When to woodchip?
 

Hello all! I'm a new brewer who also received a kit for Xmas. With that I went and picked out a couple of extract kits. I started with an American cream which seems to be coming along very nicely and I hope to bottle next week! My question is about my next brew. A whiskey barrel stout. The kit says to steep in the preboil but every where else I read says to steam to sanitize and put in the secondary. Am I confusing two different ways to use the wood chips? Should I just stick to the directions? I want to do whatever will give the best flavor.

I actually want the whiskey flavor. The kit came with presoaked chips. I'm just not sure when to use them. In the preboil before I make the wort, or after in the secondary.

Use them in secondary, but boil them in a small amount of water (1-2 cups) to sanitize them first. Cool this and put it in your secondary container then rack the beer on top. I have a Russian imperial stout sitting with chips as we speak.

Will do. Thanks for the help guys!

I also always oak after fermentation. I don't secondary though I just toss the chips in about 3 weeks into fermentation. I've let an IPA oak for about 4 weeks and I've let stouts oak for about 5-7 days with great results. I usually soak my oak in bourbon for a day then throw it in my primary. I love oaked beer!! Good luck.

Put the boiling liquid in as well. You want to use a small pan and just enough liquid to cover them

I just did a Whisky Barrel Stout Brewers Best Kit a couple months back. It said boil the oak chips but I just soaked them in bourbon for 24 hrs and tossed them in the primary a week before bottling. Im of the school that 3 weeks minimum is how to go, no secondary. Worked out pretty good. I did not add the bourbon that the chips soaked in though. I was afraid it may be too strong. In hind sight, I should have added some of it but not all of it.