Changes

First, smaller volumes mean a greater surface area to volume ratio. This means that both flavor extraction from the barrel will be faster and O2 pickup will be greater (as oxygen penetration is tied to the barrel's surface area). Both of these factors make these small barrels attractive to craft distillers as they can shorten the aging time for certain flavor developments, but for the homebrewer looking to produce long-aged mixed-fermentation beers with no barrel flavor impact to supportive barrel character rather than strong barrel character, this is not ideal. The barrel character can be partially stripped by repeated use and soaking with water. One approach to this is to fill the barrel with hot water and allow it to cool overnight. The cooling will extract a lot out of the barrel, which can then be discarded. Because many of the small barrels available to homebrewers are derived from distilleries and therefore may be more likely a heavier toast level, it may take longer to remove the character of the wood and a progression of beers may be needed to make the barrel appropriately neutral for long aged sour beers <ref> [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/basic-brewing-radio/e/082715-barrel-progression-experiment-40269155 Basic Brewing Radio barrel progression]</ref>. Shortening the residency time of beer in smaller barrels can also reduce the effects of oxygen pick up (which results in acetic acid and ethyl acetate) and barrel wood character. A residency of 3-6 months, for example, might produce better results than aging for much longer time periods in smaller barrels.