Bourbon without the oak

[ptownbmac]

Planning on a bourbon coffee stout and was thinking of adding 16 oz of bourbon at bottling along with the cold pressed coffee. Didn't want there to be too much going on (and in the interest of fewer steps) so I was going to skip oaking it.

Has anyone done this? Did it seem like something was missing?

 

[loctones]

I've never done this, personally, but I don't see a problem. Much of the flavor from bourbon is already coming from the oak it was aged in. I really like the extra flavor and mouthfeel that different types of oak can add, but you are already getting some of that inherent to the bourbon.

I'd caution against adding all 16 oz. at once, though. Add it to taste. For that matter, do the same with the coffee. It's not difficult to overrun a beer with either of those flavors.

 

[fuxorfly]

I'd caution against adding all 16 oz. at once, though. Add it to taste. For that matter, do the same with the coffee. It's not difficult to overrun a beer with either of those flavors.

16oz is a loooooot of bourbon to add to your beer. I'd second the idea of adding it slowly, and to taste. You can always add more bourbon if you arent quite there, its gonna be tough to take bourbon out if you overshoot your mark :cross:

 

[duboman]

Having brewed Denny's Bourbon Vanilla Porter I would suggest you start with about 300ml and sample to taste before adding more. The bourbon can simply be added at packaging with no other prep involved. If you add too much the beer will be boozy and take quite awhile to condition out, like months!

 

[EJay]

Planning on a bourbon coffee stout and was thinking of adding 16 oz of bourbon at bottling along with the cold pressed coffee. Didn't want there to be too much going on (and in the interest of fewer steps) so I was going to skip oaking it.

Has anyone done this? Did it seem like something was missing?

I don't know squat about bourbon coffee stouts. But I do know a fair amount about bourbon - and I think yes, you're missing something, the oak! I think its like taking the chocolate out of a Hershey bar.

I say this because I once made my own bourbon from a kit from a local distillery - they supplied "white dog" liquor (legal, tax paid, etc) and a small oak barrel. It was quite an education. First step at home was to put water in the barrel to make it swell and become more leak-free. When I drained the water, it smelled and tasted of bourbon. It was remarkable. I'd say the majority of the flavor of bourbon is directly from the oak.

Now, since you're not actually making bourbon, but rather putting finished bourbon in your stout, it may not matter at all.

 

[ptownbmac]

Thanks for the feedback. The northern brewer bourbon barrel porter recipe calls for 16 oz, and a friend of made it and upped the bourbon to 20 oz and it turned out great, did take a few months to mellow though. I like em pretty bourbon forward too. Dragons milk from new holland and the bourbon sidamo from hardywood park both come to mind.

I've made this coffee stout recipe before and use 20 oz of cold pressed coffee at bottling and was really happy with the coffee flavor that came through.

Thanks again for the input.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[ptownbmac]

In case anyone cares, I went ahead with this. I made a base stout at 7.6% ABV and added 500 ml of bourbon and 500 ml of cold brewed coffee at bottling. No oak addition.

It's been in the bottle 12 weeks now and is already drinkable. Will be better with a few more months but there's no harsh alcohol or anything.

The bourbon flavor is noticeable but very mild and in the background. Next time I would add the oak because I think it would reinforce those same flavors and make them more prominent.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Natdavis777]

Just brewed Dennys Vanilla Porter today...10gal, came out to 1.080. I plan on doing 1 cup/5 gal and letting 4 vanilla beans soak in each cup of bourbon for ~5 days, then pouring the whole mix in. Im not bothering with the oak. Should come out pretty tasty