Barrel Head repair – well, my last name IS Cooper.

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You may recall that I removed the head of a French oak barrel a few weeks ago to do an open top ferment of our 2014 Cumulus Nimbus Pinot Noir. Now it was time to put the head back on so I could re-fill it with #Pinot. Taking the head off was easy. Getting it back on so it would seal would be a bit more of a challenge.

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IMG_20141101_143412 I was careful to save the small custom nails that help keep the hoops in place. They don’t sell them yet at my local hardware store. I also prepared a thick, gooey flour paste that I used in the croze or groove the barrel head sits in to help seal the deal. I’d read somewhere that corn flour is used but I just used regular old Robin Hood.

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I removed the quarter hoop and the French hoop. That let the sun in but it was the only way the head could be manipulated back into place.

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Not such a neat job but I didn’t want to miss a spot.

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And here it is the next day – being tested with 225 liters of water over the next 48 hours. Not the slightest drip at this point. Success!

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