I need a good (but not too good) whiskey for my Imperial Stout

[davidabcd]

Hello,

I need just a few recommendations for bourbon. I'll be soaking oak and adding 12oz to the five-gallon batch. I would like to know which ones you think are good but not too expensive?

Thank you!

Edit: That will be enough information for me to go on. Thanks again.

 

[corax]

I'd go with the lowest cost bourbon you wouldn't mind drinking. For me, that would be something like Jim Beam.

 

[davidabcd]

I'd go with the lowest cost bourbon you wouldn't mind drinking. For me, that would be something like Jim Beam.

Thank you. I should have mentioned, though, that I don't drink whiskey and wouldn't know a good whiskey from a bad one.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Maker's Mark is a popular choice. The last stout I brewed I used Basil Hayden's but that's a semi-premium option.

 

[bucketnative]

Four Roses, it goes for less than $20 in most civilized states without draconian taxes.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Trader Joe's has a branded bourbon that isn't too bad, and IIRC comes in at around $16 locally. I prefer Bulleit, Maker's, Woodford Reserve, Booker's - but especially in cask strength or limited runs, these get up there and should be sipped, slowly.

I'd say for your purposes, Jim Beam or this TJ's, if you can get it (Note: The Kentucky Straight, not the "Rebel Yell"). Or even Evan Williams.

 

[corax]

Thank you. I should have mentioned, though, that I don't drink whiskey and wouldn't know a good whiskey from a bad one.

Well then, this is a golden opportunity, isn't it!

 

[aprichman]

Old Forester would be my choice for a classic bourbon. Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond would be another fantastic choice.

 

[RustyBumper]

I like Evan Williams

 

[davidabcd]

Well then, this is a golden opportunity, isn't it!

Yes, funny.

 

[davidabcd]

I was at Costco just a while ago and strolled down the whiskey aisle actually paying attention and looking for the one's mentioned here. I was surprised that they have a few of them in 25oz-plus size (750ml). 12oz is the magic number for what I'm doing. A quick bit of math and I see I can make one more batch with what's left over.

 

[catdaddy66]

I may be biased, but Fighting Cock bourbon is a low $ choice that is big on abv @ 103 proof.

 

[davidabcd]

I may be biased, but Fighting Cock bourbon is a low $ choice that is big on abv @ 103 proof.

That is a very intimidating name for a whiskey.

 

[catdaddy66]

This is the bbq sauce but it's the same brand and logo...

 

[CoreyD]

Since it's going in a stout, I would use an Irish whisky like Jamison's.

 

[davidabcd]

This is the bbq sauce but it's the same brand and logo...

I googled Fighting C**k (I blanked those letters as a joke, not because it offends me). From what I saw, it's a solid product, not pretentious (like me using the word "pretentious" is pretentious). I bet the BBQ sauce is fine.
I think I read also that FC (that way I won't have to spell it out either) follows all the state rules on making the product and that was good to know. And, AND it can be abbreviated KFC so as to steal a well-know acronym!

 

[vgmohag]

buffalo trace, ancient age 90 are my go to 'daily drinkers' Both are reasonably priced. if you get ancient age make sure it's the 90 proof. the regular ancient age is not very good (imo)

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Four Roses, it goes for less than $20 in most civilized states without draconian taxes.

I went to a whiskey tasting and the presenter put their single barrel and small batch in a lineup of other expensive whiskeys. I was impressed and they were selling them in the mid $20's

 

[glenntl]

I’m sitting here scratching my head trying to remember which one I liked the best. I think I might have liked the Makers Mark the best. It’s a wheated whiskey and I think the flavors worked better for what I wanted. If you were going to add the whiskey along with the oak to your brew, I would suggest a lower proof whiskey to avoid it being too boozy, especially if you’re not a whiskey drinker. I am, and LOVE the single barrel and the whiskeys already mentioned. But I had friends who thought mine was a little big on the booze although others thought it was great. Depends on what you are shooting for

 

[ong]

Just from experience with RIS, 12 oz of bourbon in a 5 gallon batch is a LOT of whiskey flavor. Like, it might taste like a Jack ‘n’ Coke.

It might be something you want to add incrementally (pull 1/100th of the batch and add .04 oz to see what 4 oz will take like). You could still secondary on the oak after you do this test.

 

[Jtk78]

I was at Costco just a while ago and strolled down the whiskey aisle actually paying attention and looking for the one's mentioned here. I was surprised that they have a few of them in 25oz-plus size (750ml). 12oz is the magic number for what I'm doing. A quick bit of math and I see I can use half the bottle for the beer, and enjoy the other half to gain appreciation of a good bourbon

I fixed that post for ya.

I would also cast my vote for Four Roses for this purpose. It's good and decently priced

 

[RoseParkBrews]

+1 makers mark.

 

[Cyclman]

Old Granddad. Yum.

 

[corbmonster]

It's been suggested by Drew Beechum that the whiskey / burbon you use to soak the oak, does not matter. You can't really tasty the difference between rebbel yell, knob Creek, yellow rose, or TX whiskey. So you should probably go with the cheapest whiskey you can get.

 

[davidabcd]

I fixed that post for ya.

I would also cast my vote for Four Roses for this purpose. It's good and decently priced

Thank you for editing that. It was lacking something and you nailed it.

 

[davidabcd]

Just from experience with RIS, 12 oz of bourbon in a 5 gallon batch is a LOT of whiskey flavor. Like, it might taste like a Jack ‘n’ Coke.

It might be something you want to add incrementally (pull 1/100th of the batch and add .04 oz to see what 4 oz will take like). You could still secondary on the oak after you do this test.

That's something to consider. Thanks! I'll post when there's something to report. Edit: The recipe I'm using can be found by Googling "dragon's silk imperial stout extract kit"

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

One other thing. I haven't been there, but there's a thread in the extract forum about a Northern Brewer bourbon barrel aged porter kit. It's a long thread, but there's a lot of talk about what bourbon to use.

There're a lot of great suggestions in this thread already and I don't think I've seen one that would be bad (other than "use the cheapest you can find"...I wouldn't go that route).

 

[rmyurick]

I was at Costco just a while ago and strolled down the whiskey aisle actually paying attention and looking for the one's mentioned here. I was surprised that they have a few of them in 25oz-plus size (750ml). 12oz is the magic number for what I'm doing. A quick bit of math and I see I can make one more batch with what's left over.

750 ml, aka a "fifth", is pretty much the standard size bottle.

 

[jheinikel]

My go-to for this is 1835 Texas Bourbon. Seems to provide the perfect flavor and doesn't require very much. Also drinks really nice over a small ice cube.

 

[mastfalk]

Hello,

I need just a few recommendations for bourbon. I'll be soaking oak and adding 12oz to the five-gallon batch. I would like to know which ones you think are good but not too expensive?

Thank you!

Edit: That will be enough information for me to go on. Thanks again.

I’d recommend Rebel Yell. Pretty low cost and also highly rated. 750ml is somewhere around $12-$14 depending on where you are. Besides, it inspired the Billy Idol song - what more can you want?

Michael

 

[davidabcd]

So you're saying, it sounds to me, that I can stop calling it the "25oz-plus size (750ml)" which I did happen to find a little clunky to say and just shorten it to "fifth"? Seriously, it never occurred to me. Thanks.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Weller's is very good, inexpensive wheated bourbon made by the same folks that make Buffalo Trace and in the same class of bourbon as Maker's Mark. That's what I used for my Bourbon Barrel Coffee Pale and still have an oak spiral soaking in some now

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

So you're saying, it sounds to me, that I can stop calling it the "25oz-plus size (750ml)" which I did happen to find a little clunk to say and just shorten it to "fifth"? Seriously, it never occurred to me. Thanks.

Yep. I believe that it's called that because it's ~ a fifth of a gallon.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Yep. I believe that it's called that because it's ~ a fifth of a gallon.

And while we're throwing out liquor bottle vernacular, those big 1.75L bottles are known as a "handle"...give you 3 guesses as to why and the first 2 don't count!

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[Hwk-I-St8]

And while we're throwing out liquor bottle vernacular, those big 1.75L bottles are known as a "handle"...give you 3 guesses as to why and the first 2 don't count!

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Home Brew mobile app

Around here I've heard people call 'em a "Texas fifth".

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Around here I've heard people call 'em a "Texas fifth".

Lived in Texas for 22 years, I forget about that one!

 

[S-Met]

Yep. I believe that it's called that because it's ~ a fifth of a gallon.

Way back a long time ago, before all US liquor was sold in metric volumes, some bottles that we call 750ml were labeled as 4/5ths quart. The smaller pocket sized bottles could be labeled 1/5 quart. I suspect that many of the sizes on older bottles were pre-standardization of any governing board and could be called anything at the discretion of the bottler.

 

[S-Met]

And Ancient Age or Ten High bourbon are my go-to cooking bourbons. Cheap and taste terrible alone but cook into a nice sauce. Fine for flavoring oak. I've never added a it to a brew though. I dont mind bourbon beers, but rarely want more than one pour.

 

[WesBrew]

Eagle Rare

 

[Braufessor]

I’ve always found makers mark to work well for soaking charred oak in and adding to beer. It is fairly smooth and a bit sweet. Seems to integrate well with big stouts and porters.