel. After filling, record the weight. From time to time, weigh the barrel. Subtract the tare weight and convert weight to volume (with AlcoDens). You can also pull a sample and check the proof to increase precision, rather than using the entry proof.

2. when you get a new barrel, fill it with water, one gallon at a time. After each gallon, insert a dowel. Mark the dowel at the high water mark. Assuming your barrels are all from same supplier and are relatively consistent, this will give a you gauging stick to measure the amount in a barrel.

In both cases, some liquid will be absorbed into the wood and will not be recovered. If you keep good records, you'll eventually determine the subtraction amount for this loss as well.

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