Ballpark weight needed for oak chips

[Ckarsanac]

I'm waiting for my Medium "roasted" oak chips to get delivered. I wanted to add a few to a cyser I'm making. It's only 2 days old at this point and I was going to let it sit in primary for 1 month, then transfer over to a secondary with the oak. It's only a 1 gallon batch so, I need just a rough guesstimation on how much oak to add. I ordered 5lbs. What do you guys think? I really only want a hint of oak.

Cheers!

 

[bob1852]

5lbs?

I use 1oz/gallon for my meads and ciders...

 

[Ckarsanac]

That was the smallest amount offered. They are bigger chips, so I might have to shred them down. So, 1 oz then? Sounds good to me. Thanks!

 

[MedsenFey]

1 gram per liter is a good place to start if you don't want to over do it. For a gallon that would be about 4 grams, which would be around 5 oak cubes. You can always add more, but you can't take it out.

 

[bob1852]

Medsen (or others), how long do you usually let it sit on oak?

I've had pretty good luck with ~6 weeks at a rate of 1oz/gallon.

 

[MedsenFey]

How much depends on what I'm making. A light traditional wouldn't tolerate that much. A heavy berry melomel could swallow that easily. I tend use lower amounts and let it sit for extended periods. I've had some batches with oak sitting in them for a couple of years. I gradually add more if I think it needs more. This way I don't overshoot end up with it tasting like Château Plywood. I typically don't like heavily oaked meads, and 1 oz per gallon would probably be too much for me in most cases. YMMV.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Length of time depends on surface area. Spirals age faster than cubes. Cubes age faster than barrels.

 

[MedsenFey]

And staves are slower than cubes. Given a choice, I like the staves.