A capped barrel system includes a barrel for aging and a device for capping the barrel. The barrel includes a plurality of staves made of a wood suitable for aging liquids, a plurality of hoops for holding the staves together, a head having a flat circular top, a bunghole in the head, and a chime formed by raised ends of the staves. The device includes a lid sized to span across the head and beyond the chime, a flange extending downwardly from the lid for engaging an external side of the staves, an opening in the lid to generally align with the bunghole, and a closure sized to seal the opening.