Rum vs Tequila Oak in Imperial Stout

[cernst151]

I've got an imperial stout that's been bulk aging in a carboy for a few months and I was thinking I'd like to put a couple gallons of it on oak. I've got a couple 1 gallon fermenters and would like to try a little experiment. I'll do 1 gallon on oak chips soaked in dark rum for 1 week. The second gallon I'm debating between the same thing but leave the beer on for 2-3 weeks or 1 week with another liquor like bourbon or tequila. So, a few questions.

1) How much oak should I use per gallon
2) Has anybody ever aged in a tequila barrel or on tequila oak and know if it's any good? I have excellent sipping tequila to use for this so quality is not an issue.
3) Is 1 week enough or should I start longer?
4) How long should I soak the chips in advance?
4) Do I need to do anything to the oak chips before soaking them?
5) Northern Brewer carries a ton of oak options. Any recommendations on what would be best in an Imperial Stout? Chips or cubes? Toast or no? American vs French vs Hungarian? Etc.

 

[cernst151]

One more thing. If anybody's experimented with tequila before would it be better with a Blanco or Anejo? I don't see why Blanco wouldn't work since Anejo is essentially just Blanco that's already aged in oak.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

neither rum or tequila ..as for oak, boil it first maybe a few times changing out the water..if you want heavy oak notes go american if you want mellow go french..soak them in booze of your choice( i say bourbon) for 1-2 weeks and add to secondary..also i think cubes are better then chips because less surface area means slower more controlled oak essence in the beer..start with 1oz for 5 gallons..cheers

 

[cernst151]

neither rum or tequila ..as for oak, boil it first maybe a few times changing out the water..if you want heavy oak notes go american if you want mellow go french..soak them in booze of your choice( i say bourbon) for 1-2 weeks and add to secondary..also i think cubes are better then chips because less surface area means slower more controlled oak essence in the beer..start with 1oz for 5 gallons..cheers

Thanks for the tips.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

Thanks for the tips.

No problem good luck on that beer

 

[cernst151]

For the record I did a little taste test last night. I took some samples of the stout and tried it plain, with a few drops of dark rum and with a few drops of tequila in it. The tequila was not a good flavor. I started a half oz of oak soaking in the dark rum and will be getting some good bourbon from a friend soon to start that soaking.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

For the record I did a little taste test last night. I took some samples of the stout and tried it plain, with a few drops of dark rum and with a few drops of tequila in it. The tequila was not a good flavor. I started a half oz of oak soaking in the dark rum and will be getting some good bourbon from a friend soon to start that soaking.

right on dude..i knew the tequila was a bad idea

 

[pwortiz]

I think you need the right kind of base style to make the tequila work. Take Lost Abbey's Agave Maria for instance. Amazing. That's an agave strong ale base they aged for 9 months in reposado and anejo barrels. I am hopefully going to partner with one of my brew club mates to try and mimic this.

I definitely agree that tequila wouldn't be good in an imperial stout. I have a Russian Imperial that I made back in February and bottled in March. I used 4oz of American oak chips that sat in Wild Turkey 81 for about 3 weeks. Then I chucked them in to the primary (had been there for 3 weeks) for a week. I planned to age it and even wrote not to drink until December this year. So it's been 9 months now and it is really nice.

Up to now the oak was punching you in the face and I was worried...but it is mellowing well and is an excellent sipper.

 

[cernst151]

A little followup on this beer. I put a gallon on oak soaked in dark rum and a gallon on oak soaked in bourbon each for about 3 weeks. I bottled those 2 gallons around New Years Eve. The remaining 3 gallons I just bottled a few nights ago.

I tasted one of the rum oaked bottles the weekend of the 24th after about 3 weeks in the bottle and the taste was delicious but it was entirely flat. No carbonation. I've since brought all of those bottles up from the basement, set them near a heater and gave them all a little shake to get the sediment up.

It occurred to me that I may have aged it so long that my yeast died. I looked all over and couldn't find any definitive answer as to how long yeast lasts in bulk aged beer. Does anybody know? Do I just need to give these a few more weeks or are they doomed to be flat?

 

[TheZymurgist]

How long was it aging before you actually bottled it, total?

 

[cernst151]

How long was it aging before you actually bottled it, total?

If I remember correctly I brewed it in July. I bottled some in early January and some in late January. So, from wort to bottle was about 6 months.

 

[TheZymurgist]

If I remember correctly I brewed it in July. I bottled some in early January and some in late January. So, from wort to bottle was about 6 months.

At 6 months, it's definitely going to take more time, my concern would be for the two gallons you separated, only because when you're transferring the entire volume, you're likely to stir up at least some yeast which will help to carbonate it, so the two separate gallons may take more time.

 

[cernst151]

OK, I'm fine with waiting a little longer. Though I'm really excited to try some of these while it's still bitter cold out I was planning on aging at least half of it until next winter anyway. I just wanted to be sure (as sure as I can be at least) that there was enough live yeast in suspension that it would eventually carbonate.

BTW, I like your signature but I would add "brewer" or "brewery" ahead of style. You enjoy a beer, then a brewer, then a style. I might even put brewer ahead of beer because it seems like many brewers tend to have a certain something to all of their beers. If I like/dislike all of a brewery's beers today it's likely that I'll still like/dislike most or all of their new beers next year.

 

[cernst151]

OK, I'm fine with waiting a little longer. Though I'm really excited to try some of these while it's still bitter cold out I was planning on aging at least half of it until next winter anyway. I just wanted to be sure (as sure as I can be at least) that there was enough live yeast in suspension that it would eventually carbonate.

BTW, I like your signature but I would add "brewer" or "brewery" ahead of style. You enjoy a beer, then a brewer, then a style. I might even put brewer ahead of beer because it seems like many brewers tend to have a certain something to all of their beers. If I like/dislike all of a brewery's beers today it's likely that I'll still like/dislike most or all of their new beers next year.