Oakmore Oak Powder?

I just picked up a small packet of oak powder from the brewing section of a store. It says Oakmore and the importers have apparently added the text "Oak Chips" in Finnish. The actual consistency seems much more like a powder or "sawdust".

I think it might be this or something like it.

The site, however, says:

Not recommended for use in beer.

Click to expand...

Any idea why this might be?

I was planning to make a "whisky-barrel" aged beer.

I have heard nothing but bad things about oak powders. I would suggest getting some real oak chips, or better yet the bigger cubes. The lower the surface area the slower and more controlled the extraction is (and in my experience the more complex the flavor).

Another option is to just add the whisky of your choice to taste after fermentation.

Beer (in general) cannot stand up to oak as well as wine/liquor does, that is why brewers tend to use used barrels instead of fresh. The oak powder gives such a fast extraction it would be difficult to get the right amount of character in your beer without overpowering it.

Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to give it a shot anyway, but I'll probably halve the amount of powder again (I wasn't planning on using a lot). Hopefully aging/conditioning will improve the beer, if I happen to overdo it.

I haven't seen any oak chips around here, sadly.

I would go with maybe .25 oz (7 g) to start, remember it is a lot easier to add more oak flavor than it is to take some out. Good luck.