I'm considering purchasing a recoop barrel. I've had a number of
negative comments on refurbished barrels in general, but recoop seems
to have won over a number of advocates, some of whom are making very
fine wine. Any experience with ReCoop out here?

There have been a number of posts in the forums at winepress.us
regarding barrels, and ReCoop barrels in particular. I don't recall
anyone having any problems with a ReCoop barrel - they sound like
quite a reputable outfit. Refurbished barrels will have thinner
staves, so you may lose more wine to evaporation than with a new
barrel, but that will apply to any refurbished barrel. I haven't
tried them myself - I'm still working up to the larger batches that
would be necessary to use a 30 gallon or 60 gallon barrel sensibly.

Doug

I got some last year...so far, the taste profile is good. Here's some
things I've learned so far about them:

1. If you order early enough, you can request the same Cooper for all
barrels.
2. Hydrate them well before adding in any wine....those thinner staves
dry out quick. If you're storing them empty, hydrate before you
sulfite.
3. If you have an account with a national trucking company, using them
can be considerably cheaper than the trucks ReCoop uses.
4. They fit 3 to a pallet.
5. They don't ship with bungs, just little plastic inserts. You might
be able to request bungs for add'l $$.
6. They are lighter than new barrels, about 100 lbs. Still, they can
be hard to carry, so if you don't have a forklift, then request a
liftgate on your delivery.
7. They sand/plane the outside heads, but typically leave the Coopers
brand on the head. They also add a ReCoop branding/etching to the
heads.
8. They toast to your specifications.

-David

On Jan 3, 6:20*pm, AxisOfBeagles > wrote:
> I'm considering purchasing a recoop barrel. I've had a number of
> negative comments on refurbished barrels in general, but recoop seems
> to have won over a number of advocates, some of whom are making very
> fine wine. Any experience with ReCoop out here?