RE: Adding Oak Chips - Sanitize or None Required

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rtogio

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So, this has been a a question on my mind for a while now.

When it's time to oak chips your wine during secondary, do you typically sanitize them prior to adding it to the carboy?

I ask because even though I've seen it recommended on a few sites now, I've never sanitized my oak chips. And I've never contaminated any of the wines I've added them to.

A homebrew supply employee once told me that sanitation isn't usually necessary since the alcohol content of the wine kills of any microbes present in toasted oak. Is there any truth to this or should I start sanitizing in the future?
 
So, this has been a a question on my mind for a while now.

When it's time to oak chips your wine during secondary, do you typically sanitize them prior to adding it to the carboy?

I ask because even though I've seen it recommended on a few sites now, I've never sanitized my oak chips. And I've never contaminated any of the wines I've added them to.

A homebrew supply employee once told me that sanitation isn't usually necessary since the alcohol content of the wine kills of any microbes present in toasted oak. Is there any truth to this or should I start sanitizing in the future?

I don't really have an answer but I don't know if I'd trust the employee either. Aren't sours in big breweries put into big oak barrels full of microbes for secondary?
 
No need to sanitize oak chips, by the time you sanitize them, all of the oak would be washed away. I've never sanitized oak chips. A word of advice, next time add the chips to the fermenting bucket, one of the most knowledgeable wine makers that I've come to know, Zac Brown, taught me that "Using chips in the primary , the active yeast metabolizes and buffers the oak. much like a barrel ferment."
 
I place my oak chips in a mesh bag and boil them for 10 minutes in a small pot with about a cup of water. Once the temperature drops low enough I put the bag with the oak chips in the fermentor and pour the water in too. Slipping a stainless steel bolt in with the oak chips before boiling them will also keep the bag of chips submerged. Getting oak flavor is all about contact time, the longer the beer is in contact with the oak chips, the stronger the flavor.

smoke-oak-5.jpg
 
Oak chips usually impart all of their oak within 2-3 days, once you boil them you are loosing so much oak that I wouldn't bother using them, you'd be better using the water that you boiled them in. Unlike brewing beer, wine does not get infected as easily.
If you want real control over your oak, use ask spirals, staves or cubes, they release slowly and can be removed easily.
 
I would think boiling the oak would change the flavors a lot and blow off a lot of the essence you are looking for. If you want to make an oak extract OakMor has a protocol where you soak their powder and then filter it, no cooking, just time and gravity. WVMJ
 
I thought I saw where one oak supplier says to steam the chips to sanitize them.

*shrug*
 
Have never boiled them, but used to give 'em a good rinse and put 'em in the microwave for a short burst .... anymore, I just give 'em a quick rinse and toss 'em in, have never had an infection or any other problem, other than going too light on the amount ;)
 
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