Adding Wood (oak) Chips

[Yeastie Beastie]

When is the best time to add wood chips to your brew?

What is the best method? I have read about pre soaking in alcohol, boiling etc etc.

I am looking to use French Oak Chips for my next brew but want to keep it simple.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

this is relevent to me. I'm planning on starting a series of brett experiments over the next few brews - after fermentation has finished I'm planning on taking about 5L and adding brett and oak just to see what happens. I'm not at the stage where I want to start making full batched of funky beer, but I think this is probably a good way to start playing....

 

[Maple]

I've done it a few times. With my RIS, i waited for the initial ferment to finish off, and racked onto the oak, left it for 3 weeks, then bottled. With the Oud Bruin I have going now, the oak went in with the Rosaelaer (sp) and other funk.

With the RIS chips, I stuck them in some water in a dish and mircowared them for a few minutes, then added the lot into the fermenter. With the funky one, I just took the oak as it was and soaked it in single malt for 24 hrs then dropped em in. didn't really worry about introducing wierd bacteria in that one....

 

[mikem108]

Have a listen to this
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Bre...5-08-Wood-Aging

Covers it pretty comprehensively including wood chips

 

[AndrewQLD]

My Belgian Toasted Golden Ale from the QABC was fermented as normal then racked onto the Oak chips that had been soaked in near boiling water for 15 minutes or so.
I used 60g toasted french oak chips and left the beer on them for around 30 days, tasting every 7 days until I thought the oak was right.
There are no set rules to amounts or time on the oak as it varies greatly, just taste until it's right.

sadly I only have one bottle left of this lovely beer.

Andrew

 

[Screwtop]

Have never done this, but have tasted AndrewQLD's :blush:
You could try contacting Ron Feruglio of Temple Brewing Co, his oaked Belgian was by far THE best beer I have ever tasted. Seemed like a passionate brewer and nice guy, why not ask him for some pointers.

Screwy

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

Have a listen to this
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Bre...5-08-Wood-Aging

Covers it pretty comprehensively including wood chips

Quite an informative listen. Thanks.

 

[geoffd]

Does anyone see any issues in sterilising the woodchips, by adding to the last 10 mins of the boil, would it extract any unwanted resinous flavours?

I have available a choice of french oak chips or burbon american oak chips to use in a pale 5 to 7% scotch ale. I have some Scotch (Chivas) or Peated Irish (Connemara) that I could soak the french chips in to sanitise. But see it pointless to soak the burbon chips in non burbon whiskey, & no i dont want to buy a bottle of burbon.

I'm looking primarily for vanilla hints from the oak, so my tendency is toward the french oak.

 

[drsmurto]

Does anyone see any issues in sterilising the woodchips, by adding to the last 10 mins of the boil, would it extract any unwanted resinous flavours?

I have available a choice of french oak chips or burbon american oak chips to use in a pale 5 to 7% scotch ale. I have some Scotch (Chivas) or Peated Irish (Connemara) that I could soak the french chips in to sanitise. But see it pointless to soak the burbon chips in non burbon whiskey, & no i dont want to buy a bottle of burbon.

I'm looking primarily for vanilla hints from the oak, so my tendency is toward the french oak.

You could add them to the mashtun.......

 

[petesbrew]

I did a Medieval Honey Chamomile Amber Ale a year ago from a brewcellar catalog.
Recipe called for french oak, but all I could find was american.

I tell you it was just weird & kinda wrong. Honey, Chamomile, and Bourbon flavours do not mix.
I found a couple of tallies left over so if anyone wants to try it you're MORE than welcome.

EDIT: forgot to mention, I added them about 15min before the end of the boil.

 

[manticle]

@Father Jack:

Both times I have used them I have soaked them in spirits covered in the fridge for a week.

Both times French Oak, first time a single malt scotch, the second Jack Daniels. Both beers are sour beers and are ageing so no results to speak of yet. However like you I didn't want to buy a whole botttle of bourbon (not a bourbon whisky drinker) so I just used a cocktail 50 mL size bottle.

 

[geoffd]

lol Petesbrew, Chamomile tastes bloody awful, though it is good for both your nervous system & antibacterial & antifungal, chamomile tea is very good for your veggie patch as is growing it near any plant,

It's about the last herb I'd consider tainting a beer with.

As for Mash Tun, it would kill some germs, but not exactly sanitised even at mashout of 77deg, as many spores would easily survive IMO

 

[drsmurto]

As for Mash Tun, it would kill some germs, but not exactly sanitised even at mashout of 77deg, as many spores would easily survive IMO

What comes after the mash tun FJ?

 

[geoffd]

What comes after the mash tun FJ?

lol DrSmurto
What comes after the mash?.... a well deserved beer of course :chug: ....while the boil is rolling.

You're missing the point, I'm sanitising so I can add chips to the fermenter, so I'm back at my original question, would adding the chips to the last 10mins of the boil to sanitize them risk extracting unwanted flavours, such as wood resins? Adding chips to mash and/or boil only would probably not be sufficient to impart the desired flavours.
The intention is to have the chips in fermentation, & possibly racking the ale onto fresh chips for a further month. It looks like soaking the french oak in whiskey to sanitise is the safest way to go. I'm just worried I might get too much whiskey flavour rather than the oak & vanilla only.

 

[Frank]

I'm looking primarily for vanilla hints from the oak, so my tendency is toward the french oak.

You will get more Vanilla from American Oak, but it can become harsh if you over do it, French Oak is lighter.

 

[drsmurto]

Wasn't missing the point, just adding an alternate method. :icon_cheers:

As for whether the flavour would come through, the reason i piped up was that ion Sunday we had a big brewday with 4 blokes brewing Russian Imperial Stouts.

Boston added oak to the mashtun and despite the fact this is a huge roasty beer you could taste the woody character in the wort after the boil.

So it does come through but i agree that for maximum impact you should be adding it to the fermenter which is what i will be doing. After boiling for 10-15 mins so doing that in the boiling wort would do the job.

 

[Asher]

You're missing the point, I'm sanitising so I can add chips to the fermenter, so I'm back at my original question, would adding the chips to the last 10mins of the boil to sanitize them risk extracting unwanted flavours, such as wood resins?

A well documented and used method of sanitising oak chips is to steep in boiling water and add the chips liquid and all to the ferment.
So adding chips to the boil will work for sanitising (in a bag or something that can be then transferred to fermenter without hot break or hops

My understanding is: People tend to rack to a secondary and add oak then for a couple of reasons. You can taste periodically to see how oak flavour is developing and rack off when that flavour is achieved.
If oaking in the primary you may miss the mark flavour wise as the beer hasn't finished fermenting when your trying to taste for oak. Plus you have the issue of removing the oak part way through meaning you'll need to hang a bag or something.

When I add oak I add it to the primary (Its easier and generally I'm not looking for a subtle oaking). I wait until after the primary yeast growth phase & just drop it in unsanitised and unbagged. 1-2 g per litre of wort. Taste at end of primary and keg when happy with flavour. Conditioning done off the oak in serving kegs.

 

[geoffd]

Sorry DrSmurto, I realise my wording might seem like I was disregarding your imput, which I didnt intend.

Are you able to distinguish if particular elements were drawn from this method, i.e more oaky, more vanilla, any resins or harsh flavours from the method.
Thanks

 

[Screwtop]

Post fermentation IMO, wouldn't want fermentation removing any character imparted by the oak. Certainly would not boil.

Screwy

 

[drsmurto]

Sorry DrSmurto, I realise my wording might seem like I was disregarding your imput, which I didnt intend.

Are you able to distinguish if particular elements were drawn from this method, i.e more oaky, more vanilla, any resins or harsh flavours from the method.
Thanks

Hard to say as this was an OG 1.090 stout with >15% roasted grains. :lol:

What i could taste was a woody flavour, almost earthy.