Anyone oaked with bourbon?

Hey all,

I am trying to decide what to brew for this year's winter beer. Something big that will spend the 5-6 months aging in the bottle. I've had a few oaked beers & like what that does to a brew. I was thinking of trying this recipe from NB:

Bourbon Barrel Porter Extract Kit
O.G: 1065 / Ready: 2 months

Specialty Grains
1.0 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate
0.5 lbs. Simpson's Dark Crystal
0.5 lbs. Simpson's Black Malt

Fermentables
6.3 lbs. Dark Malt Syrup (I'd sub dry)
2 lbs. Wheat DME

Boil Additions
1 oz. Chinook (60 min)
1 oz. Goldings (15 min)
1 oz. Fuggle (5 min)

Special Ingredients
2 oz. US Medium Plus Oak Cubes (Add to secondary)
16 oz. bourbon (not included) (Add to secondary)

Yeast
Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale Yeast.


Has anyone ever used bourbon in their brews, and if so, how'd it turn out?

I am just coming to the end of a keg of an Oaked vanilla winter warmer that I brewed last year; and it was fantastic!

I made a pretty basic, malty brown ale and let fermentation begin. On the same day, I scraped the seeds of 2 vanilla beans into 2 cups of bourbon (used Elijah Craig) and let that sit. After 2 weeks, I racked to secondary and added the bourbon and 1oz of oak chips. Let it sit for 2 months, and it was great

Same here. It was awesome. During primary, I put a whole vanilla bean (scraped out insides so they would mix better) and some real vanilla extract into 2 cups of bourbon along with 1.5oz of oak cubes. Then I dumped the whole mess into secondary and racked onto it. Turned out great, but I'd cut back to 1.5oz of oak rather than 2oz. It can be overbearing.

I have an old ale that I added bourbon soaked oak cubes to that's JUST about ready for the keg. I'm a big fan of a commercial beer called Dragon's Milk that is aged in bourbon barrels and was trying to make something similar. I can't give you an opinion on mine yet, but Dragon's Milk is FANTASTIC!!

Well, I guess it's a go!

Good call on the vanilla addition, I think I'll incorporate that. Hopefully be brewing this next week, and enjoying it after a cold day on the slopes in January.

Cheers!

PS: do you guys use american or french oak? (Or does it make a difference?)

rdwj said:

I have an old ale that I added bourbon soaked oak cubes to that's JUST about ready for the keg. I'm a big fan of a commercial beer called Dragon's Milk that is aged in bourbon barrels and was trying to make something similar. I can't give you an opinion on mine yet, but Dragon's Milk is FANTASTIC!!

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well, any good?

If you talk to most drinkers, they will say there is no difference between French and American oak. If you talk to serious wine drinkers, they will say there is a difference. If you talk to anal retentive French wine drinkers, they will say there is a difference between which forest the French oak came from (there are five different forests.)
American oak is usually cheaper, so I would go that route.

Make sure, whatever you do, don't overdo the bourbon. I doubled the amount for one batch (listening to some idiot friends) and immediately regreted the choice. Just tasted like bourbon with some nasty off-flavors.

In my Oak Aged Bourbon Porter, I soaked 4 oz. of American Medium Oak chips and 2 oz. of French Medium Oak chips in Jim Beam Black Label for a week and then transferred the whole thing to the secondary for 6 months. I'm hoping to keg it today.

Wild

I have had a Bourbon Stout from a local micro-brew that was F*cking Great. I hope to make something like it someday.

Oh yeah and Dragons Milk from New Holland Brewery, is the greatest beer ever made. :rockin:

That is the second time I have heard about Dragons Milk on these boards. I was at my LHBS yesterday and saw a bottle. I decided to get McEwans Scotch ale in celebration of what is in our primary but I will have to try that beer out next.

Did any of you have carbonation issues with the higher alcohol level, or did you all keg?

eriktlupus said:

well, any good?

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Yes, it's fantastic. It's not as similar to Dragon's Milk as I hoped, but it turned out excellent. Next time I'll use a little more vanilla. Strangely enough, LOTS of BMAC people that I know tried this and LOVED it.

Dragon's Milk
19-A Old Ale

Size: 5.5 gal
Efficiency: 72.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 281.0 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.084 (1.060 - 1.090)
Terminal Gravity: 1.021 (1.015 - 1.022)
Color: 26.0 (10.0 - 22.0)
Alcohol: 8.31% (6.0% - 9.0%)
Bitterness: 40.31 (30.0 - 60.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lbs 2-Row Brewers Malt
3.0 lbs 2-Row Caramel Malt 80L
1.00 lbs Cara-Pils® Malt
6. oz 2-Row Chocolate Malt
1.0 lbs Molasses
0.5 lbs Lactose
1.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) - added first wort, boiled 60.0 min
1.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
10.0 oz Bourbon - added dry to secondary fermenter
4.0 oz Vanilla (extract) - added dry to secondary fermenter
2.0 oz Oak Wood Chips - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 ea White Labs WLP005 British Ale

Schedule:
00:05:00 Mash In - Liquor: 6.0 gal; Strike: 164.0 °F; Target: 152.0 °F
01:05:00 Sac Rest - Rest: 60 min; Final: 150.1 °F
01:15:00 Batch Sparge - Strike Collection: 0.0 gal sparge @ 150.0 °F, 4 gal collected, 0.0 min; Sparge Collection: 3.0 gal sparge @ 168.0 °F, 3 gal collected, 10.0 min; Total Runoff: 7.15 gal

Notes:
Soak charred oak chips in bourbon for 1 month
Add Black Strap Molasses and lactose at 5 mins
Age in Primary for 1 month
Add oak chips, bourbon and vanilla to secondary
Age in the secondary for 8 weeks

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.28

Sean said:

Did any of you have carbonation issues with the higher alcohol level, or did you all keg?

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Even with the addition of 2 cups of Evan Williams, (not sure what the ABV was after that, as I didn't do any calcs), mine carb'd fine in bottle.