soaking oak chips in bourbon, discard bourbon or add all?

[bwible]

I have an imperial stout that has been sitting on bourbon soaked oak cubes for about 7 months that I need to bottle. I’ve had some commercial ones that have a really intense oak/bourbon/vanilla character that I really enjoyed and it’s not uncommon to see descriptions that say things like “aged in Willet bourbon barrels for 6 months.” So I wanted to push it and see. I think I had originally decided I was going to leave it for 8 months. Its a 3 gallon batch sitting in a 3 gallon glass carboy with about 1.5 oz of cubes. The cubes sat in the bourbon in a small jar for a month. I did add the bourbon.

 

[bwible]

I also have a bourbon barrel mead in bottles now that was a year in the making. I put it together in Jan last year. I racked it three times and the final time I put it on bourbon soaked oak cubes and let it sit until I bottled it in Nov in approach of Christmas. I’m real happy with how that turned out.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

“Oak chips” you say? Will any old oak do, or are there other criteria the wood should meet?

*eyes huge oak tree in back yard *

I don’t know anything about the difference in oak flavor, but from a practical standpoint, I know that white oak, and not red oak, is used for whiskey/wine barrels.

The vessels in white oaks are closed by tyloses, (cell wall extrusions) as new vessel’s are formed and the old ones no longer needed. This makes “tight” cooperage.
On the other hand, the vessels remain open in red oaks, so the wood is unfit for making barrels, as the product would just seep through the wood and out onto the floor.
If you’ve ever put stain or sealer on oaks, you have probably noticed a marked difference in how white oaks and red oaks handle the treatment.

All that being said, I am sure there are chemical differences in the oaks as well, and a red oak, while unsuitable for a barrel, might be superior for flavoring. Best to identify the species of your oak tree, then see what folks are recommending/selling. I do know that there are huge differences in the tastes of acorns due to differences in tannin levels in them.

 

[WestMichiganSteelheader]

I brewed a big stout a couple weeks ago. While going through my ingredient's cabinet, I came across some oak chips I had set to soaking in makers mark 3 years ago and forgot about. The bourbon had all evaporated (or soaked into the chips). Smelled wonderful when I opened it so I tossed them into the stout for secondary ferm. Interested to see how that turns out...

I did this a few years ago by accident. After bottling, the beer had a very bitter tannic flavor. A few months later it was better but still tannic. By 6 months it was drinkable and by 8 months it was fantastic. I always let my bourbon oak chips sit in the secondary for 4-6 weeks as I enjoy an oak forward flavor.