How do you prep your wood?

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Malric

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I'm curious how others prep the wood that they use in brewing. Personally, I have only oaked one beer to date.

Process used:
1. Pour boiling water into a sanitized BPA free nalgene bottle.
2. Add oak to the water.
3. Loosely cover with the cap and let sit until room temperature.
4. Screw do the cap, shake and pour contents into fermentor.

The theory is that the boiling water will sterilize the oak.
 
You need to work on your title. There are so many times I just want to answer the title of threads (e.g. "Do I have an infection?" "Yes, but you can get an ointment for that.")

I've used boiling water before, but I've had my best results soaking the oak in bourbon for a few weeks and adding the bourbon to flavor.
 
I usually make a "tea" with 190 deg water poured over the chips in a mason jar. Screw the top on and let it cool, then put in the fridge till I need it. Sometimes I'll pour just the liquid in when I pitch the yeast. Other times I'll pour out some of the water and put the chips in a Star-san soaked bag for secondary or kegging depending on the style.
 
Bierliebhaber said:
You need to work on your title. There are so many times I just want to answer the title of threads (e.g. "Do I have an infection?" "Yes, but you can get an ointment for that.")/QUOTE]
I was going to say candle light and an Internet connection for this topic.
Click to expand...
 
Only done one stout with oak. Steamed them and a mason jar Added Jim bean once cooled. Poured off some whisky. Would add more of it next time. Used and 8 oz. jar as full as I could
 
I soak about 2oz of oak chips in 2-3 jiggers of Beam's Black in an airtight plastic container (I like the ones Oscar Meyer deli style meats come in)in the fridge during primary fermentation. Pour all through a hop sock into secondary,tie off the sock & drop it in,racking the beer onto them. I'm thinking of trying oak soaked in vodka for a pale ale next time & save the darker beers with bourbon/oak for fall & winter.
 
Halldawg said:
I was going to say candle light and an Internet connection for this topic.
Click to expand...

This had me rolling. I'm pleading the 5th on whether the title was intentional.

So it looks like the two most common methods are to soak in alcohol and to steam. For the guys that use alcohol, is it:

1. The addition of flavor from the alcohol
2. The ease of using alcohol vs sterilization by heat
3. ?
 
Getting flavor from the alcohol as well,or in the case of vodka or everclear,sanitizing the chips & soaking out some resin to more readilly mix with the beer.
 
I read recently that a person should add boiling water to the oak, let it sit awhile, then discard the water. Helps get rid of some of the tannins imparted by the oak. I haven't done it this way yet but will on my next oaked beer.
 
Another one for soaking in alcohol. It's very simple. It's also nice if you're adding other ingredients like cocoa nibs.
 
Bierliebhaber said:
You need to work on your title. There are so many times I just want to answer the title of threads (e.g. "Do I have an infection?" "Yes, but you can get an ointment for that.")

I've used boiling water before, but I've had my best results soaking the oak in bourbon for a few weeks and adding the bourbon to flavor.
Click to expand...

I prep my would by my grrl. Wait a minute.
 
I put chips in a small Tupperware, cover them with bourbon, put the lid on, and let them sit on the counter for a few weeks. When I use the chips, the chips and bourbon all go in the bucket. No steaming or anything else.
 
osagedr said:
I read recently that a person should add boiling water to the oak, let it sit awhile, then discard the water. Helps get rid of some of the tannins imparted by the oak. I haven't done it this way yet but will on my next oaked beer.
Click to expand...

But you WANT some tannins from the oak! If you're getting astringent oak tannins, you're using the wrong form of oak (chips instead of cubes) or you're letting it sit in there for too long. The tannins in oak add to the mouthfeel and don't have to be unpleasant. This is why "low and slow" is the best way to wood age, and why cubes are usually recommended over chips.

In his "wood aging" podcast Jamil says that plenty of bugs (usually brett I think) can live in wood cubes, and a normal 80 proof liquor doesn't have enough alcohol to ensure sanitation. So he recommends that you steam the oak for a couple minutes, even if it's going into booze after. With that being said, I think most people skip the steaming step and don't have a problem, but it's so quick (just microwave for a few minutes with a bit of water in there) that I'd rather be safe than sorry.
 
Malric said:
I'm pleading the 5th on whether the title was intentional.
Click to expand...

We should make a game of this. You could have a lot of fun with it. Unintentional double-entendre thread titles.

  • Can't get a tight seal on my bung hole
  • I think my O-ring is leaking
  • How can I straighten out my dip tube?
  • Got plugged up, blew a mess all over the ceiling, wife is p!ssed
  • Outlet port drips every 5 seconds - is this normal?
  • Been a week, no activity - should I shake it?
  • Strange film on surface, but tastes fine

I'm sure others can do much better than me.
 
kombat said:
We should make a game of this. You could have a lot of fun with it. Unintentional double-entendre thread titles.

  • Can't get a tight seal on my bung hole
  • I think my O-ring is leaking
  • How can I straighten out my dip tube?
  • Got plugged up, blew a mess all over the ceiling, wife is p!ssed
  • Outlet port drips every 5 seconds - is this normal?
  • Been a week, no activity - should I shake it?
  • Strange film on surface, but tastes fine

I'm sure others can do much better than me.
Click to expand...

I never open a thread titled, "Does this look infected?"

Over on the noob page:

-Ferm time too short
-Oh crap, what did I do?
-Optimum hose size and width?

There are several more there and on the General page, but my mind is going down the gutter so I'll refrain.

Back to OP: I primarily use bourbon because I really only oak stouts and BWs, so the flavor of the alcohol melds well. The oak infusion has worked well for me, because i don't care for a ton of oak and I can add it to my taste preference more exactly. Also, I can oak one keg and not the other on large batches (of course there are other ways of doing this, but this has been easy for me).
 
zachattack said:
just microwave for a few minutes with a bit of water in there
Click to expand...

My last wood aged beer was a Spanish Cedar IPA and that's what I did. I didn't even use water. After a good 3-5 min in the microwave anything in the wood should be killed off. From my experience its worked well and no infections.
 
I just put that wood straight in. No steaming, no starsan, etc. It goes straight in after fermentation has ended.
 

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