Is there a way to brew a beer that has all the taste and character of a bourbon barrel aged (BBA) beer without using actual bourbon barrels?
I have some experience using oak chips, soaked in bourbon, added together with the bourbon in secondary, and this has produced a nice oak flavor with a faint hint of sweet bourbon flavor. While it is enjoyable, it does not have any of the vanilla and butterscotch goodness that comes through with an actual BBA beer. In true BBA beers, I rarely taste any oak and get mostly that vanilla and butterscotch. Is there a way to capture that butterscotch and vanilla flavor of a bourbon barrel aged beer without actually using barrels?
I have some experience using oak chips, soaked in bourbon, added together with the bourbon in secondary, and this has produced a nice oak flavor with a faint hint of sweet bourbon flavor. While it is enjoyable, it does not have any of the vanilla and butterscotch goodness that comes through with an actual BBA beer. In true BBA beers, I rarely taste any oak and get mostly that vanilla and butterscotch. Is there a way to capture that butterscotch and vanilla flavor of a bourbon barrel aged beer without actually using barrels?