Bourbon

[thmsrgrs]

Im pretty new to home brewing, this is only my 5th batch and 1st one Im doing alone. Im brewing a Russian Imperial already added star anise

My question is when do I add bourbon to the secondary and how much for a 5 gal batch.

Thanks

 

[DSorenson]

You have a problem with alcohol content there. You need to know the amount of alcohol in the beer currently and then do a little math. You need to be careful that the alcohol content does not exceed the listed tolerance of the yeast strain. As a matter of fact I would leave a lot of wiggle room there.

I'll get back to you once I make up an equation that will help you decide the upper limit. anything else just depends on how much you like bourbon.

 

[dlester]

Since Bourbon doesn't carry any bacteria, and is not critical to the fermentation process, wait until completely fermented. Add the Bourbon when you bottle or keg and use just enough for taste. If bottling, the amount you add is not going to affect the yeast, since I assume your going for flavor, not high ABV? Because, adding Bourbon doesn't increase the ABV unless there is a lot of it.

My opinion is that it can easily be over done. Therefore, you should only use about 2-3 oz at a time between tasting. Have you ever tried soaking wood chips in Bourbon? It's pretty good.


Good Luck

 

[thmsrgrs]

Since Bourbon doesn't carry any bacteria, and is not critical to the fermentation process, wait until completely fermented. Add the Bourbon when you bottle or keg and use just enough for taste. If bottling, the amount you add is not going to affect the yeast, since I assume your going for flavor, not high ABV? Because, adding Bourbon doesn't increase the ABV unless there is a lot of it.

My opinion is that it can easily be over done. Therefore, you should only use about 2-3 oz at a time between tasting. Have you ever tried soaking wood chips in Bourbon? It's pretty good.


Good Luck

thanks
Im definitely going for taste if I soaked chips where would that be added?

 

[DSorenson]

Okay, so I worked it out.

first, take each item you are combining and figure out the total pure ethanol in each.

(Beer Volume (gallons) X ABV beer (as a decimal))
+ (Bourbon Volume (gallons) X ABV bourbon (as a decimal))

Then you divide by the total volume of both items combined.

/(Beer Volume + Bourbon Volume) that will tell your your new ABV.

Algebra.

(V1*A1+V2*A2)/(V1+V2)=A3
Where V is the volume (liters or gallons: doesn't matter just use the same unit for both volumes considered), and A is the alcohol content.

To reverse it and reach a specified ABV by adding a quantity of bourbon,

(V1*(A1-A3))/(A3-A2)=V2, where V2 is the quantity of bourbon you need to add to achieve an alcohol percentage of A3.

V1 and A1 are your beer (volume and alcohol decimal), V2 and A2 are your bourbon (volume and alcohol decimal), and A3 is the final Alcohol of the combined product.

 

[thmsrgrs]

Nice thanks Dsorenson. That's going to be real handy.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[solbes]

I would add the bourbon (and oak chips/cubes if desired) after a few weeks in secondary. I find RIS's take awhile to condition and improve anyway, so keeping it in secondary for 2-4 months assures the entire batch is consistent. If just adding bourbon, ignore the 2nd paragraph.

If you soak wood chips in bourbon, give it a week to soak first. Then add both to secondary and taste daily after 4 or 5 days have passed. If you use toasted oak cubes (my preference), soak in bourbon for 2 weeks. Then add both and taste at 3 weeks and weekly thereafter, as the oaking process is slower given the smaller surface area. Remember the oak flavor will change and decrease as time marches on. 1-2 oz of chips or cubes should be sufficient if you want it somewhat in the background.

I would venture 3-10 oz of bourbon depending on how apparent you want it.

 

[dlester]

Okay, so I worked it out.

first, take each item you are combining and figure out the total pure ethanol in each.

(Beer Volume (gallons) X ABV beer (as a decimal))
+ (Bourbon Volume (gallons) X ABV bourbon (as a decimal))

Then you divide by the total volume of both items combined.

/(Beer Volume + Bourbon Volume) that will tell your your new ABV.

Algebra.

(V1*A1+V2*A2)/(V1+V2)=A3
Where V is the volume (liters or gallons: doesn't matter just use the same unit for both volumes considered), and A is the alcohol content.

To reverse it and reach a specified ABV by adding a quantity of bourbon,

(V1*(A1-A3))/(A3-A2)=V2, where V2 is the quantity of bourbon you need to add to achieve an alcohol percentage of A3.

V1 and A1 are your beer (volume and alcohol decimal), V2 and A2 are your bourbon (volume and alcohol decimal), and A3 is the final Alcohol of the combined product.

Hey, this is pretty cool DSorenson. I'll have to run the calculations later to check it out.


Thanks for sharing

 

[DSorenson]

Let us know how much you used and what the result was, please! I'm curious to know. My brother and I constructed my first all grain recipe that worked out great. He's graduating from law school this may and I'd like to provide him with a fairly high octane beer with bourbon soaked oak used in the aging process.

 

[thmsrgrs]

Let us know how much you used and what the result was, please! I'm curious to know. My brother and I constructed my first all grain recipe that worked out great. He's graduating from law school this may and I'd like to provide him with a fairly high octane beer with bourbon soaked oak used in the aging process.

will do, i should be bottling by then.
Im drinking some "Bourbon County" from goose island right now and its getting my hopes up.

 

[DSorenson]

Bourbon county is a lofty goal: I don't know how they balanced the bourbon flavor with the body of the stout.

 

[thmsrgrs]

its the best I've ever had. if its a fraction of that quality I'll concider it a success. The eclipse 50/50 series is also really good.
I guess I'll just have to keep practicing to get it right.