Newest Threads

satyrbassist · 01-20-2013, 03:37 PM

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.

**unionrdr** · 01-20-2013, 03:41 PM

If you don't want any liquor flavor in the beer,you can soak the chips in vidoka in an airtight container in the fridge during fermentation. Or wait till you're ready to rack to secondary to boil them in a small amount of water (1C or so). Let that cool,covered,then pour all through a hop sock into secondary,tie iff the sock,& drop it in. Rack beer onto that. Check it in 3-7 days to see if the flavor is to the desired level. A shot glass is plenty for this test.

satyrbassist · 01-21-2013, 01:32 PM

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.

GKendall · 01-23-2013, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satyrbassist

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.

satyrbassist · 01-23-2013, 02:21 PM

Will do. Thanks for the help guys!

bobeer · 01-23-2013, 06:05 PM

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.

**unionrdr** · 01-23-2013, 09:49 PM

He said the chips are pre-soaked in whiskey. Boiling them would take that flavor out.

**JeepDiver** · 01-23-2013, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unionrdr

He said the chips are pre-soaked in whiskey. Boiling them would take that flavor out.

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

WyomingBrewer · 01-23-2013, 10:05 PM

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.