Port Oaked Barleywine

[Gixxer]

I have this idea... Make a barleywine and use Special B and C120, with a port addition, port soaked oak cubes, and tart cherry concentrate. I am going for an oaked plum cherry flavor. I am mashing at 153 cause I figure the cherry concentrate will dry it out some.

Batch 2.25gl
OG 1.103 (counting cherry concentrate too)
FG 1.015
ABV 12-14%
BH efficiency 60%
90min boil

Maris Otter 98%
C120 1%
Special B 1%
Brambling Cross 50 IBU 60 min
EKG 11.5 IBU 60 min
WLP099, starter for 1.5m cells per mL per °P
.5oz Port soaked cubes and liquid 90 days secondary
.25 cup port secondary
1 cup tart cherry concentrate secondary

Mash 153° 1.25Q/LB 60 min, take the first .5G first runnings and boil down to a pint, main boil 90 min, primary 28 days at least, secondary 90 days, bottle condition 1 year, sample at 6 months. Wish I had a brandy barrel for this one...

Thoughts and suggestions appreciated...

 

[J343MY]

Recipe looks good for the most part. You really don't need to use wlp099 at that gravity, you would be better off using cal ale, or something like that.

The amount of port looks about right. I made an imperial stout and added 250ml of port and it was way too much. It wall all you could taste for a long time. Eventually it mellowed out and it was an awesome beer, but I wouldn't use more than 100ml next time.

 

[ddrrseio]

don't worry about how much you'll add later - add the port at bottling, not for secondary. it's not as if the yeast need to process it. add 20mL at a time until you are pleased.

for the port soaked cubes, i would definitely do more than .5oz, even for a half batch. 1-1.5 would be good. beefier beers can stand more oak. i would also let the cubes soak up the port a while and then trash the port. if you need proof that you don't want it, have a sip of what you are discarding. i promise you won't finish it!

this method has worked well for me for all of sanitation, flavor exchange and softening of the wood tannins.

 

[Gixxer]

I am gonna taste the port after soaking the cubes in em for once... Every time I used oak with any kind of spirit I always threw the spirits in there too without giving a thought to tasting what was going in besides the cubes... The reason why I was only using .5oz of cubes is because I am keeping it in there for longer than a week or two weeks... I guess I really do not grasp what is a lot of oak over a short time (what is a short time?) compared to using a little oak over a long time (what really is a long time?). So what would you (generalization) be comfortable with for how many oak cubes to use for a fairly decent amount of oak over 90 days?