Soaking oak chips in bourbon?

[Pyg]

Going to be soaking 5 Oz of oak chips in bourbon/whiskey.
Will be adding to an old ale.
I like good bourbon, but also don’t want to use my $50 bottle to put in beer.
does a good bottle make that much of a difference?

if not I was going to use something like black velvet or some simple whiskey like Old Camp.
Any thoughts?

 

[catalanotte]

I go by the old Italian advice of don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink. I use Makers or Bulleit to soak oak cubes. I have found 2 oz oak and 6 oz of bourbon in 5 gal is about the high end of what I like, but to each their own.

 

[Pyg]

I mis typed. Recipe called for 2.5 Oz of oak.

I don’t mind drinking the cheap stuff, was raised on BV and Flieschmans.

but this would give me an excuse to grab a bottle of Makers.
Haven’t had that in a while!
Have had Bulleit recently.
I will just tell SWMBO the $50 bottle of Makers is for science!!!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Garbage in garbage out.

 

[Dinadan]

I don’t mind drinking the cheap stuff, was raised on BV and Flieschmans.

Are you saying that you are okay with drinking cheap bourbon yourself: but you want the best for your yeast?!?!

I do not have any knowledge about your question since I have never tried bourbon soaked chips in my brewing.

 

[Pyg]

Yes,
I don’t mind cheap booze on occasion as it helps appreciate the good stuff.
I have a few friends who are snobs and won’t touch the bottom shelf.

having used bourbon soaked chips on a very limited basis (stout), I am wondering if using Makers Mark is noticeable and preferable to BV

 

[Qhrumphf]

The more nuanced and complex the bourbon is, the more nuanced and complex the character it'll impart. How much it's noticeable or to what extent that matters is in the eye of the beholder. I would say that the greater the impact of the oak/bourbon the more the quality of it matters (as you're soaking chips it's amount of chips and contact time with the beer, though with chips that's very rapid no matter how you slice it). Even then I've used dripping wet barrels of cheap booze vs slightly more dried out barrels of prime liquid, and while the wetter barrels have far more impact, the complexity of the top notch ones was far superior.

If you can afford to go higher shelf, go higher shelf. That's my 2c.

 

[berstuck]

Yes,
I don’t mind cheap booze on occasion as it helps appreciate the good stuff.
I have a few friends who are snobs and won’t touch the bottom shelf.

having used bourbon soaked chips on a very limited basis (stout), I am wondering if using Makers Mark is noticeable and preferable to BV

A bottle of Maker's here is $26.99. It's not exactly expensive or top shelf, but it's damn good bourbon. Why ever bother with the cheap ****?

 

[Pyg]

I am going to be your new neighbor.
A small bottle of makers is $19.
.750 L is $40 (atleast)
1.75 L of BV is $19

 

[Squirrels]

I'd go with something you like to drink as the base for what you soak the chips in. I'm okay with Tullamore dew instead of Jameson. Most of the time it is cheaper on the wallet. I've had good results with using what my pallette likes. Taste over price.

 

[BlutoA10C]

I use Knob Creek (small batch). I agree with the others, better tasting ingredients = better outcome . . . my 2 cents.

 

[Dgallo]

5 oz seems like quite a bit of oak. I think it will be quite “woody”. I’d think about diluting it with some more bourbon before packaging.

 

[Davedrinksbeer]

I like to make stouts and porters with smoked cubes and bourbon, the first 7-8 batches I made I just used cheap Old Barton and I was very happy with the results, even medal at the state fair with some of them. Then one day I didn’t feel like going to the liquor store to buy Old Barton so I used Makers Mark I had and that beer came out great, then another time After that I used Woodfords and that was just Awesome so yeah I do think better quality bourbon, better beer. I normally use 3 cups of bourbon and soak in 4 ounces of smoked cubes for 2 weeks then dump it all in in secondary. Gives a nice hint of bourbon.
If you want to really make a great bourbon beer buy a real 5 gallon bourbon barrel and use that. Think you can find them for $100 then pay shipping. Get 2-3 solid uses from them for making beer.

 

[jrgtr42]

I think there's a line between the good and bad, versus cheap and expensive. Part of it, I think, is what beer you're going to be tossing the chips into. If you have a big imperial stout with all sorts or roast character, to say nothing of if you do coffee, or vanilla etc, the nuances of the bourbon get lost.
However, a more delicaqte beer, a saison or something, would allow more of those to come through.
Personally, I wouldn't use super-cheap rotgut, but I wouldn't have a problem with Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. I ususally drink Larceny, and I've used that for oak-soaking with pretty good results.

 

[Pyg]

I realized I have a bottle of Woodfords which was a gift from my staff. Went shopping and grabbed a bottle of makers and Wild Turkey 101 (my golf buddy always has this in the course).
Will taste test over the next few days.
A few buddies will come over and assist!

 

[Pyg]

Beer has been sitting on oak Chips for a week.
sampled.

very much molasses upfront and a little bourbon in the back.
I thought 2.5 oz of oak would be over powering, but sofar it is a molasses that is over powering .

I am going to give it another weekbefore I bottle.
I will also fight the urge to throw in some Medium toast Hungarian Oak cubes!

 

[ericfromcowtown]

I soak oak chips in brandy when making choke cherry wine. I buy whatever is cheapest. I like the taste/kick it gives the finished product, but I don't drink brandy, or bourbon, so...

 

[InspectorJon]

I'll add a side note to this discussion. I put oak cubes in a glass jar with bourbon and let soak for a few weeks. The cubes swelled up and got wedged tight in the jar. I had to heat the jar up in boiling water and then dip in ice water to break the glass to get the oak out.

 

[YaleH]

I realized I have a bottle of Woodfords which was a gift from my staff. Went shopping and grabbed a bottle of makers and Wild Turkey 101 (my golf buddy always has this in the course).
Will taste test over the next few days.
A few buddies will come over and assist!

Great Choices..... WT 101 is my go to, with MM as secondary. Never had Woodfords, I've only soaked Oak cubes once and used Srewball PB flavored whiskey and it didn't work well. When I do another I'll most likely use Marker's Mark

 

[madscientist451]

Rebel Yell sells for about $15/750 ml around here and its works great for soaking oak chips.
I've also used Woodford reserve, which costs $36+ and I really can't tell the difference in the finished product, since I usually don't add very much to a batch.
Also, Rebel Yell really isn't all that bad if you want to sip some...