[1vertical]

You will have to watch the posts but this appears to be a
viable source for wood barrels....I am still looking for
the 13 gallon(50 liter) size in French Oak with red wine/burgundy
 suitable for beer....
http://www.winebusiness.com/usedbarrels/?ref=hn

[dean]

I'm looking for a couple of barrels myself but I'd rather get them locally this spring if I can find any.

Here is another source you might try...

http://www.agriseek.com/sale/e/Equipment/Winery/Barrels/


Just found this too.... price doesn't seem bad, shipping might put it out though.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~lmbrdo/winebarrels/fullbarrels.htm

[1vertical]

I wound up getting my barrel from these folks. It was used with red wine contact
exactly as I requested.  Also they seem to want to accomodate even small
time joe's like myself and were not worried about big bux and volume sales stuff.
Nice selection of sizes as well. They are nicely made and the 50 liter weighs in
at 48# of wood. So they are not thin staves.

http://www.websiteq.com/member/ruthie/index.asp?action=page&name=5

Vadai World Trade Enterprise. Nice folks Great Barrels, I gotta say, Mine
did NOT even leak 1 drop....!!!

[enso]

If you live in New England and want a full size bourbon barrel this guy seems to have them often

http://burlington.craigslist.org/grd/1650968940.html

In Scarborough Maine.

Only ever seems to have the one size so I guess you would need to be brewing a lot or in a club...

[1vertical]

Well the guy at Vadai wines where I got my barrel advised me
of some methodology to swell the wood on the barrel as pre treatment.

couple gallons of boiling hot water into the barrel, then stand it on the
end...leave for an hour or so...repeat for the other end.

Drain and fill with cold water...change the water daily so nothing too nasty
gets a foothold, then when water tight fill with beer.  

I wonder about the campden treatment since this was a used barrel
with red wine.  It smells nice and I think I may just put my beer into it
straight away....unless I chicken out and do campden for a day or so...

Info: I did NOT use campden...just washed thoroughly and put beer in

[1vertical]

Further reading on possible sources adding to keep an online account of possible places.
http://www.babblebelt.com/newboard/thread.html?tid=1108752780&th=1290386173&pg=1&tpg=1&add=1