oak aging

I started aging a Chardonnay in an oak barrel that had been conditioned with water for a couple weeks, and a week later noticed what looks like mold growing on the heads. I racked to a glass carboy after noticing it, it didn’t have any off flavors or aromas, and added some campden to be safe...

After a few different experiments / brews I can say that personally the more time sitting in cubes or oak chips, my brew finishes with less oak flavor. Does anyone else have the same experience ? Seems most sources online claim more time with chips = more oak flavor, but I’ve had complete...

Perhaps it was sampling that delicious bourbon barrel stout that seduced you into contemplating a way to impart the taste of oak into a batch of homebrew. Maybe it was the scent of smoked grain mashing on brew day. Whatever your personal call to oak is, there are now a range of choices to give...