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Ann Arbor Miller

Photos: Barrel makers give new life to old craft

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Black Swan Cooperage
Framed by a barrel in the making, Kelly Yliniemi adjusts an iron ring on another barrel at Black Swan Cooperage in Osage, Minn., June 8, 2011. The company, owned by Heidi Karasch, can produce as many as 150 barrels per week.
MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller
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Black Swan Cooperage
A barrel and fire number serve to mark the entrance to Black Swan Cooperage in Osage, Minn., June 8, 2011.
MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller
1 of 12
Black Swan Cooperage
Framed by a barrel in the making, Kelly Yliniemi adjusts an iron ring on another barrel at Black Swan Cooperage in Osage, Minn., June 8, 2011. The company, owned by Heidi Karasch, can produce as many as 150 barrels per week.
MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller
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Black Swan Cooperage
Scott Kolesar of Park Rapids, Minn., teases that he gets "to play with fire" when charring barrels at Black Swan Cooperage in Osage, Minn. Charring or burning a barrel's interior caramelizes the wood, which brings out its natural sugars and - ultimately - flavors the liquid held by the barrel.
MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller