Got a new barrel for my Beam for Christmas.

I sell those..."personalized"
fill it up completely with water,
even soak the outside well more than once.
then you'll be ready to go....see notes:

How to Seal the Barrel

Before using the barrel please check your barrel for leaks. It is normal for the oak wood to dry and shrink during shipment. You can seal the barrel by filling it with cold water and allowing the barrel to sit a couple of days. When filled with water the oak wood should expand in a time period of 2-4 days sealing all leaks.

Tip: To faster seal the barrel fill it to ¼ its capacity with water and place the barrel in an upright position with the spigot (faucet) pointing upward, allowing the bottom panel to leak and start sealing first. After 12 hours rotate the barrel so the faucet panel is at the bottom and so on until the barrel stops leaking.

- Keep refilling the barrel if water level lowers.

- If one side seals off before the other stop rotating the barrel keeping the leaking side at the bottom until it also seals.

Note: If you are going to store the barrel for prolong periods of time, fill the barrel with ¼ of its capacity with water. This will avoid shrinking which causes leaks and hoops to fall off.