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Barrel

This article is about the container. For use as a unit of measurement, see Barrel (unit). For the gun part, see Gun barrel. For other uses, see Barrel (disambiguation).
"Cask" redirects here. For other uses, see Cask (disambiguation).
Traditional oak barrels made by Chilean cooperage Tonelería Nacional
Mackmyra barrels at Hackeberga Castle
Modern stainless steel casks and kegs outside the Castle Rock microbrewery in Nottingham, England
Wooden wine barrel at an exhibition in Croatia

A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide.[1][2] They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, usually alcoholic beverages;[3] a small barrel or cask is known as a keg.[4]

Barrels have a variety of uses, including storage of liquids such as water, oil, and alcohol. They are also employed to hold maturing beverages such as wine, cognac, armagnac, sherry, port, whiskey, beer, arrack, and sake. Other commodities once stored in wooden casks include gunpowder, meat, fish, paint, honey, nails, and tallow.

Modern wooden barrels for wine-making are made of French common oak (Quercus robur), white oak (Quercus petraea), American white oak (Quercus alba), more exotic is mizunara oak (Quercus crispula),[5] and recently Oregon oak (Quercus garryana) has been used.[6] Someone who makes traditional wooden barrels is called a cooper. Today, barrels and casks can also be made of aluminum, stainless steel, and different types of plastic, such as HDPE.

Early casks were bound with wooden hoops and in the 19th century these were gradually replaced by metal hoops that were stronger, more durable and took up less space.

Barrel has also been used as a standard size of measure, referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. For example, in the UK and Ireland, a barrel of beer refers to a quantity of 36 imperial gallons (160 L; 43 US gal), and is distinguished from other unit measurements, such as firkins, hogsheads, and kilderkins.[7] Wine was shipped in barrels of 119 litres (31 US gal; 26 imp gal). A barrel of oil, defined as 42 US gallons (35 imp gal; 160 L), is still used as a measure of volume for oil, although oil is no longer shipped in barrels. The barrel has also come into use as a generic term for a wooden cask of any size.

  1. ^ "barrel". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ "cask". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ "vat". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ^ "keg". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  5. ^ Terebelo, Binyomin (2022-01-01). "Oak Used To Create Casks For Aging Spirits Such As Made At Terebelo Distillery". Terebelo.
  6. ^ Vierra, George. "Barrel Flavors from Oak".
  7. ^ "Guinness Collectors Club". The Guinness Coopers. Retrieved 13 January 2024.

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