Aging on Oak?

[nztayls]

I'm new to sour beers, and am in the process of brewing a flanders red. The recipe I am following talks about adding medium-toast oak cubes to secondary. Problem is that none of the LHBS seem to have medium toast oak. Only lightly toasted. I take it this won't make much of a difference.

I know you can soak in a spirit to help infuse flavour, but I am more interested in soaking in something like sherry instead to simulate using a sherry cask. Is this viable?

Cheers!

 

[MaddBaggins]

I don't have much experience with sours and oak myself, but I used generic toasted French oak chips soaked in Cabernet Sauvignon in a Quad. I soaked the chips for one month then I drank that wine. It was a killer sipping wine. The Quad is bottled and will be drinkable soon.

To me, it sounds like your plan will work just fine.

 

[Calder]

No oak required. Don't fret over it.

 

[Osedax]

Sounds like a plan. I have never tried but, I have heard that people will take the light toast and roast them a little bit in their ovens to get medium/dark. Seems like a high potential for smoke/fire though.

 

[dantheman13]

I know you can soak in a spirit to help infuse flavour, but I am more interested in soaking in something like sherry instead to simulate using a sherry cask. Is this viable?

Cheers!

Sounds like an excellent idea to me!

 

[jnacey]

Yea, either the roasting in the oven or honestly just leaving them would probably be fine. How much does it call for?

One thing that's great about wood and brewing sour beers is that wood is an excellent harborer of bacteria. If you do end up including the oak cubes (and use cubes and not chips), when you bottle, throw those cubes into another sour you have going and it'll impart some great bugs from the wood.