Oak and Bourbon - Questions about my IPA

So today I kegged up my IPA. It tasted great. I took the first half gallon and put it into a sanitized growler rather than kegging it. For this little bit, I want to age it a bit longer on some oak chips. Since this was a last minute idea, I don't yet have the oak chips in the beer.

I do, however, have them soaking in some Maker's Mark. I took about as much oak chips as would fit int he palm of my hand - I mean only about 15 or 20 really small chips. I am soaking them with a bit of bourbon - just enough to cover them in a small bowl (probably one shot or less).

What do you all think about the amounts here? Do I have enough oak? Too much?

How about the bourbon? Should I pitch it into the beer along with the chips, or should I leave it out.

What about time on the oak? I know I should taste it regularly, but what am I looking at here? Two weeks? Less?

Anyone else done a Bourbon Oaked IPA?

Did I read correctly that you are oaking 1/2 gallon?

The amount of chips you have will probably give you the oak flavor you want in a couple days. I'd oak an entire 5 gallon batch with not much more than the amount your described, over a period of maybe 5-7 days.

I'd dump the chips & bourbon in and then taste it after a day or two.

I'd recommend only putting the chips in. The burbon may overpower it immediately.
I know a few people that dumped the burbon in too, and they regretted that. Only the burbon came thru (no beer or oak flavors).

I'm going with the Yeti Imp Stout clone recipe from BYO. I've had oak cubes (as recommended by a fellow HBTer) sitting in maker's mark for 2 weeks alreday and will add them to the secondary this weekend. I'm probly ditching the bourbon (it's turned black from the heavily roasted cubes) and adding the cubes. I've heard different times from 5 days to three months. I may go one month, then taste it (if I can hold out that long).

I did 2oz. of American Oak Cubes soaked in the Macallan Single Malt Scotch in my Scotch Ale. I oaked right in the keg for about 2 months prior to tapping and left the oak in the whole time it was on tap. (ablout 4 weeks) I drilled a small hole in my gas inlet tube and hung a large stainless steel tea ball holding the cubes. It came out great and I now have French oak cubes soaking in more Macallan, American oak cubes soaking in Knob Creek and French oak cubes soaking in Chardonnay for future batches. For Christmas SWMBO also got me a 7.25 gallon used french oak Bordeaux barrel. I just picked up ingredients today for my first batch to age in that barrel.

The Oak Aged Bourbon Porter recipe I'm working with has 2 cups of toasted oak chips soaking in bourbon for only a few days then all of it goes into the secondary for 6 months.

Wild

wild said:

The Oak Aged Bourbon Porter recipe I'm working with has 2 cups of toasted oak chips soaking in bourbon for only a few days then all of it goes into the secondary for 6 months.

Wild

Click to expand...

Wow. 2C sounds like an awful lot, unless it's lightly roasted.

gaelone said:

Wow. 2C sounds like an awful lot, unless it's lightly roasted.

Click to expand...

The 2 cups came from 6 oz. of medium roasted American oak amd 2 oz. light roasted French oak.

Wild

wild said:

The 2 cups came from 6 oz. of medium roasted American oak amd 2 oz. light roasted French oak.

Wild

Click to expand...

Ah, that sounds a lot better. I have 4 oz heavily toasted American Oark sitting in MM of which I might use half and see how it's coming along.