Ive gotten ahold of some Jack Danials oak barrel chips and want to age a beer over them. Im thinking about using them for an Imperial brown ale. Any ideas or comments about this? I could use some tips if anyone has got any.
I’d recommend letting them soak in some bourbon or JD for a couple weeks before using to sanitize them. The larger the chips the longer it will take to age them to allow the wood flavor to pass into the beer.
They are pritty small chips (about 1"x1"x1/8") but i have about 2LBS of them. How much should i use? I was thinking about 2 or 3 ounces without souking them. I was gona bake them at 180 degrees F for 30 min or so to sanatize them. But soaking them might not be a bad idea.
Yeah, 2-3 oz is about right. RoT is 2 oZ per 5 gallons, generally. If the chips are small you will need to taste it every week. It may only take 2 weeks aging. You can re-toast the chips, but my feeling it that may change the character of the wood. Soaking is a better option IMO.
After soaking should i let them dry off a bit to keep from overdoing it with the Jack Danials
there’s no real need. you won’t overdue the whisky character. most of the character of Tenn. Whiskey and bourbon actually comes from the wood anyway. remember also the amount of whiskey still on the chips will be barely enough to matter. your talking a tsp or less.
Ok im gona give that a try. Im going to make an imperial brown ale, and shooting for at least 9%abv.