bhatchable

Recipes 

I have a ten gallon batch of an imperial chocolate stout in primary right now. It has been there for exactly 7 days now. It has been steady at 70 degrees. the starting gravity of it was 1.075 and it is already down to 1.025-ish. I plan on splitting it up into two five gallon secondaries, to oak half of it. any opinions on when to rack to secondary? When, how, how much, and for how long to add oak to one of them? and how long to keep the unoaked one in secondary? thanks guys and gals. cheers

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chode720

Recipes 

You can keep the unoaked one in the secondary for up to several months without any issues. If you go any longer than that you may have to repitch yeast to bottle condition.

For the oak, I would start with 1oz of oak cubes and leave it on there for a week and then taste it. Keep tasting it every few days from there until you get the desired oak flavor your want

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Primary1: Pumpkin Ale
Primary2: Christmas Ale
Pimary3: Apfelwein
Secondary: Sour Brown
Drinking: Warrior Pale Ale, Wit, American Rye

bhatchable

Recipes 

when would you rack to secondary?

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PseudoChef

Recipes 

When it's done fermenting plus about 3 days.

rurounikitsune

Recipes 

Unless I need my fermenter for another brew, I leave the beer on the yeast for a month or so. I have left beer in secondary (no oak of course) for as long as six months.

bhatchable

Recipes 

well it has been in primary now for 7 days. I want to clear out my primary for my next by next week and will probably rack them to the two secondaries prior to. chode720, you mentioned oak cubes...does it matter much that I have chips? they are medium toast american oak...

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Grinder12000

Recipes 

Just make sure there is enough time to make that imperial chocolate stout clear - the last thing you want is a cloudy one :-)

I have an imperial chocolate COFFEE oatmeal stout brewing (Grandmas Breakfast Stout) - about 2 weeks into it. Not oak-ing it though - I'm dry "hopping" with Kona Coffee.

Oaking would just make it too complex ! LOL

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Grinders Island Brewery - Pipeline (Batch #)

Secondary Kentucky Common(83)
Primary #1 Scottish Ale 70(84)
Primary #2 The Black Pearl Porter(85)

Bsquared

Recipes 

I've used oak chips before, and subsequently learned I should have used oak cubes. I think the augment is that oak cubes add a more complex flavor profile more similar to if you were to barrel age, where as chips are a single oak tone.

buzzkill

Recipes 

the cube has a measurable surface area that can be repeated,chips however have a surface area that is unmeasurable ...due to the fact that its chiped.

bhatchable

Recipes 

that aside, should i be using the same amount of chips as cubes?

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