Whiskey barrel fake-out

I've asked this question before on here in another thread. I'll ask in this thread to seek more input...

I am thinking of adding a whiskey barrel taste to a sweet stout (chocolate/cherry) I'm fermenting.

I have a small jar full of Jack Daniels chips that you might buy for your grill. I'm soaking those chips in a half-pint of JD. My plan is to add this to the fermentation vessel.

questions I have are:

1. How long should I let ferment before keg conditioning?
2. Should I add the entire contents of the jar (whiskey soaked chips and the oaked-whiskey brine or just chips?
3. When should I add them to fermentation?
4. is this a really bad idea?

I am not going to rack to 2ndary so I could add the chips/brine to the ferm any time.

My guess is that the strength of the whiskey flavor will depend on how long I ferment it and if I add the brine or not..

However, my goal is that I dont want the whiskey to overwhelm, I just want some aroma and a hint of the taste so there is a little punch to the chocolate/cherry...

tips? Techniques you've tried that were successful?

thanks!

 

It doesn't take much to get subtle flavor at then end. In fact, it's pretty easy to over do it.
1. Until it is done of course. Your call whether you let it sit any longer after fermentation has actually finished.
2. I would say no, just for safety's sake. Perhaps just some of the soaked chips, then taste and adjust if necessary. With these additions, you can always add more, but never less.
3. When it is over.
4. Not if you get the addition right, but start small.

The strength of the whiskey flavor depends on how much you add, not how long it ferments.

My approach is to add a single oak spiral plus 2-10 oz. whiskey (depending on the beer) for about a week in secondary. That provides the subtle flavor contribution I am looking for. Good luck.

 

check your LHBS for oak cubes or spirals which are typically used for wine making. They range from light to heavy toast.

These should have better quality and results than the BBQ wood chips.

 

Those 'chips' are the ones that actually look like pellets, right? Don't use those! They're formed like wood pellets for pellet burning stoves, milled to sawdust and pressed together with a bit of wax.