Your Favorite Way To Oak??

[KeyWestBrewing]

Over the summer I want to experiment with different oaking methods and such to see which specifically I like best. So it got me thinking what everyones preferences were. Not looking to have a debate about whats best or why I just want to know what your favorite has been and the details behind it. Stuff like...

Chips, cubes, spirals, barrel? Soaked in spirits first, what kind? How strong of an oak character do you like? What species of oak? Medium toast, heavy toast?

 

[tally350z]

I have a jar of oak chips soaking in some vodka with some cocoa nibs and a little vanilla bean. They have been soaking for over a year now. Every time I want to oak I just get some out..

 

[unionrdr]

I use about 3ozs of white oak chips with enough Bourbon to cover them in an airtight container in the fridge during primary fermentation. When the beer settles out clear or slightly misty,I pour the chips & bourbon through a sanitized hop sock in a radiator funnel into my 6 gallon BB. Tie off bag of chips & drop it in for 7-8 days. The un-toasted white oak chips give a lot of wood flavor quickly,so 7-8 days is plenty.

 

[DromJohn]

Chips. More surface for quicker oaking.

Toast. Depends. Light has vanilla tones. Dark burnt caramel. Medium compromise. My bias would be to match the malt, light to dark.

Liquor. Depends, and IMO independent of the oak. I like to pre-soak the chips in the liquor. I'm also use less liquor than most recipes, trying to get the flavor without making the entire batch boozy. If you want boozy, then add at serving.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I use about 3ozs of white oak chips with enough Bourbon to cover them in an airtight container in the fridge during primary fermentation. When the beer settles out clear or slightly misty,I pour the chips & bourbon through a sanitized hop sock in a radiator funnel into my 6 gallon BB. Tie off bag of chips & drop it in for 7-8 days. The un-toasted white oak chips give a lot of wood flavor quickly,so 7-8 days is plenty.

In your opinion is the white oak more aromatic/flavor/both and how much does the character of the un-toasted differ from toasted?

I have a jar of oak chips soaking in some vodka with some cocoa nibs and a little vanilla bean. They have been soaking for over a year now. Every time I want to oak I just get some out..

I have two jars going right now both with Knob Creek single barrel... one with 4oz cacao nibs and the other with dark toast french oak chips. I thought about mixing them in one jar but was hesitant whether or not it was a good idea and was unsure whether or not youd change the amount of each youd use. I figured I'd have more flexibility doing them separately. Im guessing youd say they play well together in the same jar. How much oak/nibs did you put in there?

 

[unionrdr]

The American un-toasted white oak chips give more wood character than the French medium toast oak does,imo. The white oak is def woodier.

 

[tally350z]

Theres probably 3.5 to 4 oz of oak chips, and I think 2 oz cocoa nibs.

 

[Calichusetts]

Bought a couple bottles of really nice bourbon just for homebrewing. Soak a spiral in a tube of bourbon for a week, usually in the beer for a week. I do one gallon so even using half a spiral is pretty potent. Recap the bourbon so I can use it again and top up when needed. After a few different types of oak, the tube of bourbon gets really complex.