biohaz7331
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So I am going to be brewing a Barleywine and I have always wanted to try using oak. I have really enjoyed drinking some oaked Barleywines but I have a few questions concerning it.
I have read through a few of the threads on here about oak aging but I still have some questions
1st I have read that it is very easy to over oak and it takes a long time for it to mellow. I plan on using oak cubes which take longer to impart flavors and they should not over oak the beer too fast. I plan on sampling the beer every so often but I am curious if I should check it every week, two weeks, or every month?
2nd Many people list various ways to sanitize or soak the cubes to impart flavors or sanitize the wood. I am unsure if I want to impart any liquor flavors as I want to try to just impart some oak flavor into the beer (I am open to suggestions though). Some people use bourbon but what would be a good liquor to soak the beer in just to sanitize it but not impart too much flavor? I also considered using a food steamer to sanitize the wood without imparting too much into the wood or eliminating some of the flavors from the wood.
3rd Is it better to add the oak cubes to the secondary inside of a bag, or just add them to the keg after I transfer out of secondary(inside of the bag so I can remove them later). I plan on letting the beer ferment and then transferring it to secondary for at least a few months before letting it age in the keg. I would like to have the beer ready by June of next year for a special occasion.
Lastly, I bought American medium toast cubes which should not be too strong but should add a nice oakiness. Is there anything else I should be aware of in terms of aging? I plan on letting this beer last a long time in the keg but I don't want it to be undrinkable due to over oaking.
Thanks in advance for any information!
I have read through a few of the threads on here about oak aging but I still have some questions
1st I have read that it is very easy to over oak and it takes a long time for it to mellow. I plan on using oak cubes which take longer to impart flavors and they should not over oak the beer too fast. I plan on sampling the beer every so often but I am curious if I should check it every week, two weeks, or every month?
2nd Many people list various ways to sanitize or soak the cubes to impart flavors or sanitize the wood. I am unsure if I want to impart any liquor flavors as I want to try to just impart some oak flavor into the beer (I am open to suggestions though). Some people use bourbon but what would be a good liquor to soak the beer in just to sanitize it but not impart too much flavor? I also considered using a food steamer to sanitize the wood without imparting too much into the wood or eliminating some of the flavors from the wood.
3rd Is it better to add the oak cubes to the secondary inside of a bag, or just add them to the keg after I transfer out of secondary(inside of the bag so I can remove them later). I plan on letting the beer ferment and then transferring it to secondary for at least a few months before letting it age in the keg. I would like to have the beer ready by June of next year for a special occasion.
Lastly, I bought American medium toast cubes which should not be too strong but should add a nice oakiness. Is there anything else I should be aware of in terms of aging? I plan on letting this beer last a long time in the keg but I don't want it to be undrinkable due to over oaking.
Thanks in advance for any information!