Bourbon and Oak

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tomhog

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Do you always have to brew a porter or a stout or can you add bourbon and oak chips to a batch of ale?
 
Do you always have to brew a porter or a stout or can you add bourbon and oak chips to a batch of ale?

I don't see why you could not oak just about anything, but tend to think heavier beers will work better. a lighter ale you would not want to leave on the wood very long.
 
Ever had Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale? It's a lighter beer aged in used bourbon barrels and is fantastic. The bourbon shines through. I make a special effort to bring some home when I pass through Kentucky?
 
I had a 4 pack of the KBBA recently. I thought it tasted more like a good bourbon than ale. I like bourbon,but I want the ale to shine through as well. I used a dark ale recipe to make my whiskely ale. Needs less oak/bourbon,& a tad more malt imo. It was good,but needed more balance. Like the KBBA.
 
I am brewing an Old American Ale from William's Brewing. So do you think I should only add 1oz oak cubes and 1 cup Maker's Mark instead of 2oz/2c? I'm thinking I will put it in the secondary for one week, taste and then decide if I should go any longer.
 
I am brewing an Old American Ale from William's Brewing. So do you think I should only add 1oz oak cubes and 1 cup Maker's Mark instead of 2oz/2c? I'm thinking I will put it in the secondary for one week, taste and then decide if I should go any longer.

1 or 2 cups of bourbon is def way too much! Especially with only 1 or 2oz of chips. I used 4oz medium toast French oak chips with 5 jiggers (7.5oz) of Beam's Black soaked during fermentation & it was overkill at 8 days in secondary. So now I'd say 3oz with 2 or 3 jiggers of bourbon in an air tight container in the fridge during fermentation time would be better.
You don't need a truck load of bourbon,just enough to soak into the chips for flavor,& little more than that. That's my experience.
 
Okay, 3oz and 5jigs. Forgot to say I will be putting a vanilla bean in there also. Thanks for the help.
 
I have it right now. I will use 3oz of oak and 2 or 3 jiggers.
 
That's it. 3oz chips,2-3oz bourbon will be plenty. Just put both in an airtight container in the fridge on brew day. It'll take till FG is reached to soak real well. And by the way,pour the whole thing through a hop sock into secondary. Tie off the bag,& drop it in. That'll keep the chips contained. You don't want whoever drinks it to get splinters in there throat.
 
I'm ready to put the chips in. How do I sanitize the sock? Soak in sanitizer and rinse or boil in water?
 
Once you have done one you will know more about your tastes and preferences. I brewed the Northern Brewer Bourbon barrel porter and use 2 oz of oak and 16oz of bourbon. After secondary for 6 weeks and a couple of months of bottle conditioning, the bourbon is just right. I might actually up the volume for the next batch. This was a dark beer and a few ounces of bourbon would get lost in it. A lighter beer would likely need less.
 
I brewed a porter for my first AG, and due to not knowing about FG readings with a refractometer, i thought I would never reach FG. Decided to soak 2 oz of toasted oak chips in a pint of Jack Daniels and dumped it in. Was not excited about trying this beer so brewed and drank many others. I got tired of seeing it sit in the secondary and considered tossing it. After I learned about adjusting the reading of the refractometer, I discovered the FG was acceptable and kegged it. It must have sat in the secondary for 3-4 months. Turns out it is just about the best home brew ever! Hope I can re-create it. Very little JD flavor, but very complex. Don't be afraid to wait.
 
Okay, so I tasted the beer after one week in the secondary and it was boozey. After two weeks it was a little better. After the third week it is great and I am kegging it today. I will let it sit at least one week in the keg, maybe two before tapping. I think that this isn't going to be the only batch. I will make this one again. :ban:
 
Ok- Can I just cube up any kind of oak-say- if I where a woodworker? And can I use rye or any other whiskey?
 
I'm getting ready to make an Irish Car Bomb Stout (or at the very least just adding some jameson into the mix). For the 2nd fermenter, does it matter if the oak is cubed or chips? Do you get better absorption or favor from the chips?
 
I used the chips because that's what I had on hand at the time. I salvaged them from the secondary after kegging and my husband is going to use them in the smoker today. I bought cubes for the next batch. Seems much easier I read on here that you can use the cubes over and over.
 
Oh cool, then I'll definately buy the cubes to reuse them. I wasn't aware you could reuse them like that. I wonder if they lose their absorption properties over time. But hey, if you can get a dozen uses out of them...that's money well spent. Thanks for the tip!
 
I had a 4 pack of the KBBA recently. I thought it tasted more like a good bourbon than ale. I like bourbon,but I want the ale to shine through as well. I used a dark ale recipe to make my whiskely ale. Needs less oak/bourbon,& a tad more malt imo. It was good,but needed more balance. Like the KBBA.

See I think KBBA is one of the best beers made. That's what's nice about people having different tastes. I'm oaking a KBBA as we speak, and plan on bottling it with 675ml of Makers Mark (Gods gift to Bourbon lovers).
 
We tapped the keg and are drinking it now. This beer is very light and very good. We don't really taste the oak or vanilla but not really sure because there is something very subtle and
it is very good. I definitely had enough bourbon in it. Just right, not too overpowering like the first week. I think I will try two beans instead of one next time and 4oz of the oak cubes with the 3oz of Maker's Mark to see what happens. I am very happy with these results.:mug:
 
I make a special effort to bring some home when I pass through Kentucky?

YES!!! YOU DO!!!

How TF would I know?

Strange question.



;)

The oaked bourbon stout has been done. EXPERIMENT!!

However, ...........being from Kentucky,..........the bourbon ale sucks, as do most every bourbon ales.

I had to add a pot of STRONG coffe to my 1 and only bourbon oak beer before I could drink it.

It sounds good on paper, but bourbon and beer do not work for me.
 
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