Bourbon soaked oak cube question

[MBasile]

I have 3 ounces of oak cubes soaking in some Makers Mark at the moment while my OG:1.103 stout ferments. Obviously these cubes will be soaking for a few weeks. I've heard a few different methods of adding the cubes and I'd like some information if possible.

•Some people dump the bourbon and cubes into the secondary.
--I don't want to do this because I've heard it imparts way too much bourbon flavor, and at about 10% ABV this beer wont need the extra booze boost. Also, if the bourbon flavor is too weak int eh end, I can then always add more, not subtract.

•Some people add the wet cubes without dumping in the bourbon.
--Supposed to add a better mix of bot flavors.

•I've read a few comments in the past about soaking the cubes for a few weeks and then drying them before putting them in.
--This is what I'd like more information on. Do you just pat them dry with a paper towel? Do you let them sit for a day to let the alcohol evaporate? Do you toast them in the oven to evaporate the alcohol quickly?

I know I've read of the drying the cubes on here, but I can't seem to find the thread with the info.

 

[metaltim]

At my uncles house, he brought out his soaked cubes when I was there last. He soaked them for about 3 years, not just a few weeks. he strained them out of the makers mark and just tossed em into his keg. Then we did a side by side sipping of fresh makers mark compared to the oak soaked version. Man o man it was night and day

 

[MBasile]

At my uncles house, he brought out his soaked cubes when I was there last. He soaked them for about 3 years, not just a few weeks. he strained them out of the makers mark and just tossed em into his keg. Then we did a side by side sipping of fresh makers mark compared to the oak soaked version. Man o man it was night and day

You tasted the bourbon or you tasted two beers, one with short soaked chips and one with the 3 yr chips? I think I'd rather drive to wherever they store Makers Mark and steal a barrel and cube it myself than age cubes for 3 years

 

[brewmonk]

the main flavors I want to get from a 'boubon barrel' beverage is the last vestiges of vanilla-like toasted flavor from charring the barrel. did you toast your chips first?

just shake off the excess, and give em a toss right in, and let em sit as long as you can.

i want to taste that bourbon.

 

[Hannable1975]

I am going a different route. At a HBS I dropped into while working out of town, they had "Toasted oak sawdust". They are a micro winery, and have a wine they use it in - I REALLY liked the result. SO I bought a small bag, and plan to toss it in in a secondary on a batch in the future, and just add an ounce or two of Maker's Mark at the same time.

 

[MBasile]

the main flavors I want to get from a 'boubon barrel' beverage is the last vestiges of vanilla-like toasted flavor from charring the barrel. did you toast your chips first?

just shake off the excess, and give em a toss right in, and let em sit as long as you can.

i want to taste that bourbon.

The cubes are American Med+ toast. I didn't pre-treat them with via boiling or anything like that before putting them in the MM

I am going a different route. At a HBS I dropped into while working out of town, they had "Toasted oak sawdust". They are a micro winery, and have a wine they use it in - I REALLY liked the result. SO I bought a small bag, and plan to toss it in in a secondary on a batch in the future, and just add an ounce or two of Maker's Mark at the same time.

That is quite an interesting route. Do you plan to gelatin the beer to avoid racking any sawdust as bottling/kegging?

 

[metaltim]

You tasted the bourbon or you tasted two beers, one with short soaked chips and one with the 3 yr chips? I think I'd rather drive to wherever they store Makers Mark and steal a barrel and cube it myself than age cubes for 3 years

well we tastes both sets..but the night and day difference i was referring to was the straight whisky.. the soaked whisky compared to whisky straight out of a new bottle..

my uncles been a homebrewer for about 20 years.. so that puts the 3 years in perspective.. AND, he had a couple of jars of this whisky all from different times. So about once a year, he can make a whisky porter, and he'll have on hand some cubes that have been soaking for a couple years. we i was there and he used up the cubes, he right then poured more whisky into the jar, added more fresh cubes, sealed it up, labeled, and stored it away.

 

[brewmonk]

good, glad they were toasted, and i don't worry about boiling them first - if they need to be boiled, then I feel they shouldn't be used, the bourbon will takecare of most things.

as for the sawdusty stuff, you might want to try making a tea with it, you can control the strength and clarity a little more granularly.

 

[HickoryMike]

I am planning to add Makers Mark and oak chips to the secondary without any pre-soaking....I am stealing the recipe to a bourbon barrel porter from NB where they recommended this method.

Should I soak? Is it a big deal? Hopefully I'm not hijacking this thread too bad....

 

[rudu81]

I created my own recipe and soaked 4 oz med French oak chips (was probably overkill) for a month while my beer was in primary. Because I happen to be a big fan of bourbon I tossed the bourbon and the chips into my beer. I tasted it after one week and called it done. To me, it's great. SWMBO doesn't care for it, but said that if someone liked bourbon they'd like it. Friends who have tried it since then have like it.

If you are not sure, you can always get 1 gallon jugs (or other sizes) as fermenters and test out different lengths of time and quantities to see what you like. This is what I plan to do next.

 

[MBasile]

Today I'm brewing a second batch of the bourbon stout. Last time I left 3 ounces of oak cubes in makers mark the entire time the brew was fermenting (1 month). I feel, although the beer is still young) that the bourbon overpowered the oak even though I only put in the cubes, not the bourbon it had been soaking in.

This time I'm going to stick to 3 ounces, but I'm going to add 1 ounce every week to the bourbon with the youngest addition soaking for only a week. For there I'll do it all the same; add only the cubes to the keg and let them sit for 2 weeks before removing them and letting the beer age.

 

[Malintent]

I am 1 week into primary on an Oaked Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.... I have 1 1/3 cups of makers mark in a jar with 1 oz of med toast oak cubes that was setup on brew day (1 week ago yesterday). Yesterday, I poured a shot of straight makers mark and a shot of the bourbon that has been soaking up the cubes for a week.

NIGHT AND DAY is and UNDERSTATEMENT.

Maker mark tastes like whiskey... with a sawtooth edge. The oaked makers mark, first of all, looks NOTHING like the original... it is maybe 15 SRM darker (if I can use that measure). The vanilla and honey and woody flavors JUMP right up your nose. It is more like cognac. the actual flavor difference is like it isn;t even the same KIND of liquor. It is so... velvety, warm, and SOOOO much more flavorful.

My original intent was to dump the whole thing (1 1/3 cups + oak cubes) into a secondary next week... but I am now thinking I am just going to pour about 3/4 of a cup of the liquid into secondary, toss the cubes, and sip the remaining oaked makers mark with a friend or two.

Oh, and 2 fresh vanilla beans are going into secondary with all that too.

Edit: Oh yea.. the porter is going into secondary with all that too, lol. Almost forgot about the beer. Yes, it was that good.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm going to base mine on a dark ale with added plain amber malt,some 2oz of hops. But I'm only going to use 3-4oz of oak cubes,maybe no more than 2oz of Beam's Choice to marinade them. It's looking to me like too much bourbon/whiskey is being used to soak the chips/cubes. Not to mention the fact that you're not just getting the bourbon into the oak,but you're also soaking flavor out of the oak. I'm going to use a bit more oak,& way less bourbon. Just stir/shake'em up periodically.

 

[Im_Lars]

I did a modified Scottish Wee Heavy and soaked 2oz roasted oak chip in 10oz of 12 year old Balvenie Double wood scotch. I soaked the chips for 6 weeks when the beer was in primary and then poured the scotch and chips in when I switch to secondary. Let it sit for a month then racked it off the chips and let it age for another month. Keg it and WOW was that good. Took a couple of bottle to my LHBS and got the same reaction from them. I was thinking by using the scotch instead of the bourbon I would end up with a much smother finish. I think bourbon can be to sharp for me.

 

[MBasile]

I am 1 week into primary on an Oaked Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.... I have 1 1/3 cups of makers mark in a jar with 1 oz of med toast oak cubes that was setup on brew day (1 week ago yesterday). Yesterday, I poured a shot of straight makers mark and a shot of the bourbon that has been soaking up the cubes for a week.

NIGHT AND DAY is and UNDERSTATEMENT.

Maker mark tastes like whiskey... with a sawtooth edge. The oaked makers mark, first of all, looks NOTHING like the original... it is maybe 15 SRM darker (if I can use that measure). The vanilla and honey and woody flavors JUMP right up your nose. It is more like cognac. the actual flavor difference is like it isn;t even the same KIND of liquor. It is so... velvety, warm, and SOOOO much more flavorful.

My original intent was to dump the whole thing (1 1/3 cups + oak cubes) into a secondary next week... but I am now thinking I am just going to pour about 3/4 of a cup of the liquid into secondary, toss the cubes, and sip the remaining oaked makers mark with a friend or two.

Oh, and 2 fresh vanilla beans are going into secondary with all that too.

Edit: Oh yea.. the porter is going into secondary with all that too, lol. Almost forgot about the beer. Yes, it was that good.

I noticed that immense vanilla aroma too on my first batch. However, by the time I put the oak in the beer three weeks later it was GONE. That is why I'm doing the staged oak additions this time.

 

[Malintent]

UPDATE:

recently tasted my bourbon / toasted oak concoction... it is OVER OAKED after just 1 week. It has gone past oaky and toasty, and is now somewhere between "the barn's on fire" and "liquid smoke". I have removed (and discarded) the oak cubes and intend to buy more makers mark to dilute the mixture with.

 

[MBasile]

UPDATE:

recently tasted my bourbon / toasted oak concoction... it is OVER OAKED after just 1 week. It has gone past oaky and toasty, and is now somewhere between "the barn's on fire" and "liquid smoke". I have removed (and discarded) the oak cubes and intend to buy more makers mark to dilute the mixture with.

I'd be interested to hear how it ages without further modification. I got scared last time and pulled the oak out when the bourbon became overpowering, but so far the flavor profile has fallen flat with age.

Yesterday I started the oaking of the second brew. I conditioned the oak as follows.

1 oz @ 3 weeks
1 oz @ 2 weeks
1 oz @ 1 weeks
1 oz @ 24 hrs

I'm going to not be so skittish this time and will let the cubes sit for a month. I figure the bourbon flavors (liquid) will transfer to the beer first, before the wood flavors. This batch will also be aged until the end of next year. Hopefully it'll be a complexly flavored brew!

 

[dzlater]

I just kegged a porter/stout, that I oaked with bourbon soaked cubes.
OG was 1.056 FG @ 1.017.
Soaked 1 oz of American medium toast cubes for a week in Old Forrester bourbon, before adding them to the secondary I microwaved them for a bit to kind of steam / boil them. I didn't add the bourbon just the cubes, two weeks in secondary.
Tastes good. Not over the top bourbon or oak but definitely noticeable.

 

[unionrdr]

I got my dark ale going Thursday night. Friday around lunch time I had to rig a blow off. But while the BK was chilling in the sink,I put 4oz of medium toast French oak chips in one of those Glad deli containers with 5 jiggers (7.5oz) Of Beam's Black 8 year old bourbon.
When the ale reaches FG,I'll rack to secondary with the oak chip mixture poured through a grain sack into the ale & tied off. Maybe a week,maybe two.