Deciding on a bourbon...

[timcook]

I brewed a 14% barleywine which calls for soaking oak cubes in bourbon, for one month, for the secondary. I haven't been a whiskey/bourbon drinker since college. Which was many year ago.
Any ideas or suggestions? I am thinking any of the following: Jack Daniels, Jim Beam or Maker's Mark.

Tim

 

[b-boy]

JD isn't bourbon, so you won't get the same flavors. I usually use Elijah Craig or Wild Turkey. They're cheap and add some good flavor. Jim Beam would work as well.

 

[bfish]

JD is bourbon, all TN whiskeys are. They just use the lincoln county process (an extra filter through maple charcoal before continuing in the traditional bourbon process).

You're using very little bourbon for soaking, doubt it will make much difference in final beer. So buy what you or your friends will drink later.

 

[triethylborane]

Cheap bourbon. Kentucky Deluxe or similar.

 

[harry_the_face]

I disagree bfish I have done a few bourbon barrel aged beers and you can tell the cheap bourbon. I recommend Smooth Ambler Old Scout. I did a barely wine with it and it was the best beer I've made in 5 years.

 

[Weezy]

Smoother and the richer/sweeter the better, imho. I'm a big fan of Tennessee bite but not what I'd put in beer.

 

[TheMadKing]

+1 to Elijah Craig, that's my daily drinking bourbon, and Jim Beam Devil's Cut is good too because it has very intense oak flavor. Don't buy overly expensive bourbon, but don't buy Evan Williams either.

 

[b-boy]

JD is bourbon, all TN whiskeys are. They just use the lincoln county process (an extra filter through maple charcoal before continuing in the traditional bourbon process).

You're using very little bourbon for soaking, doubt it will make much difference in final beer. So buy what you or your friends will drink later.

From Jack Daniel's website:

IS JACK DANIEL'S A BOURBON?
Jack Daniel's is not a bourbon - it's a Tennessee Whiskey. Jack Daniel's is dripped slowly - drop-by-drop - through ten feet of firmly packed charcoal (made from hard sugar maple) before going into new charred oak barrels for maturing. This special process gives Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey its rare smoothness. It's this extra step - charcoal mellowing – that makes Jack Daniel's a Tennessee Whiskey. Take a look at our Process section for more information about how Jack Daniel’s is made.

 

[Brew_G]

I used Knob Creek-soaked medium toast French oak spirals (and vanilla beans) for a 13% RIS I brewed last January. It's drinking mighty fine right now.

 

[slym2none]

From Jack Daniel's website:

IS JACK DANIEL'S A BOURBON?
Jack Daniel's is not a bourbon - it's a Tennessee Whiskey. Jack Daniel's is dripped slowly - drop-by-drop - through ten feet of firmly packed charcoal (made from hard sugar maple) before going into new charred oak barrels for maturing. This special process gives Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey its rare smoothness. It's this extra step - charcoal mellowing – that makes Jack Daniel's a Tennessee Whiskey. Take a look at our Process section for more information about how Jack Daniel’s is made.

Thank you!

Also, IMHO, JD tastes like sucking in a charcoal briquet. I'd never put that in my glass, much less a beer.

 

[bfish]

TN whiskey is bourbon, with an extra step (charcoal filtering). Producers choose not to label their product as a bourbon to help differentiate themselves from bourbon (even though they meet the legal definition of bourbon).

"Following the guidelines for making Bourbon, utilizing the Lincoln County Process and distilling the whiskey in the state of Tennessee are the requirements needed to label the product a Tennessee Whiskey. Technically these producers would be legally allowed to call their product Bourbon, since they follow all the legal guidelines and there is no requirement bourbon must be made in Kentucky…"

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/what-makes-a-tennessee-whiskey-a-tennessee-whiskey-and-not-a-bourbon/

 

[Morrey]

+1 to Elijah Craig, that's my daily drinking bourbon, and Jim Beam Devil's Cut is good too because it has very intense oak flavor. Don't buy overly expensive bourbon, but don't buy Evan Williams either.

Some of my friends are Bourbon snobs so we did a bit of a blind taste test and actually scored and judged several bourbons. I remember Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, Four Roses, Woodford and Elijah Craig being part of the test. These were all the "standard" offerings...not the special reserve or vintage selects.

By FAR.....Elijah Craig took the win. Most of the guys were sitting there shaking heads not believing this was correct...but it was. Offered at a really good price, I have been keeping it in my bar since the taste test.

 

[TheMadKing]

Some of my friends are Bourbon snobs so we did a bit of a blind taste test and actually scored and judged several bourbons. I remember Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, Four Roses, Woodford and Elijah Craig being part of the test. These were all the "standard" offerings...not the special reserve or vintage selects.

By FAR.....Elijah Craig took the win. Most of the guys were sitting there shaking heads not believing this was correct...but it was. Offered at a really good price, I have been keeping it in my bar since the taste test.

a long time ago, my highschool girlfriend's dad ran the liquor store and he recommended it to me as the best bourbon for the money and I've never bettered it since then

 

[Weezy]

"Bourbon whiskey" is defined by 27 CFR 5.22 off the US Code. "Bourbon" means it must be made with at least 51% corn. The Kentucky thing is a common misconception.

 

[Sailingeric]

Makers Mark is good and you can usually get it in the small "airplane" bottles.

 

[onlyplaying]

My husband and I live near Bourbon country, and while he drinks more of it than I do, my favorite is Four Roses. Normally a (relatively) reasonable price, nicely smooth, good balance to it. My husband prefers Rye whiskeys, so his would have a spicy bite to them.

Also, if you are only needing a small amount, you could possibly find those little mini bottles at your local liquor store, so you don't have a bunch left over.

 

[slym2none]

"Leftover"? "Bourbon"? I mean, I know what these words mean, but in that combination, they just don't make sense...

 

[MizzouFermentationScience]

+1 to Elijah Craig, that's my daily drinking bourbon, and Jim Beam Devil's Cut is good too because it has very intense oak flavor. Don't buy overly expensive bourbon, but don't buy Evan Williams either.

I agree that you shouldn't use Evan, for it should be savored instead of wasted. Heaven Hill has a distinctive sweetness which may not be everyone's bag, but EW black is damn good in a mixed drink, the white label beats wild turkey hands down, and the single barrel is one of if not the best value in bourbon. Just because it's reasonably priced and widely available a lot of people turn their noses up at it, and it tends to be responsible for a lot of bad experiences in college.

In response to the thread; follow the golden rule- use something that you would drink otherwise, but don't waste money. I find beam (suntory now?) and buffalo trace products to have a sourness and notes of green apple and herbaceousness. May be an interesting addition to a sweet beer.

 

[slym2none]

Evan's 1783 has a good bit ore rye in the mash bill, I like that for sipping cheap whiskey. People can rag on it all they want, it's decent, esp. for the price!

 

[VTX1300]

I like Evans 1783 for cooking and baking. Elijah Craig for sipping. Both are reasonable price.

 

[rhoadsrage]

Just to throw another twist in. I don't really care for the creamy wheat character of some bourbons but I love a good Rye Whiskey. Bulleit has a good 95 rye and so does Rittenhouse Rye. Any you can make the rest into a delicious Boulevardier cocktail.

Boulevardier cocktail (my version)
1.5 oz Rye whiskey
1 oz Gran Classico Bitters (campari if you must)
1 oz carpano antica formula sweet vermouth
stir, garnish with spiced cherry/orange peel

 

[b-boy]

My go to cheap bourbon is Wild Turkey 101. Some people may look down on it, but it's good stuff.

I like the spiciness. You can sip it, but you don't feel guilty about dumping it into some ginger ale.

I like anything WT makes. Russel's Reserve is probably my favorite.

 

[Weezy]

Just to throw another twist in. I don't really care for the creamy wheat character of some bourbons but I love a good Rye Whiskey. Bulleit has a good 95 rye and so does Rittenhouse Rye. Any you can make the rest into a delicious Boulevardier cocktail.

Boulevardier cocktail (my version)
1.5 oz Rye whiskey
1 oz Gran Classico Bitters (campari if you must)
1 oz carpano antica formula sweet vermouth
stir, garnish with spiced cherry/orange peel

Wow that's a Manhattan on steroids.

 

[casualbrewer]

To be called a bourbon i believe it can only be made in Kentucky, be made with at least 51% corn, and can only be aged in new oak barrels. Cannot reuse barrels for bourbon. Every bourbon is a whiskey but not every whiskey is a bourbon.

 

[Upthewazzu]

To be called a bourbon i believe it can only be made in Kentucky, be made with at least 51% corn, and can only be aged in new oak barrels. Cannot reuse barrels for bourbon. Every bourbon is a whiskey but not every whiskey is a bourbon.

Mostly correct, however it can be made anywhere in the U.S., not just Kentucky.

My picks are Elijah Craig, Woodford Reserve Double Oak, or Wild Turkey Rare Breed (fantastic flavor, just burns like a mother going down...).

 

[Devin]

As mentioned before, the Kentucky thing isn't correct. It can be made anywhere in the U.S. From the Federal Standards of Identity:

(b) Class 2; whisky. “Whisky” is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190° proof in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80° proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed.

(1)(i) “Bourbon whisky”, “rye whisky”, “wheat whisky”, “malt whisky”, or “rye malt whisky” is whisky produced at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, respectively, and stored at not more than 125° proof in charred new oak containers; and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type.

Some of my favorites:

Maker's Cask Edition (little pricey, but tasty)
Booker's (same - a little pricey and rowdy, but great if you calm it a bit)
Knob Creek (decent price, and great oak tones, IMO)
Buffalo Trace (one of the best "cheaper" Bourbons you can get)

 

[MizzouFermentationScience]

I know this is an old thread but just to be clear- all the love of Elijah Craig on here is great... but it’s a heavens hill product. I love heavens hill, I would just like to reiterate that Evan Williams is almost the exact same product as Elijah Craig- same distillery, same grain, same barrels, same personnel. Plus HH never diluted their product during the whiskey craze (cough beam suntory, cough specifically makers mark cough). Bourbon is a matter of personal taste, please be impartial when deciding- EW white is spectacular and any wild turkey fan should try it.

 

[anteater8]

+to Elijah Craig, I use it in almost all my bourbon stouts/barleywines.

I've posted this elsewhere on the site but it seems relevant. I've done 7-8 oak aged strong ales now, and I've landed on a process that I'm pretty happy with.

1. Use 0.25 oz/gal medium toast American oak cubes, boil them for 3 minutes.
2. Rack beer into secondary on oak and age for 6+ months. Longer aging time will get more of the vanilla and coconut flavors out of the oak.
3. Add spirits to taste at packaging. 2 oz/gal is a good starting point. I recently used 2.7 oz/gal in 14.5% stout.

This method gives more control over the oak variable and the spirit variable and still gets rid of the harsher oak tannings in the boil.

 

[user 70770]

Add another vote for Elijah Craig. If you have to buy a bottle to soak chips in, might as well buy something good since you'll have some leftovers to drink. EC is the best at its price point.

 

[joegbeer]

I'm focusing heavily on brewing BA beers this year. Not a bourbon drinker, but I love BBA beers. So when i started, I asked around for recommendations.

I did my first BA beer with Maker's Mark. Didn't care for the flavor. Did my last few with Woodford Reserve. Liked that much better. I'll have to try this Elijah Craig next go around.

 

[b-boy]

To me Makers Mark is what a bourbon is 'supposed to taste like'.

That's why I don't like it. It's kinda flat. It's too 'bourbony' if that makes any sense at all.

Michter's is another good bourbon. It can be hard to find, but I really enjoy it.

 

[cmac62]

I have recently taken a liking to Jim Beam, I haven't used it with making beer, but it has good flavor and is pretty smooth. If I was to do a BBA beer it would be a big old ale/scotch ale. Lots of alcohol and the malt backbone to sit for a while on the oak. I may need to get this brewing for next Xmas.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

This is an interesting thread. I like bourbon and keep some around to sip on. The last BBA beer I made, I used Blanton's. My bourbon collecting friend thought that was over the top for a beer. It was tasty though.

I've got a 12% RIS in the primary now that I plan to age on oak/bourbon. I'm hoping it'll be ready for next winter. I haven't decided what bourbon to use. The stuff I sip is usually $50-70 a bottle and I'm guessing I can find something suitable for less $. I want something with good bourbon character yet smooth.

If this beer turns out, my wife (no pics) wants to get a real barrel for the next batch.