Question on Oak Wood Chips

Mine got kegged after one week. The oak was stronger, and it was delicious. Time should help it blend and fade a little.

Notes from today:

Tasted on 4/6/09 from keg: Deelicious. Oak has come through nicely, I still wish the bourbon would fade. The beer is very much in a back seat role to the bourbon and oak. Not very carbonated yet. This one is fantastic and will only get better.

Somewhat of a side note, but still oak chip related.... has anyone else noticed that their oaked brew is a lot more cloudy than their other brews? It could be a lot of other things, I guess that's why I ask, but my beer has always come out amazingly clear... except the one I oaked.... it's cloudy as hell....

HOP-HEAD said:

Somewhat of a side note, but still oak chip related.... has anyone else noticed that their oaked brew is a lot more cloudy than their other brews? It could be a lot of other things, I guess that's why I ask, but my beer has always come out amazingly clear... except the one I oaked.... it's cloudy as hell....

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Nope....mine was nice and clear.

Even my porter is clear.

HOP-HEAD said:

Somewhat of a side note, but still oak chip related.... has anyone else noticed that their oaked brew is a lot more cloudy than their other brews? It could be a lot of other things, I guess that's why I ask, but my beer has always come out amazingly clear... except the one I oaked.... it's cloudy as hell....

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Mine came out clear...but that's probably b/c I used Irish Moss.

Coastarine said:

Notes from today:

Tasted on 4/6/09 from keg: Deelicious. Oak has come through nicely, I still wish the bourbon would fade. The beer is very much in a back seat role to the bourbon and oak. Not very carbonated yet. This one is fantastic and will only get better.

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Just transfered my Imperial Stout to secondary. Added the Bourbon soaked oak chips. Prior to secondary, this brew tasted pretty good. Great molasses hint on the finish with great hop characteristics. Very drinkable for not being carbonated and aged on the bourbon oak chips.

Did you decide to add the chips along with the bourbon they soaked in, or just the chips?

Coastarine said:

Did you decide to add the chips along with the bourbon they soaked in, or just the chips?

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I just added the chips. They soaked for 2 weeks and smelled very strong of the bourbon. I saved the bourbon just in case I feel like maybe adding some at bottling time.

Well, just opened one of mine that's was bottled on 3/24/09. Now the bourbon is starting to show through and the oak presence is showing up alot more now as well. Fantastic as is, but can't wait to see what it's like in three weeks.

5/2/09: It is finally time for my BBP to be tapped. I'm sipping the first pint right now, and it is fantastic. The oak/bourbon flavor has faded to an ideal level. Next time I would still try to shift the balance less toward the bourbon and more toward the oak, but the total flavor contribution of the two is currently at a perfect level for me. Strong flavors of vanilla and caramel added by the oak and the bourbon. I'm in love.

Tomorrow is bottling day. I ended up transferring off the oak chips at 2 weeks and added and 1.5 oz of bourbon to tertiary. Will see how it tastes before bottling and maybe adding some more bourbon. Glad you liked yours.

Bottled today. All I can say is WOW!!!!!! If it tastes as good as it does now in six months at the end of aging period, this one hit it right on. I'm excited and can't wait to try it. Did not end up adding more bourbon at bottling time. The oak was mellow and bourbon shined through.

So you drank the bourbon right?

Absolutely....How else would I have gotten through the tedious task of bottling?

baseballstar4 said:

Absolutely....How else would I have gotten through the tedious task of bottling?

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In the words of the great Zefram Cochrane, "That'll do, Pig, that'll do."

5-21-09
Tried first bottle today. Very minimal carbonation. Possible because of such a high gravity, big beer, this is going to need a lot longer to carb than 18 days. For semi-flat beer it tastes great. Nice bourbon after taste, continuous hop infusion worked its magic, oak is subtle a little stronger than anticipated but will mellow with age.

Well, the results are in, as of July 9, the oak was PERFECT. That means, 3 months and a few weeks aging in the bottle made the beer perfectly balance.

I just bottled an IPA that I used toasted oak in. I boiled 2oz oak in a cup or two of water then added the oak and water to my ipa. I put them in the primary for 3 weeks then went to secondary and dry hopped for a week with .5 of cascade (its all I had). When I sampled today it was WAY too oaky and was over powering. I hope after a month in the bottle it will be okay to drink. If not then I will just have to keep sampling every couple weeks till I like it.

NAUGHTYDOGBREWING said:

I just bottled an IPA that I used toasted oak in. I boiled 2oz oak in a cup or two of water then added the oak and water to my ipa. I put them in the primary for 3 weeks then went to secondary and dry hopped for a week with .5 of cascade (its all I had). When I sampled today it was WAY too oaky and was over powering. I hope after a month in the bottle it will be okay to drink. If not then I will just have to keep sampling every couple weeks till I like it.

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That's what I did, took about 4 months to be just right.

I had a similar experience I thought I would share...

Made a PM imperial stout. soaked 4 oz french oak chips in jack daniels for 2 weeks. then added them plus the few ounces of whiskey to the secondary for 2 weeks. I now have mulch flavored stout, wayyy too much oak. it also seems like the oak flavor itself is different that what I was going for. more of a "playground" woodchip flavor than a barrel aged flavor, I’m guessing because I used French instead of American oak chips. I didn’t know that the oak flavor would mellow out with time until reading this thread, so that's good to hear. it was bottled about 3 months ago and still is way too strong. I have used it to cook with (beer can chicken over an open fire).

here is how I am using oak next: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/some-advise-ag-oatmeal-stout-128849/

I am planning to brew a porter this weekend. Once it's ready to go to secondary, I am going to add Maker's Mark soaked oak chips. I use soaked oak chips a lot in my bbq grille. Can I use the same chips that I use when I am going to use them to smoke/bbq or is there some sort of special process the oak chips at the home brew shop go through to be prepped for this kind of use?

I am making an english IPA that I am going to throw 1oz of boiled oak chips in the secondary. I have heard that boiling them takes a good bit of the harsh flavors out. thoughts?


Bumpnzx3: The chips that are sold at the homebrew store SHOULD be toasted. They should be sold as the type of oak and the toast level.

The chips I use for BBQ are either fresh chips I make myself of out of a bag of store bought Jack Daniels chips. Either will apparently do according to what my local shop told me when I stopped off their this afternoon on my way home from work.

I guess my plan will be to brew the porter- primary for 3 weeks or so, secondary for a few days, add my (2 week) soaked chips, and leave the entire mix in the secondary for another 1.5-2 weeks, bottle it and let it sit for quite some time- hopefully I've got something good to work with by the end of Feb.

does anyone throw say .25 or .5 o-z in the keg and leave it for the duration of the keg?

I just searched the forums for "oak spiral" as I heard them talk about it on a bn show and have an imperial stout fermenting that I thought would be cool to try with. It's 6 gallons so dropping the two two spirals in sound like a good idea. Any idea as to when is best to do this? Fermentation has slowed quite a bit and I figure I'd just sanitize them and drop them into the carboy for a few weeks.. I may rack it first though anyway as its settled quite a bit though I'm trying to just use primaries now. I know someone here posted that they soaked them in burboun which would be kind of cool. Would french be better than american for this?

I basically treat it like fruit: I add it after the primary fermentation is mostly or totally done too keep any of the yum from being carried away in CO2 bubbles. I really don't think it is picky though.

I have heard good things about french oak, namely that the flavor tends to mature more quickly.

BTW my pound of simcoe pellets came today. I was pumped to find that a HBT vendor had them and also about the coupon code.

Coastarine said:

I basically treat it like fruit: I add it after the primary fermentation is mostly or totally done too keep any of the yum from being carried away in CO2 bubbles. I really don't think it is picky though.

I have heard good things about french oak, namely that the flavor tends to mature more quickly.

BTW my pound of simcoe pellets came today. I was pumped to find that a HBT vendor had them and also about the coupon code.

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Thanks for the info, my lhbs said they could get it for about six bucks for two spirals of the american I'll ask about the french.. or just use american cuz I like how it sounds better As for the simcoe hey man my pleasure thanks for the business and enjoy.

Nikobrew said:

I just searched the forums for "oak spiral" as I heard them talk about it on a bn show and have an imperial stout fermenting that I thought would be cool to try with. It's 6 gallons so dropping the two two spirals in sound like a good idea. Any idea as to when is best to do this? Fermentation has slowed quite a bit and I figure I'd just sanitize them and drop them into the carboy for a few weeks.. I may rack it first though anyway as its settled quite a bit though I'm trying to just use primaries now. I know someone here posted that they soaked them in burboun which would be kind of cool. Would french be better than american for this?

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Ya, that was me. I soaked them in Ancient Age Bourbin Whiskey for two reasons:
1) It's extremely cheap but still decent so I'm not wasting super expensive whiskey.
2) Did I mention it's cheap?

I racked the beer onto the spiral in the secondary/terciry after all fermentation was complete. I didn't throw the bourbon that the spiral was soaking in because I didn't want it over the top bourbony and I wanted that stuff to cook with.

Be carefull with the oak spirils, they are a pain to get OUT of the fermentor once everything is done (they swell). I basically had to tare them apart with a needle nose to get them out. I let them stay in there for a week and a half. Always take samples and see how you like the oak as it goes along, then expect the bottles/keg of it to mellow for a few months. ( I let mine sit for four months).

French Oak has a more mellow flavor as opposed to American. I always go with French oak. I only used 1 spiral for my 5 gallon batch.

imaguitargod said:

Ya, that was me. I soaked them in Ancient
French Oak has a more mellow flavor as opposed to American. I always go with French oak. I only used 1 spiral for my 5 gallon batch.

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Thanks, that's EXACTLY what I was looking for. This is mike riddle's tricentennial stout from brewing classic styles, so far I'm just fermenting a few degrees cooler than called for (no temp control but its fairly consistent), I used way more hops and all american (apollo and summit for 133 ibus) and havent dry hopped it yet. I'm thinking when I rack it which it's ready for now (still bubbling but MUCH more slowly) using the oak spirals and some cocoa nibs. I'm trying to make a strong, oaky, chocolatey, high gravity, way-more-than-needed brew I know they say use two spirals for 6 gallons, what kind of beer was it? Was it something strong or something lighter that would allow more of the flavors from this process come through? Thanks for the insight on the swelling also, I just won't be surprised now Also how long did you soak the spirals for in the bourbon? As for american vs french, if I'm looking for strong character it sounds the american is not a bad idea.

Nikobrew said:

Thanks, that's EXACTLY what I was looking for. This is mike riddle's tricentennial stout from brewing classic styles, so far I'm just fermenting a few degrees cooler than called for (no temp control but its fairly consistent), I used way more hops and all american (apollo and summit for 133 ibus) and havent dry hopped it yet. I'm thinking when I rack it which it's ready for now (still bubbling but MUCH more slowly) using the oak spirals and some cocoa nibs. I'm trying to make a strong, oaky, chocolatey, high gravity, way-more-than-needed brew I know they say use two spirals for 6 gallons, what kind of beer was it? Was it something strong or something lighter that would allow more of the flavors from this process come through? Thanks for the insight on the swelling also, I just won't be surprised now Also how long did you soak the spirals for in the bourbon? As for american vs french, if I'm looking for strong character it sounds the american is not a bad idea.

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I did a Brown Ale with it so it would shine. If I had to guess, I would stick with French and use one and a half (or two if you really want to push the oak flavor). I soake the spirals in bourbon for two weeks (swelling occured here too).

we'll have to see what tonight brings. i did a brewers best porter and let it sit in the primary for 3 weeks, secondary for two weeks, then added about 3oz of jack daniel's chips that i had soaked in maker's mark for about 3 weeks, as well as the ~6oz of maker's mark that the chips soaked in- and let that sit for about a week and a half. i am going to give it a try tonight and most likely bottle. i probably should have been taking samples as the beer sat- but i like to fly by the seat of my pants.

bumpnzx3 said:

i probably should have been taking samples as the beer sat- but i like to fly by the seat of my pants.

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That must be a very uncomfortable way to fly. I suggest sitting completely back in the chair. You will have less strain on your legs and lower back that way, especially on flights longer than an hour.

I didn't see anyone post this link yet, but it has a lot of great tips gleaned from the Brewstrong episode about wood aging.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/tips-wood-aging-119445/

I made a barleywine and partigyle APA last week. I plan to oak both of them on .5 oz of light toast american oak chips for a week each. Might go a tad longer on the BW since it will age for about 8 months before drinking.

Revvy said:

The "woodiness" does fade back with time...like hops...Mine lost the woody bite after about 6 weeks in a bottle...

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I am super happy to hear this. I just bottled 5 gallons of an imperial stout that spent about 10 days with Maker's soaked oak chips and when i was sampling it tasted terribly bitter. I thought I used too many chips even though I could not have used more then 1.5 ozs.

KaiserWilly said:

I am super happy to hear this. I just bottled 5 gallons of an imperial stout that spent about 10 days with Maker's soaked oak chips and when i was sampling it tasted terribly bitter. I thought I used too many chips even though I could not have used more then 1.5 ozs.

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I just found a 3 year old bottle of an oaked DIIPA I had made where the oak was really strong, almost undrinkable back then. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the oak had pretty much faded, and blended with the beer. You could still taste some oak, a perfect amount of it.

Thread Necropoly....

I just made an pseudo Octoberfest. (1.055 OG) I wanted to be drinking it for Octoberfest, but its getting too close where nothing would be ready in time. I contemplated making it with a wheat yeast.

Instead I pitched US-04 - My selection was based on the description below

English ale yeast with fast fermentation high flocculation. Recommended a large range of ale beers and is specially well adapted to cask-conditioned ales.

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I brewed it up, pitched the yeast, oxygenated and also added 4oz of oak chips for accelerated aging.

Prior to adding to the primary, I toasted the oak 45 minutes at 350F. It sanitzes the chips. I meant to do 30, 45 minutes was an accident. Not watching the time.

I read in "Extreme Brewing" That oak chips in the primary increases the suspension of the yeast in the primary. Aides in fermentation. When the yeast putters out it can settle on the chips for faster clearing. Figured I'd give it a try.

I pitched it 9PM Wednesday night. Thursday morning 7AM at 76'F it was going gangbusters. Several bubbles were passing through the airlock in a second. Same thing at 4pm. However Friday morning, 3 blips a minute. I assume almost done. I'm going to rack to a keg Monday or Tuesday.

I'm hoping the short duration is not issue with overly oak taste. I used these same LD Carlson Wine Making/Brewing chips before (Recycled Chips) in my Donkey Kong Brew. Which is A Big Belgian Pale Ale (9.5%) with Banana, Tart Cherry and 40 Days on Oak. I only tasted the oak when it was flat at kegging time. Right now its hard to detect the oak, because banana and caramel malt is all you get in the taste.

Hoping I have fast brew solution.