adding toasted oak

[mtsoxfan]

I'm not sure where this should be posted,
I want to add some oak to a stout conditioning in a corny. My intent was to toast it in a grill until it was a dark brown. Unless there is something I don't know about, was going to use a piece of white oak flooring, as it would be easy to work with. My question is, am I right in thinking that just the heat alone is sanitizing the oak? I'd hate to lose anything to soaking in a sanitizer, but would use a rum if it was necesary to sanitize. In foodservice, heating to 180* does the job, and I would be heating much hotter than that.

[russki]

I would not use "construction grade" oak, but that's me... feel free to experiment! I've had great results with Hungarian medium-toast oak cubes that I soaked in a cup of whiskey for a week or so, then added to secondary (whiskey and all). You can find the cubes at most LHBS, or order online. 2 oz of cubes per 5 gallons of beer. It does take a while to get a good oakiness with the cubes - 3-4 months in my case.

If you want a quicker turnaround, use oak chips - should only take a week or so to reach a good level of oakiness, but the flavor is less complex than the cubes. Put them in a mesh bag and use some floss to tie it up - this way you can pull the oak once you are happy with the flavor.

Good luck!

[mtsoxfan]

Is there a reason not to use the commercial oak? I got the thought while debarking a piece if applewood for my smoker. I do have a mesh bag, and some oak logs I could chip and toast. Was looking for convenient (lazy) but don't want to ruin a batch taking shortcuts...

[russki]

Is there a reason not to use the commercial oak? I got the thought while debarking a piece if applewood for my smoker. I do have a mesh bag, and some oak logs I could chip and toast. Was looking for convenient (lazy) but don't want to ruin a batch taking shortcuts...

I guess just not being able to accurately control the toast levels. Don't be afraid to experiment, but I would do it on a smaller batch

[Gymrat]

I used oak chips in mine. I soaked them in a mason jar full of bourbon for a week. Then dumped the entire thing in my fermenter a week before bottling. The stuff came out fantastic.

[Crazy Climber]

A very timely topic for me, as I just brewed an IPA yesterday that I plan to turn into a Bourbon Oak IPA.

It's an LBK-sized batch, filled to just below the "Q". I was thinking about letting it ferment for two weeks before adding the flavorings to it, and I've been trying to decide how much to add.

I've got 1 oz. of oak cubes (medium roast) from Northern Brewer -- I boiled some water, added the cubes for 15 minutes to sanitize, and then stored them in a sanitized container with 4 ounces of bourbon. They'll be soaking in there for the same two weeks that the beer is fermenting.

I want the oak and bourbon flavors to be noticeable, but not overpowering.

Do you think 1 oz of cubes and all 4 oz of bourbon are appropriate for an LBK batch? Or is it too much, or too little?

Also, should I plan on adding it for two weeks, or is 1 week sufficient? Sounds like, based on russki's comments thus far, even 2 weeks might not be enough to get the full benefit, but I am leery about leaving this in an LBK, without an airlock, for extended periods.

Any thoughts out there on how I should proceed?

(Sorry to hijack mtsoxfan's thread, but it seemed like an appropriate place to ask, rather than starting my own and having two similar threads going at the same time.)

[Gymrat]

I soaked 1 oz oak chips in 12 oz bourbon for 7 days before adding to my porter in the fermenter. This was a 5 gallon batch. It takes a lot less chips than it does cubes. Russki could give you a better answer on how many cubes to use. I didn't do anything to sanitize mine. I figured the bourbon would sanitize them. Some of the guys on the AHA forum mentioned something about soaking them in water first steeping some of the flavor out.

Here is the thread where I was doing my research as to how to go about this. http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/f ... ic=16001.0

[russki]

I used 1 oz of cubes for a 3-gallon batch of English Barleywine, and after 3 month, the flavor was fantastic. Definitely not overpowering. So the amount is fine, but you are correct about not wanting to leave the beer with all that headspace and no airlock for several months. You may want to use chips for this one, as Roger said, the flavor extraction is much faster - start tasting after a week.

No need to boil them - just soak in bourbon for a few days and add. Boiling will extract and remove some of the flavor compounds.

[mtsoxfan]

I've used a toasted oak powder before, and it took quite some time to mellow out the harshness. But I did use 4 ozs. which for a powder, I know feel was excessive. Another reason I thought of the oak plank was it is similiar to a barrel slat. Some of those are charred, and the rum would also compliment the vanilla already in the beer. I guess the chips would have more surface area....

[ScrewyBrewer]

I've toasted oak chips in my toaster oven and then boiled them in a cup or so of water for 15 minutes. Kept sanitized once that cooled off I put the chips in a mesh bag and poured in the soup too. I've done this twice so far and plan on doing it again too. I haven't tried the bourbon soaked method yet but only because I don't have any in house.

Like the other's said it's a matter of trial and error, amount, duration and toast level. As in many things brewing related go easy on at first until you dial in the amounts that are just perfect for your style of beer,

[haerbob3]

I sometimes toast sometimes not. I have always soaked. I have use Bourbon, Rum & Tequila all with good results. Would not use construction grade wood though you never know if it was treated. I have a large oak in my back yard think it may be volunteering some to a brewing project in it's near future

[John Sand]

Reviving this thread after a search. It's cool to read some of our former regulars, but I also want more input. I made an oatmeal stout for St Patrick's Day, it was a hit. But the keg didn't kick, it may soon be time to move on, unless family kills it for Easter. If they don't, it may rise again as another beer. I'm thinking oak cubes and rum, mostly because I have lots of rum.
What's your experience?

[Kealia]

I use oak cubes from MoreBeer (Medium toast) in my Double Barrel Ale clone.
For 5G I use 2oz of cubes and let them sit for a month to get a nice oak finish.

[Hayzer]

It's nice that this popped back up. I am wanting to add bourbon-soaked chips to a porter at some point. I cannot find how many ounces of bourbon to use per 5 gallon batch of beer. I want a hint of the bourbon to come through, as well as the oak flavor. Does anyone know how much is sufficient for a slight taste of the particular bourbon I use?

[berryman]

I use to make a porter and think what I might have been drinking in my avatar with a ounce or so of med. toast oak cubes soaked in Jim Beam for a week or so in a pop bottle. Then put in the fermenter for last week. The JB could be drank with a unique smoky wood flavor and darker in color. Would add a subtle wood and JB flavor to the beer without overpowering it. I think I should make that again, but cut it down from around 8% to about 5.5.
Edit: if FedoraDave reads this post, I think he can help for answers. I think he smokes his own wood for one of the beers he makes. Don't go there Inkleg....