Oaking - Chips, Cubes, Spirals, Sticks or?

I am planning a 10%+ ABV beer destined for bourbon oaking.

Given the same toast and type of oak, is there much of a difference in chips, cubes, spirals, sticks, or?

Never used spirals. Chips are fast, cubes are slow. That is about all I know.

Would they all impart the same flavor?

Maybe if they were from the same source? I use chips because they were available locally when I needed them. I hear good things about cubes too.

I added 2 ounces (+ the bourbon they were soaked in) to 5 gallons for 8 weeks

I am thinking about a Oaked Double Bastard clone (90% two row/10% Special B) with 5 ounces of Chinook and an OG of 1.104.

How many ounces of medium toast do you suggest?

An Oaked Arrogant Bastard calls for 2 ounces so I think 3-4 w/bourbon should be enough? Or would you go bigger?

I think chips and cubes give very different flavor profiles. Chips - to me - are all tannin and surface characters with fast extractions. Cubes are slower, but they have different layers of flavor to them - truer to a barrel.

Guess which I use? :slight_smile:

I also find that for me to get a subtle oaking to a beer, I use about 2 oz of soaked oak cubes (I use bourbon, rum, tequila, wine, etc) to 5 gallons for 2 weeks at fermentation temps or 4 weeks at cold conditioning temps.

I’ve used spirals and find that they increase the exposed surface area to the beer so they take less time to impart flavors which I found very pleasant

I use a bourbon barrel, but my friends say that the spirals are the bomb.  I think each process has its attributes based on surface exposure and rates of the release of flavor based on shape and density, but I would be hard pressed to guess which process was used after the fact.  My palate just isn’t up to that level.

I have read more than a few home vinters who replenish the oak flavor in their spent barrels by adding oak cubes, so that should tell you something about the use of cubes and the potential lack of need for a fancier oak product.

The cubes most readily available to me are Hungarian.  Ive heard hungarian Oak is the prefered oak for vintners but is very expensive.  Ill have to give them a try the next time i brew a batch of oaked beer and do chips in the other.  See which we prefer!

Has anyone here used Hungarian cubes?  I have a couple ounces and haven’t used them before.  How do they compare with American oak?  Medium toast.  MoreBeer is my supplier for both.

Good article about chips and cubes:

What about Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Wood Chips? They are made from 100% Jack Daniel’s Oak Aging barrels.

what about them? they are chips, they will extract like chips. they likely have some Jack character left but I would soak them again anyway to sanitize.

+1.  I’ve used the Jack chips and soaked them (fittingly) in Jack.

The Jack chips are reasonably priced at $7 at Bass Pro. The bag looks to be 2-3 pounds.

I found the J.D. chips @ Walmart for $5. You can smell the bourbon through the bag. I bought some Makers Mark to bourbon it up.

I’ve had interesting experiences buying chunk smoking wood and converting them into barrel substitute products. The woods are all aged and dried, like barrel wood, and they are untreated so risk of preservatives leaching into the beer. I have cut blocks from the chunks and charred them in the oven. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the $15/lb oak cubes at the LHBS.

Got a source and procedure? id like to check out other types of wood outside the oak family.