Bourbon Dubbel oak chip additions?

So I'm getting ready to brew a Bourbon Dubbel and the recipe tells me to soak oak chips in bourbon overnight, then throw them in the boil, along with the bourbon. It's supposed to help provide that taste you'd normally get from fermenting/aging in an oak barrel.

So my question is wouldn't it make more sense to add the oak chips and bourbon into the actual fermentor instead of the boil? It seems to me that that method is most similar to actually fermenting in a barrel.

Let me know your thoughts ad opinions! Thanks!

Never brewed with oak but I'd say add it to the fermentor. Boiling the chips could give you a pretty nasty wood flavor. The bourdon I would add with your priming sugar before bottling. That way you will be sealing in the flavor.

I would add that to the secondary for a week to 2 weeks, check it every few days to see when you like the oakyness, then bottles it.
Chips don't take long to get flavor as I find out with my RIS.
Soak the chips in the bourbon, a week before adding to the secondary.

Okay so should I put in the chips and bourbon in the fermentor? Or just the chips, then the bourbon at bottling? I want to get optimum flavor from both.

It sounds like I should treat the oak chip/bourbon elixir like dry hops. Just throw them in after a week in the fermentor.

Now that's another thing...is it completely necessary to use a secondary? Couldn't I just put the chips in the primary?

Awesome, so I let it go through fermentation first, then add the oak and bourbon. Got it, thanks!!

Oh okay!! So I don't currently have another carboy to do a secondary fermentation. Would it be any different I'd I just put the oak and bourbon in the primary once I'm a couple weeks along in fermentation?

luke_d said:

Oh okay!! So I don't currently have another carboy to do a secondary fermentation. Would it be any different I'd I just put the oak and bourbon in the primary once I'm a couple weeks along in fermentation?

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That will work out just fine.

Alright thanks!

However, the recipe I'm using doesn't specify what my OG and FG should be. What should I be aiming for?

That makes sense!!

Another question...I'm full of questions!!

This particular beer is going to be made with a one gallon kit, which I have two of. Two packs both including the grains, hops, and yeast. If I combined them and made a two gallon batch, would i still use both yeast packets?

Alright and what size fermentor should I use for two gallons?

I think I would prefer a glass carboy, and my LHBS has one for about 20 dollars. Fantastic!!

Cool! Thursday is brew day, so I'll be on this thread between now an then, as I'm sure I'll think of more questions.

Just a thought between the difference of adding oak chips to the primary vs secondary: the yeast in the primary may scrub some of the oak essence and flavor you'd be getting from the chips. I believe this is the reason many prefer to do the oak in the secondary, much like dry hopping. Would like to know how this turns out!

Hmm... You're awfully close to convincing me to buy TWO three gallon carboys and using the secondary for the oak. How would I transfer? Just siphon it?

I am currently doing a oaked imperial stout. What would be best temp and how long should it be in the primary stage

If I were to take flavors a step further, how would I incorporare vanilla beans into this beer? Would I put one or two vanilla beans in with the bourbon and oak chips?

It i brew day!! I'm so excited, but I had a hard time paying 12 bucks for one vanilla bean...
Anyway, I'm brewing with a friend today. Hope all goes well!!

Here's my boil!

Just finished brewing!
We were very satisfied with how everything went, and it's always nice when you have a helper.

The recipe predicts 7% ABV, and our original gravity reading we took was at 1.060. Not sure how to translate that, but it seems pretty good.

The thing I was happiest with was that we hit the two gallon mark PERFECTLY on the carboy. We didn't need to add water or anything. YES!

All in all, great brewday, plus it was raining! Everything's all cleaned up and beer is in the carboy, now for the hardest part...waiting.

luke_d said:

It i brew day!! I'm so excited, but I had a hard time paying 12 bucks for one vanilla bean...

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If you think you might use more than a couple of beans (can use them in cooking, to flavor sugar, etc), you can get them by the pound for about $30. There are probably over 100 beans in a pound. Search on-line. They will store OK for a couple of years.

Thanks for the suggestion!! However, I rarely use them, and only bought it for this batch. Excited to see how it turns out and I'll keep you guys posted!!

So I've got a question about the secondary with the oak/bourbon/vanilla. Since I don't have another three gallon carboy, I'm thinking of doing it like this...

Siphoning beer (without sediment) into a sanitized bucket, then cleaning out the carboy and washing out the yeast, and sanitizing it. Then putting all the oak/bourbon/vanilla mixture into the cleaned carboy, then siphoning the beer back into the carboy from the bucket.

Would that work?

luke_d said:

So I've got a question about the secondary with the oak/bourbon/vanilla. Since I don't have another three gallon carboy, I'm thinking of doing it like this...

Siphoning beer (without sediment) into a sanitized bucket, then cleaning out the carboy and washing out the yeast, and sanitizing it. Then putting all the oak/bourbon/vanilla mixture into the cleaned carboy, then siphoning the beer back into the carboy from the bucket.

Would that work?

Click to expand...

Also, following the recipe, I ended up putting the oak chips and one vanilla bean with 3 1/3 cups of bourbon. It was almost a whole bottle of Maker's Mark, and for only a two gallon batch, that seems a bit overboard. Please let me know what you think!!

Also, following the recipe, I combined the oak and vanilla bean with 3 1/3 cups of bourbon. That's almost a whole bottle of Maker's Mark! To me that seems a bit overboard, especially for a two gallon batch. Let me know what you think please!!

Woops...sorry guys I'm on my iPhone and I can't figure out how to delete that post.

Got a nice 1/2 inch krausen after not even 24 hours! Sooo excited!

So how did it turn out?

I've done two bourbon dubbels and added the bourbon soaked oak chips at the end of the boil. No woody flavor, just an awesome dubbel. One of my favorite beers.

Well I've been slacking, and I just bottled it two nights ago. I did two gallons, and split them into two one gallon carboys. One only had oak chips and the other had oak chips and bourbon. At bottling, I mixed the two and the sample before bottling tasted AMAZING. I'll update when they're carbed and chilled.