Bourbon aging

[prrriiide]

I have a number of bourbon barrel staves. They have dried out over time, but I know the brand that was aged in them, and am going to soak them for a day or so to re-hydrate (bourbon-ate?) in that brand. Then I'm going to let them dry for a few days to get rid of excess and drop into the corny.

I have a really good robust porter that I want to age on the staves, but I don't want to overdo it. How long is a good ballpark as to when I should start sampling to make sure I don't get a ridiculous amount of bourbon flavor? I just want to tint the flavor that direction to add some complexity, not be able to identify which bourbon I used.

I'm thinking 3 days then sample. Sound about right?

 

[daksin]

I wouldn't bother with re-drying the staves after you bourbonate them. When beer goes into barrels, those barrels are typically wet. Saves you on sanitation, too. Depending on the geometry of the stave and how much bourbon is on it, it could be a huge range of time from a few days (what I get with chips and some cubes) to weeks or months (probably more what you're looking at). Taste it every few days for a week, and then spread out your tasting to every week or other week depending on how quickly it's picking up flavor. Unfortunately, with wood, you're just going to have to taste it a lot.

 

[Holgar]

Unfortunately, with wood, you're just going to have to taste it a lot.

Not sure I qualify this as unfortunate...

Let us know how it goes- thinking about brewing a winter warmer for next winter and aging in bourbon.