Using Oak Spirals

[Sergeant Hops]

This is my first time using oak spirals. I have had one soaking in some Cabernet Sauvignon red wine for two months, and I just started soaking the other in this delicious Oakey Vanilla Whiskey. My question is, does anyone have experience putting soaked oak spirals in your beers. Good turnouts? Great turnouts? What are some good styles for this? I have some kind of berry dark ale or black ipa in mind for the wine soaked spiral. I know stouts are a good option for either, but wondering what other styles work very well for this.

 

[TrickyDick]

Did a Bourbon soaked spiral in a Tripel spiked with Brett. Came out great. FYI, if you do it in the keg, beware that the spiral might not float in your beer, which happened to me, thinking I could take it out after so many days..

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Yes, once they fully absorb the fluid they sink if you want to control the amount of flavor tie some sanitzed fishing line or dental floss to it.

 

[Cyclman]

Robust porter or Quad.

 

[Redeemer]

I have used the little cubes in the past. They imparted great flavor to a few batches of hot sauce, and they imparted toasted wood flavor to an already nasty experiment with high gravity mead. The mead has aged over a year and while it actually tastes "good" now, it is too sweet and isn't a good case study.

Today however I used a spiral in 3 gallons of a 2 month old peach mead I made. It was fermented completely dry, and ABV is around 11%. I bottled 2 gallons (quite sour but otherwise pretty good) and racked the other 3 into a carboy with an American Oak, light toast spiral. It floated but looks like it will sink. The spiral smelled fantastic, almost with a tobacco aroma and I am excited to see what kind of spicy notes develop or if the peach flavors come forward in the next 6 weeks. I will post my results when the time comes.