Anyone with oak infusion spiral experience?

[obuhmyuh]

Couple questions regarding the use of infusion spirals...
1)On the package they came in it says it takes 6 weeks for extraction to complete (less time w/less flavor). I was wondering if it would be a bad idea to throw it in the primary opposed to the traditional secondary?
2) Do they need to be steam-sterilized?
3) I know they make more or less toasted versions, I got the medium, I was wondering if its possible to toast them more...

Thanks in advance for shedding some light!

 

[Gremlyn]

My experience with them thus far is limited, but to answer your question as best I can:

1)On the package they came in it says it takes 6 weeks for extraction to complete (less time w/less flavor). I was wondering if it would be a bad idea to throw it in the primary opposed to the traditional secondary?

You can put it in the primary, but I wouldn't do so until the fermentation is done. The only reason to move to a secondary is to clear the beer while ageing with the oak and get the beer of the bulk of the yeast cake.

2) Do they need to be steam-sterilized?
Yes.

3) I know they make more or less toasted versions, I got the medium, I was wondering if its possible to toast them more...
I'm sure you can, but I would try the medium first and see if you like it.

As an alternative method for adding the oak flavour, I put a bunch of mine in bourbon in mason jars and let it sit for a couple of months. I will be adding measured quantities of the oaked bourbon to my beers to find the right amount. You can do the same with vodka if you don't want the bourbon flavour. My intention is to mimic bourbon barrels...

 

[obuhmyuh]

Nice, thanks for the input! So you're putting the infusion spirals and bourbon in mason jars? That sounds cool. The ones I got say it should be done after 6 weeks...

Why would I not want it in the primary? Will yeast eating it produce off flavors maybe? First time using these maybe I'll just pop em in the secondary and see what happens... Making a fat tire recipe, thought some oak would round out the toasted malts...

 

[Razorbrew]

I got a couple of the spirals for xmas. I think I will use them in an old ale. How do you steam sterilize them?

 

[Gremlyn]

Nice, thanks for the input! So you're putting the infusion spirals and bourbon in mason jars? That sounds cool. The ones I got say it should be done after 6 weeks...

Why would I not want it in the primary? Will yeast eating it produce off flavors maybe? First time using these maybe I'll just pop em in the secondary and see what happens... Making a fat tire recipe, thought some oak would round out the toasted malts...

I'm not really sure if having the oak in there during primary would hurt anything, but I like to keep steps separate so I can count on being consistent between batches.

As for my spirals, yeah I just put them in 16 oz mason jars. Snapped one stick in half and put it in the jar, covered with bourbon. Really interesting flavour now, mellowed out the bourbon quite a bit.

 

[obuhmyuh]

I got a couple of the spirals for xmas. I think I will use them in an old ale. How do you steam sterilize them?

With a steamer or steam basket of some sort, and put a small amount of water below it and let it boil and stream away (I did for about 20 min or so)

 

[terrapinj]

any more updates on spiral experiences?

are there similar concerns of extracting too much flavor like with oak chips?

the package suggested 1 spiral for 3 gallons but not sure if that's for beer or wine

i grabbed the medium+ toast for my barleywine that I just brewed up on saturday, I'd like some subtle oak flavors so thinking of just doing 1 spiral for 4-6 weeks closer to bottling time.

what about timing oak additions with dry hop additions? should one be done before the other? any issues of doing them at the same time?

 

[Gremlyn]

So far I have added 16 oz of bourbon that was aged with 1 oak spiral for 2 months. I am going to add at least another 4 oz (I did them in 16oz jars, 1 spiral each jar). I don't think over extraction is going to be a problem.

 

[MRixonKBC]

I just used the spirals for the first time for a chocolate rye stout. Previously, I used the small cubes, to do two batches of a bourbon barrel aged porter. I'll use spirals from here on out.

I found the spirals to work pretty quickly. Although the package said 1 spiral for 3 gallons, I dropped both in my corny. First, I dropped each spiral into my hydrometer test tubes and then filled them up with bourbon, to soak for at least 24 hrs. (I also use Jim Beam's Devil's Cut, as it already has a nice oaky flavor already). Using both helped speed up the infusion process. I add the spirals and the bourbon from the test cylinders. Even with the bold stout flavor, I achieved my "barreled" flavor level in only about 2 weeks.

I highly recommend doing this in secondary, in a keg under slight pressure. That way you can sample and taste the beer as it progresses. Depending on how much flavor you are looking for, you can start checking it a week or so in and then every couple days, more frequently as you near your desired taste. It's a good idea to let it go just slightly stronger, as the flavor will mellow out after you've pulled the spirals.

Once you've achieved your oak level, adjust the bourbon levels by adding a few ounces at a time, let it sit a day, then taste. Again, like the oak, go a bit higher, it'll level out perfectly.