Sweetness from Over Oaking?

[Cantina De Jefe]

Hey all,

I brewed an American Amber back in December that was originally an arrogant bastard clone. I added 2 lbs of corn sugar at 15 min because i didn't think my effciency was high enough to get to my target OG. I must not have figured that the sugar was 100% convertible in my software and i overshot my target by a lot. The OG was about 1.094. So i pitched my yeast starter (1 liter wlp007) and fermented at about 65° for a week. Then i transferred to secondary to age on a 8" oak spiral for 5 weeks. I dry hopped with 1 ounce of chinook before kegging. After 1 week of carbing i tried my beer. What I am getting is a lot of sweet vanillians and huge hop flavor and aroma. All together its kinda sweet almost soapy then really vanilla-y. Its kinda difficult to pin point where exacly i went wrong but it is definitely not raisiny like AB despite to large quantity of special B added. I will take a gravity reading tonight to determine if its under-attenuated or just over oaked in which case it will it need more time to condition?

So my question is, do you think 5 weeks on a medium toast oak spiral is too much? Do you think time will mellow it out? Or should i dump it before it impacts my space constraints?

 

[Yooper]

Often a "sweetness" comes from oxidation. Not really sweet, but with a brandy-like or sherry tone to it. Is that what you're tasting?

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Often a "sweetness" comes from oxidation. Not really sweet, but with a brandy-like or sherry tone to it. Is that what you're tasting?

Its difficult to say since the beer as such a big flavor. I would say the sweetness is followed immediately by vanillians then immediately by chinook hop flavor (not very bitter. I whirlpooled and dry hopped) followed by mild sweetness and then a surpisingly dry finish. I guess it could be brandy like but i was of the impression oxidation would yield more of a bitter funk. One of the airlocks was continually drying out and the fermentors are plastic better bottles which introduce air if i pick them up.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Often a "sweetness" comes from oxidation. Not really sweet, but with a brandy-like or sherry tone to it. Is that what you're tasting?

I tested my fg and it is 1.020 which is fully attenuated for this high of an og. I was hoping for just a little lower since i used dry yeast and added sugar. The sample today had better carb and was a bit colder than yesterday. The bitterness is coming through. Not so much oak and hop today although it is there. Maybe this has settled in the keg some. As you can see he beer hasn't cleared. It was shaken up during transfer. I think age will keep improving this one. Gonna give it a while before i do a side by side. Im not yet worthy.