re use oak cubes?

zorak1066 · Post by **zorak1066** » Tue May 19, 2015 4:16 am

do you reuse your oak chips / cubes after soaking and using in a batch?

store them in a mason jar of bourbon? or dry them in oven if you do ... or other?

thanks

jimjohson · Post by **jimjohson** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:09 am

I do not re-use

mashani · Post by **mashani** » Tue May 19, 2015 1:10 pm

I don't see why you could not re-use however. You aren't going to "de-wood" the wood with one use.

Post by **Beer-lord** » Tue May 19, 2015 1:24 pm

I'm sure they lose some flavor after just one use but I'd worry about contamination. But then again, some of the beers brewers use them in is 10-12% and that can kill off lots of contamination.
But, they are pretty cheap so I'd just buy more and not take any chances.
mashani said 'de-wood' <said in a Beavus and Butt-Head voice>

mashani · Post by **mashani** » Wed May 20, 2015 12:03 am

If you are going to brew with the same or similar yeast, I wouldn't worry so much about cross contamination, as that's what you would likely get if you got anything. But if you oaked a French Saison, then yeah, maybe not use those chips in a stout. Unless you want a freaking dry stout.

zorak1066 · Post by **zorak1066** » Wed May 20, 2015 1:50 am

if they get soaked in bourbon prior to each use though, wouldn't that sanitize them anyway? at least in theory? or alternatively I could store the cubes in bourbon in a mason jar between uses. it would leech out some of the oaky flavors over time but it would increase the bourbon flavors in the wood.

I was thinking I would dry them on a cookie sheet in the over after use... then pop them in a jar of bourbon to wait for the next use. between the oven and the booze it should nuke the yeast that might be living on them.

mashani · Post by **mashani** » Wed May 20, 2015 2:28 am

Most likely, unless something soaks into the middle and it doesn't get hot enough/boozy enough in there and then it soaks back out in your beer. It's probably safe, I wouldn't worry about it myself, but if you really want to be sure then be paranoid I guess. A minimal cross infection with another strain of sacc wouldn't be a big deal to me as long as it's got similar properties.

FWIW, Belgians re-use wooden barrels all the time for spontaneous fermentations. But they are doing it because the barrels are inoculated with the yeast/bugs they want in the beer. They don't try to kill the critters, they consider them to be friends.

EDIT: FWIW as well, you can add the burbon you soaked the chips in to the beer, and get both burbon and oakey flavors. No reason to waste that stuff.

Kealia · Post by **Kealia** » Wed May 20, 2015 9:00 pm

I'm not a re-user so I am no help here. But in theory I don't see why you couldn't do what is being discussed.

re use oak cubes?

re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?

Re: re use oak cubes?