Wood-Aged Beer StoneHedge, Oak Aged IPA (5-Gallon AG)

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BierMuncher

...My Junk is Ugly...
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
12,440
Reaction score
952
Location
St. Louis, MO
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Safale 05
Yeast Starter
Prior Batch SLurry
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.25 (ish)
Original Gravity
1.065
Final Gravity
1.010
Boiling Time (Minutes)
75
IBU
48.3
Color
9.4
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
21 days at 60 degrees
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
Kegged and chilled for 6 weeks
I was turned on to two of the best beers I ever had in two different swaps. Edwort and I exchanged some beers back in August-07 and he sent me a bottle of his Stone clone. My first foray into the world of IPA’s and it was absolutely awesome. Then in November, Orpheus sent me a bottle of his “Ambrosia”, a wood aged IPA using oak chips. Ambrosia was a perfect name for that beer. Rich, well balanced bittering and a nice rustic oak flavor and aroma. I thought “so this is what the original IPA’s coming out of the British Empire headed for India tasted like.”

For me, a good IPA is about a rich and malty profile supported by a health dose of hops flavor and aroma…and no excessive bitterness. Aging the beer on oak chips is a natural. The flavor blend is fantastic. I knew I had to create something.

I used Edworts Stone clone as a base to begin with.
  • Modified the grains just a bit to get a bit more malt profile.
  • Blended a bit more complex hops schedule and moved everything to FWH and late additions only.
  • Dry hopped with 2 ounces of “C” hops for 10 days.
  • Added one handful of medium roast oak chips to the keg to age for 1-month. ( I fond that smaller amounts of oak chips aged longer, provide a much richer smoother flavor than a larger amount added for shorter periods of time. This is not a process that can be rushed.)

At any rate, I brewed my recipe back on March 1st. It was three weeks in the primary and right to the keg with an ounce (+/-) of oak chips. It’s been gassed up, chilled and in the keezer now for about 6 weeks and I plan on bottling the entire batch in about another month. (I really want to get all the flavor I can out of those oak chips.) In the meantime however, I find myself pouring larger and larger samples in the evening and fighting hard not to just move this beer to the upstairs kegerator.

This beer is fantastic. Smooth. The oak flavoring is rich but not “bitey”. The dry hops really come through nicely. There is a slight sweetness that comes from the Summit hops and First Wort Hopping really gives the beer a nice mellow bitterness.

If you’re looking for a nice rich 7% IPA that is a little different, this is a winner. My only regret is not doing a 10-gallon batch of this beer.

I give you…

StoneHedge IPA

Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.32 gal
Estimated OG: 1.065 SG
Estimated Color: 9.4 SRM
Stonehedge_Color.jpg
Estimated IBU: 48.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)

0.50 oz Summit [16.50%] (75 min) (First Wort Hop)
0.50 oz Nugget [11.50%] (75 min) (First Wort Hop)
1.00 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00%] (1 min)
1.00 oz Pearle [7.60%] (1 min)

NOTE – After flameout, drop the temp of the wort to 180 degrees and hold for 15 minutes.

1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-56) Yeast-Ale

1.00 oz Cascade [6.80%] (Dry Hop 10 days)
1.00 oz Centennial [9.50%] (Dry Hop 10 days)

1.00 oz Medium Oak chips for as long as you can stand to wait. (3-4 weeks minimum)

Stonehedge_Ratio.jpg
 
That looks really nice. One thing though - what's the thinking behind
NOTE – After flameout, drop the temp of the wort to 180 degrees and hold for 15 minutes
Does that get more out of the late additions? It sounds like it should, but I've never heard of that as a technique. Maybe you should come up with a name for it!
 
Danek said:
That looks really nice. One thing though - what's the thinking behind
Does that get more out of the late additions? It sounds like it should, but I've never heard of that as a technique. Maybe you should come up with a name for it!
That's exactly it.

Someone recommended I do it when I was kicking around my Sacred Summit pale ale.

You steep the hops in wort that is hot enough to effectively extract the flavor / aroma, but not hot enough to extract additional bitterness.
 
Hey BM, nice recipe, what temp did you mash at?

I hit right at 156 for this one. Wanted a bit more body.

As an aside, I opened one of these last night and it was phenomenal. Very smooth and the oak had mellowed nicely.

If I were to do anything, I might take the OG up about 4-5 points and do a shorter mash to really hold on to some residual sugars. :mug:
 
Hey BM could you put the oak chips in the secondary instead of a keg? I don't have a kegging system yet so I was curious if I could do it this way. Thanks
 
Thanks to the OP for this interesting recipe; bringing this thread back from the dead. However, I don't have an all grain setup just yet and was wondering if anyone had a good partial mash/steep recipe for this. Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks to the OP for this interesting recipe; bringing this thread back from the dead. However, I don't have an all grain setup just yet and was wondering if anyone had a good partial mash/steep recipe for this. Thanks in advance.

Here you go. I converted it using BeerSmith and it look very similar to the original recipe. Enjoy!

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Stonehedge IPA- partial
Style: Altbier
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.46 gal
Estimated OG: 1.068 SG
Estimated Color: 9.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 46.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
7 lbs 15.2 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 64.13 %
2 lbs 15.7 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 24.06 %
15.9 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 8.03 %
3.7 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 1.89 %
3.7 oz Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 1.89 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
0.50 oz Summit [16.50 %] (75 min) (First Wort HopHops 26.2 IBU
0.50 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (75 min) (First Wort HopHops 20.6 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-SteepHops -
1.00 oz Pearle [8.00 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)Hops -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-SHops -
1.00 oz Oak Chips (Secondary 28.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs DCL Safale American Ale Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 4.45 lb
----------------------------
Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
40 min Saccharification Add 5.56 qt of water at 170.5 F 158.0 F
10 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F


Notes:
------

after bring bring to 180F and hold for 10 minutes.
 
Sure. Just let them sit for 3-4 weeks before racking to bottles.

Hey BM, this sounds awesome, can't wait to try it. I do have a non-kegging process question for you though.

I usually cold crash my fermenter following my dry hopping schedule, then bottle. Does the "oaking" need to occur at temps in the ferment range, or can it occur at cold crash temps? I am trying to balance what is best for dry hopping and what is best for oaking. Suggestions/advice welcomed!

Cheers!
 
Hey BM, this sounds awesome, can't wait to try it. I do have a non-kegging process question for you though.

I usually cold crash my fermenter following my dry hopping schedule, then bottle. Does the "oaking" need to occur at temps in the ferment range, or can it occur at cold crash temps? I am trying to balance what is best for dry hopping and what is best for oaking. Suggestions/advice welcomed!

Cheers!

Any flavor/aroma extraction is going to be more effective at warmer (ferment) temps. Finish your dry-hop cycle, then soak the oak, then chill. that's what I'd do.
 
Why did you dry hop before the oak? Aren't hop flavors the first to fade with age? If so, wouldn't you want to dry hop last?
 
BM,

I have been soaking my chips in Maker's Mark(insert joke here!) and plan on adding them to the fermenter tonight. Do I need to do anything to assure all of the beer volume has uniform contact with the soaked oak? Rousting the fermenter, etc. Please advise. Thanks!

P.S. How much contact time?
 
BM,

I have been soaking my chips in Maker's Mark(insert joke here!) and plan on adding them to the fermenter tonight. Do I need to do anything to assure all of the beer volume has uniform contact with the soaked oak? Rousting the fermenter, etc. Please advise. Thanks!

P.S. How much contact time?

Just dump them in (you probably already have) and let nature take its course. :mug:
 
Damn, another of your recipe's I want to brew. You want to just start sending me the beers directly? :D
 
I've never had an issue with sanitation when it comes to brewer quality using wood chips. However, I do like to let them soak in just enough bourbon to cover them for a day or two. Then I toss the whole mess into the fermenter.

I brewed this recipe last weekend. Can't wait till it's ready. So, I need to soak the oak chips in bourbon?? If so, you might consider putting that detail in the recipe or else oak-newbies like me will not know to do it!

Thanks again for the recipe.:mug:
 
novabrew said:
I brewed this recipe last weekend. Can't wait till it's ready. So, I need to soak the oak chips in bourbon?? If so, you might consider putting that detail in the recipe or else oak-newbies like me will not know to do it!

Thanks again for the recipe.:mug:

If you don't want to add a liquor to the oak flavor, you can boil the chips in water in the microwave. Use a very small amount of water (just enough to cover the chips). You only need the microwave running on high for like 30 seconds.

Then let it cool for a minute and run the microwave once more.
 
If you don't want to add a liquor to the oak flavor, you can boil the chips in water in the microwave. Use a very small amount of water (just enough to cover the chips). You only need the microwave running on high for like 30 seconds.

Then let it cool for a minute and run the microwave once more.

In the end, I decided not to soak them in bourbon. I was scared about the bourbon-liquor flavor coming through in the beer. So, I steamed the chips on the stove. The beer has been on the oak for almost 2 months now. I'll probably keg it this weekend.

Thanks for the reply. :mug:
 
I've been thinking of experimenting with FWH and oaking, so this recipe looks perfect. One question, I put the recipe into BrewTarget and it is only calculating 30.8 for the IBU's, what am I missing?
 
I've been thinking of experimenting with FWH and oaking, so this recipe looks perfect. One question, I put the recipe into BrewTarget and it is only calculating 30.8 for the IBU's, what am I missing?

Mine is in the keg and carbing. The oak flavor is way stronger than I expected. Completely overpowers any hop flavor/bitterness. I have been mixing it with a very hoppy IPA I have on tap and that takes it about to where I had hoped it would turn out. I let mine sit on oak about two months. I guess that's too long for my taste. But I guess it's all about what you're looking for.
 
This is a great idea I am going to give it a shot next weekend!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
 
I brewed this recipe back in December and have been enjoying it for the last two months. If you are on the fence about making it you better get off, this beer is awesome. I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, but switched to 2-Row for Marris Otter. Also, I soaked my once of oak in a couple shots of gin for a few weeks before dumping it in the secondary. I aged it on that ounce of medium oak cubes for 2 months and looking back I wish I would have done it a little bit longer. All in all, a great beer.
 
OK, so I'm a newbie at partial mash (I've only done extract kits in the past) and I am a little unclear on the timing.

I think I understand how to actually do the brewing (I have awesome instructions from a friend of mine!), but once the brewing is done...

The original recipe says dry hop 10 days and oak 28 days. So do I let my batch go through primary fermentation, transfer to another vessel to dry hop 10 days, then transfer to another to oak? So the secondary fermentation is actually done in 2 steps? And I don't have a kegging system, so how long should I bottle condition? The usual 4-6 weeks?

Thanks for all the info! I'm really looking forward to trying out this recipe!
 
OK, so I'm a newbie at partial mash (I've only done extract kits in the past) and I am a little unclear on the timing.

I think I understand how to actually do the brewing (I have awesome instructions from a friend of mine!), but once the brewing is done...

The original recipe says dry hop 10 days and oak 28 days. So do I let my batch go through primary fermentation, transfer to another vessel to dry hop 10 days, then transfer to another to oak? So the secondary fermentation is actually done in 2 steps? And I don't have a kegging system, so how long should I bottle condition? The usual 4-6 weeks?

Thanks for all the info! I'm really looking forward to trying out this recipe!

I think you got it all correct. Dry hopping should be its own process, as should the oak aging. Bottle condition this beer the way you normally would. :mug:
 
Just bottled my batch this past weekend. Took a taste of the beer when I bottled, and it tastes great! The oak and hops really come through. But I soaked the oak chips in scotch and the scotch flavor isn't there. I'm looking forward to labeling and drinking this batch in a couple weeks.
 
I brewed the Tits-Up IIPA and I am now a devoted BM fan. I changed it a bit and used all NZ hops but I digress. Reading this thread made me so damn excited to brew again, its been a month and I am having withdrawls. Kuddos BM. This will be my first oaked homebrew.

Cheers!!!

Just put this together. Its more of an omage. I dub thee 'Master Stumpy'

Mash Temp.
- 122 deg. @ 30min.
- 143 deg. @ 30min.
- 150 deg. @ 60min.

- The mash schedule is set this way b/c, at least for me, its more challenging.

Boil:
90 min.

Grains:
15# 2-Row
1# Rye
1# Crystal 60L
12 oz. Cara-pils
8 oz. Honey malt

Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 X3

Hops: - 126 IBUs
.75 oz. Falconer’s Flights 7Cs FWH 90 min.
.75 oz. Zythos FWH 90 min.
.5 oz Chinook FWH 90 min.

.5 oz. Amarillo 45 min.
.5 oz. Amarillo 30 min.

.1 oz. Nelson Sauvin 15 min.
.75 oz. FF 15 min.

1 oz. Zythos 5 min.
1 oz. FF 5 min.

1 oz Zythos 0 min.
1 oz FF 0 min.
1 oz NS 0 min.

** After flameout, drop the temp of the wort to 180 degrees and hold for 15 minutes to extract more flavor and aroma from late
addition hops.

DH:
1 oz. FF 14 days.
1 oz. Zythos 14 days.
1 oz. NS 14 days.
1 oz. Amarillo 14 days.



Age:
1 ounce oak chips, soaked in bourbon to sanitize, add to secondary after DH schedule.
- 66 deg. 1 month
 
This beer fermented into a monster 11.2% and still going. I ended up adding 1# clear candi sugar. The sample definitely has the rye bite which I am undecided on at the moment. Definitely needs aging.
 
Would it be so bad to add the wood chips to the keg and carb up... taste test for a few weeks or so, then remove the chips?:confused:...

I'm also thinking that you could hang the chips from the lid of the keg so that once you pull a few pints out its not sitting in the beer anymore?:drunk:

I ask because i have a kickass christmas ale i made that has been aging now a month (after fermentation stopped) and I want to add a bit oak flavor to it but not enough to take away from the work its done on its own.
 
Would it be so bad to add the wood chips to the keg and carb up... taste test for a few weeks or so, then remove the chips?:confused:...

I'm also thinking that you could hang the chips from the lid of the keg so that once you pull a few pints out its not sitting in the beer anymore?:drunk:

I ask because i have a kickass christmas ale i made that has been aging now a month (after fermentation stopped) and I want to add a bit oak flavor to it but not enough to take away from the work its done on its own.

That would work fine. A 1 gallon paint strainer bag works great.
 
I'm not kegging this beer so I'll be oaking during the secondary fermentation. Based on the durations of the dry hopping and the oak aging I am thinking that I could transfer to a secondary and add the oak and then 18 days later add the hops for dry hopping. Does this seem like a reasonable way to do it or would you recommend the dry hopping and the oaking be done sequentially?
 
Question for everyone. There’s a brewery in Richmond Va that uses poplar wood to age their IPA and it’s great. Has anyone here, ever used poplar?
 
Ruffins said:
Question for everyone. There’s a brewery in Richmond Va that uses poplar wood to age their IPA and it’s great. Has anyone here, ever used poplar?
I'm going to be in Richmond next week. What is the name of the brewery that has the poplar IPA . Sounds delicious.
 
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