Help with my bourbon stout! What to use for oak!

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zachattack698

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heres my recipe

16 lbs Pale Malt 2 Row US
1.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
1.5 lbs Oats, Flaked
1 lb Caramel/Crystal 120L
1 lb Carafa Special lll

1.5 oz Nugget 13% 60 min
1.25 oz Willamette 5% 25 min
2 oz Willamette 5% 10 min

2.5 oz Bittersweet Chocolate 15 mins
1.5 oz Cocoa Nibs 15 mins
2 oz Ground Coffee flameout
2 oz Cold Brewed Coffee into secondary

Primary for two weeks then toss into secondary with the cold brewed coffee along with some sort of bourbon oak (see below) for about three months.

SG 1.107
IBUs 72
Color 75 SRM
ABV 10.7

soo my question is I want to add some bourbon oak to the secondary to age on. Theres a lot of options for oak Chips, Cubes, and Spirals. I currently have this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/american-oak-infusion-spirals-medium-toast.html but not sure if its my best option. If I was to use the spirals about how many to use/how much bourbon to soak them in? I think id rather use cubes or spirals instead of chips. I'm just really confused on the whole how much oak and how much bourbon and how long to soak the oak in the bourbon. Any help is really appreciated! Love that I can come to this board for help!
 
I use Oak chips soaked in enough bourbon to cover them. Usually about 4 oz per 5 gal. If you use cubes, then you'll need to let them soak longer than chips because there's less surface area. I've never used spirals. You could use a spiral I suppose...pop that bad boy into the secondary and then add a cup or so of bourbon to taste. Soaking the chips or cubes in bourbon is really only to sanitize the cubes or chips. You might get away with just popping the spiral into the fermenter unsanitized. I'm not sure how you'd sanitize that big thing!
 
I've used cubes several times. I add 16oz to a packet of the cubes let it sit for 2 weeks or so but. My last batch I over carbed, I guess really I under pitched my yeast and left a lot of sugars left over... I had a spiral once that I used very cool and I let that sit for 2 weeks on an Irish red, strange combo but I enjoyed it
 
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