Adding Bourbon/Wine and Oak

I'm getting organized to make an addition of oak for the first time. This might be a stupid question, but do I really gain anything by soaking my oak cubes in bourbon or wine, then adding them? Would it be any different if I just sanitized my oak cubes and added them along with some bourbon or wine? Particularly with wine, I wouldn't have to deal with any issues of oxidation. Would I be losing anything?

 

soaking your oak is actually easier and does two things at the same time. It both sanitizes the oak and also then infuses both flavors into the beer. Doing it this way simplifies everything, IMO....

 

I have a bourbon barrel quad, soaked the spirals, don't know if it would have come out the same sanitizing the spirals separately and adding bourbon, but the spirals degraded and colored for sure from the bourbon. That must have had some effect.

 

What king of bourbon for you use? I have tried johnny walker, Jim beam, and Philips union...none seem to give it the Bourbon County flavor I want. Thinking of trying Evan Williams next.

To keep this train somewhat on track, my process was to cut oak pieces 2" long and about 1/2" thick, steam them for 10-15 mins, toast them at 400 for an hour or so, then soak in liquor in a Rubbermaid for 3-4 weeks. I racked my beer onto the oak pieces at secondary (dumped the oak liquid).

 

I just finished a bourbon barrel stout and I took 2 ounces of oak chips and soaked them in Bulleit bourbon for a month, poured off the bourbon and then racked the stout from the primary onto the oak chips in the secondary. The first tasting I thought the bourbon profile was pretty bold, but it's mellowed out as it's aged over the last month. I didn't seem to get much oak character though, maybe toasting them first would help with that?

Also this was for 2.5 gallons of beer. I split my 5 gallon batch into separate 3 gallon carboys, half for the bourbon barrel and half for a vanilla latte stout.

 

IMO/IME I have found it really doesn't matter so I just go with whatever I have around. I like to oak in secondary and evaluate for taste as time goes on. I pull the beer when the flavor is a little more than what I desire as it will mellow and age over time

 

For using oak in secondary, do you guys have a preferred method? I was thinking about putting them into a cheese cloth and suspending. Do you guys have a preferred method of sanitizing? Does the cloth need sanitation?

 

I usually secondary in a glass carboy for my oak/bourbon infused beers so chips straight in is my method. I can't imagine the PITA it would be to get a bag of chips in let alone out. They ususally sink to the bottom pretty well. For sanitizing I soak the chips in the bourbon. If I where to use a cloth in say a bucket then I would dunk it in strasan before I put the ships in. That's what I do when I dry hop anyway.

 

This is why I'm oaking in the primary 1.5 oz and tasting it every few days. As soon as it gets just beyond what I want...a little strong, I'll rack it over to secondary thus leaving the oak behind. I'm assuming the bourbon/oak will mellow/blend/settle in the next two+ months I'll leave it before bottling.

Mine is a 5 gal batch and I'm going with only 1.5 because I've read on here that it is easy for the chips to go over the top.

Also, fwiw, I did toast the chips in the oven for almost two hours. Then I wrapped them in foil and sat them by the fire. I opened up the foil a bit at the end to char some. Then I pitched them in a mason jar with Rittenhouse Rye, a bit of C&C and a splash of Talisker. I believe the Tali is really unnecessary and a waste since the wood had so much char already. The chips soaked for almost a month before I put the 1.5 in.

 

I added the chips to the primary and left them for 1.5 mos. I usually don't secondary but I did rack it to second just to get it off the chips. I tasted it then and it was tad harsh but its been off the chips now another 1.5 mos. I'm guessing it'll mellow. Bottling soon to sit for at least another month.