Using bourbon-soaked oak cubes

[Reedy]

I've done a fair amount of reading with regard to soaking oak cubes in bourbon to use in secondary, but there seem to be a hundred different opinions/ways to do it, so hoping someone with some experience doing this might be able to answer a few questions.

I have 15L of RIS (OG 1.088) fermenting at present which I want to transfer to secondary & add some bourbon-soaked oak cubes to.

My questions are:
(1) what ratio of bourbon to oak cubes? I'm thinking 30-45gm oak cubes, with enough bourbon to cover them in a sealed jar?
(2) How long should I soak the cubes for? Will 2 weeks (time RIS will be in primary) be sufficient?
(3) Add the bourbon with the oak cubes to secondary, or just the oak cubes?
(4) How long to leave the oak cubes in secondary? Sounds like this is dependant on personal taste & requires sampling along the way, but what is a good guide?

I'd rather err on the side of caution (don't want the bourbon/oak to overpower the RIS). I'll be bottling these & hoping to let them age for some time.

Cheers.

 

[manticle]

At least enough to cover. They will absorb and swell so I'd look at a ratio of 3:1. Drink the bourbon afterwards.

How long depends on you - leave a week, then sample. When at or near the level you like, it's good to go.

Same with secondary/conditioning. How long is up to you but if any serious length of time, oxygen and heat are the enemy

 

[Danscraftbeer]

I'll use 1g Oak per litre of beer. Oak in a hop bag in a canning jar filled with JD whisky. In a hurry I've actually cooked that canning jar then cooled and added all into kegged beer. Otherwise think ahead and just steep the jarred oak for a week and add all into the keg.
I then have the keg on tap until I can easily taste the oak or for 3 weeks maybe and then pressure bottle it. Or just drink from the tap.
The bag can be removed from the keg, or not.
One thing I've noticed though is the oak flavour seems to reduce with time bottled so maybe aim for a forward Oak flavour for longer time bottled.

edit: weight the bag of Oak so it sinks, not floating.

 

[malt junkie]

I soaked some dominoes in Knob creek for six months in a baby food jar the "angels" took their share as time passed probably about 20%, I tossed the lot in a keg of belgian about a month back, it's nearly time to rack off the oak.

staves, cubes, dominoes, etc and different oaks will all play differently, the best method: taste regularly and note yeast will hide oak flavour a little hence my kegging method.

MJ

 

[Tex083]

I have done a few Oak and Bourbon stouts over the last year. I used oak chips soaked in Jim Beam in a 600ml mason jar.
Come bottling time I took a sample of finished beer and added 1ml to 100ml of finished beer. I tasted and tested, added another 0.5ml and it was good. Scaled it up so you don't over do it.
I kept the Oak chips and will probably throw them into the next stout when pitching the yeast just to see what happens.

Alcohol is a very good solvent so things are drawn out of the Oak, the Oak is dense and will only absorb small amounts of liquid. That's why I went with the bourbon not the Oak.

Hope it helps

 

[dannymars]

Be careful soaking them in a jar, last time I did it they swelled up so much I couldn't get them out!

I usually just add the bourbon, chips and all....

 

[Reedy]

Thanks all for your responses so far. I ended up putting 30gm of oak (3 cubes) in a jar with 250ml of wild turkey. Took the lid off after 24 hours, colour is great & smells amazing!

Will make a call on whether to add the bourbon with the cubes when the RIS finishes primary fermentation.

 

[Reedy]

So today's the day, going to transfer my RIS to secondary and add both the oak cubes & the bourbon and let it sit for another couple of weeks before bottling.

My question is, does the FV need to be in the temp-controlled fridge while it's conditioning, or just out of direct sunlight in an area that has a reasonably stable temperature?

I'm in Brisbane & it's hot as hell up here at the moment, was hoping to free up the fermenting fridge to put another beer down today.

Cheers

 

[manticle]

Chemical reactions, including oxidation reactions are accelerated by heat.

Some of these reactions contribute flavours that are welcome in some kinds of beer (RIS being one), some contribute less desirable effects. It's one of those 'it depends' questions. Cold and patience would be best but cool and dark is next (and what I would choose/have chosen for similar beers).

 

[Reedy]

Anyone know how to calculate the final ABV after bourbon has been added?

ABV was 8.4% (OG 1.088, FG 1.024) before adding the bourbon (approx. 200-250ml) and oak cubes into 14L of RIS.

 

[manticle]

There are calculators but it will be **** all. If you need to be accurate, go here: http://homedistiller.org/distill/dilute/calc

 

[Reedy]

Thanks Manticle, not too worried, more curiosity than anything

 

[Tex083]

Yeah I don't bother calculating the increased ABV on my stout with bourbon. 1 of them and your not driving anyway