Soaking oak chips

[kevinlassen]

I've soaked both, coffee and oak in different whiskeys, both for different beers. I don't have any thing here that is "cheap" enough to soak in other than "Virginia Lighting" (white whiskey) do you guys think it will make it taste too harsh. I'm not adding the whiskey to the ipa, just the chips.

 

[GenIke]

Why not toast them or bake them to sanitize? Then you dont need any booze.

 

[BansheeRider]

I've soaked both, coffee and oak in different whiskeys, both for different beers. I don't have any thing here that is "cheap" enough to soak in other than "Virginia Lighting" (white whiskey) do you guys think it will make it taste too harsh. I'm not adding the whiskey to the ipa, just the chips.

I would add the whiskey if I was you because the whiskey extracts the oak flavor from the chips.

 

[unionrdr]

I would add the whiskey if I was you because the whiskey extracts the oak flavor from the chips.

True this.^^ I learned this early on when I'd soak hickory bark or larger wood chips in a lil water before tossing on the coals to smoke. The resin will soak out in less than an hour,discoloring the water. Same thing here. While the wood soaks up whiskey flavor,the resin soaks out of the wood into the whiskey. so I pour all through a hop sack into secondary,tie off & drop it in. Then rack beer on top of it.