Tell me all about oaking...

[Blanchy]

So, I've got five gallons of apfelwein that I was thinking about oaking- how do I go about this? Adjunct sugars are mix of caramelized and un-caramelized honey, and I don't want to overpower the flavors from those... I've got a 3oz bag of medium toast American. How would I prepare the cubes, and how long should I keep them in?

Graham

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Boil them in just enough water to cover them. Pitch the whole lot, water and all. Taste test it once a week until it gets close, then taste it once a day. When it's right rack off of the oak.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

Boil them in just enough water to cover them. Pitch the whole lot, water and all. Taste test it once a week until it gets close, then taste it once a day. When it's right rack off of the oak.

not arguing just asking... I thought the boiling was to remove some of the tannins from the oak? Wouldn't tossing in water and all defeat the purpose?

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Boiling is for sanitization. Tannins are part of the flavor profile.

 

[BryanThompson]

I think the flavor of the apfelwein is too light to toss the water in as well. I would boil them in water for a while then dump the water and add the oak in.

 

[WIMARIPA]

Or you can soak them in some booze (applejack or apple brandy would work) before tossing them in. Otherwise I will sometimes just throw them in without doing anything and I haven't had any problems in the half dozen or so batches I've done it with. I usually happen to be adding some sulfite at the same time for antioxidant purposes, though.

 

[commonsenseman]

I've previously just dumped them in too, haven't had an issue yet. With apfelwine the high alcohol % should help keep any nasty-ness from getting in.

Boiling, soaking in star san or soaking in booze, wouldn't be a bad idea either.

How old is this apfelwine? If you're planning to let it age for a long time, the oak will mellow. Some suggest oaking it just to the point where it's a little too much, then aging it. Also it depends on how much you use & what form they're in (cubes, chips, spirals, etc.). If you're using an entire 3oz package in 5 gallons, I would think a month or two should be enough, unless you want a very strong oaky flavor. I'm guessing in something like apfelwine though, you'd want it to be subtle.

 

[Blanchy]

Sounds good! I put some pretty strong black tea in the must as well, so I think I'll pass on pitching the water in. The apfel needs another month of bulk aging, but I'll post on how it turns out.

Edit- commonsenseman; it's about a month old. I usually age for about two months before bottling. However, the bottles are probably going to stick around for a while.

 

[ultravista]

Did you ever oak your apple wine? How did it turn out?