Oak Aging in Primary?

Hi everybody. I recently brewed 30 gallons of an imperial stout that I am going to age on oak and bourbon. The recipe calls for letting it sit on the yeast for two weeks, then racking to a secondary on top of the oak and bourbon. Do I really need to do that or can I just pitch the bourbon and oak into the primary after two weeks?

It will only be on the oak for two weeks as well.

Thanks

Caleb

I'd give it 4+ weeks in primary, until it's 100% complete. Since this IS a RIS, and by definition a higher ABV brew, I would give it the time it needs in primary. IMO, moving after just two weeks is far too soon. Once the yeast has finished doing what it can/will, move it to an aging vessel to get it onto the oak for X weeks. I normally do at least a month on any wood I put a brew onto. More often I'll leave it on oak/wood for 2+ months. I have a brew that's been again, with oak, for several months now. At 12% ABV, I'm not at all concerned about it (it's sealed up nicely).

Ive brewed this recipe once before, and followed their instructions...Im using oak chips, not chunks, and It seems to me that more than two weeks would be too oak-y.....

I call it RIS, but I did miss my gravity by a mile....brewing on a new system and didnt have near the boil off I needed. SG of 1.064, instead of 1.083.....

I used chips the first time, and didn't like how much it changed over time. I've since been using cubes with much, much, much better (and more stable) results. I even used a length of honeycomb cut toasted cherry wood in a batch (still aging).

IME/IMO, cubes are much better if you want a stable oak/wood addition. If you don't care, then use what you want.

BTW, probably not the best idea to try and brew something bigger when trying to dial-in a new system.

lol ya, I know. fwiw, though, I essentially hit the same gravity as when I brewed it the first time two months ago. haha

calebstringer said:

lol ya, I know. fwiw, though, I essentially hit the same gravity as when I brewed it the first time two months ago. haha

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Then you didn't calculate your efficiency so that you would hit the target OG...

That's the entire point of dialing-in your system. So that when you go to brew something, you can alter a recipe so that you hit the target with the efficiency you have.

Do as you like, but I'd work on getting your system dialed-in so that when you brew a RIS, or anything else for that matter, you actually hit closer to the mark (or hit the mark). Otherwise, you're just throwing grain away.

Ya, I know exactly what ya mean. My point was that the first time I brewed it, it still turned out fantastic. That was one of my first all grain brews....

This second time, I just finished a single tier stand, with new kettles, and new burners, on Thursday, then brewed thirty gallons on Friday... I never do anything small