NB Bourbon Porter

[Dome555]

I'm going to begin brewing NB Bourbon Porter soon and have a few questions.

1 - How much does the bourbon come through? Would I be better off using the Woodford's Reserve I enjoy so much or should I stick with the Maker's in the recipe?

2 - How long should I leave it on the oak cubes? I know the recipe says 1-2 weeks but sometimes recipes say crazy crazy things.

3 - What temp. should I be aging at? I plan on aging it in a keg until Oct.

Any other suggestions are more than welcome. I've never done a beer on this long of a timetable or one at such a high ABV. I'll be using a starter for the first time also, usually the smackpacks do just fine but I figure I need one for this beer.

 

[sonetlumiere85]

The ABV actually isn't that high. Assuming you use 16 oz Bourbon, it comes out at about 7.5% ABV. Aging temp isn't crucial, something steady/constant is better in general. The time on the oak cubes is correct as well, you're just looking for some subtle oak. I'd use whatever bourbon you want.

 

[duckmanco]

I vote no on using a nice bourbon for this recipe, I brewed this with (what I consider nice, despite its low price) Evan Williams Single Barrel and while it worked, the beer and oak really cover up any specific bourbon flavors IMO. And given that, I would probably just use some Evan Williams Green or Black, or something comparable.

However, I think any bourbon will work, and if you want to use Woodford, go for it. My .02

 

[Dome555]

Thanks for the replies. I've been toying with the idea of going with a little more bourbon, like 20 oz instead of 16 nothing too extreme, as I've seen some reviews say the bourbon didn't come through as much as they'd like and I'm probably closer to that end of the spectrum than the other. I'm usually pretty strict about sticking to a recipe for the first try and then adjusting later on, but the time associated with this one makes me want to get it as close to right as I can on the first try. Plus the more bourbony it is the more it'll keep my beer thievin housemates away from it.