I am making an IPA tomorrow. Magnum bittering hops, and a load of Amarillo and Cascade added throughout that comes to a calculated 77 IBU's. The IPA itself will have an OG of about 1.070. I got a hair to add Oak chips to half (5 gallons) of this. I am also interested in adding some Bourbon (Makers Mark). I was thinking of soaking the oak chips in the makers mark for about 2 weeks, then adding them to the fermentor after 2 weeks, and letting them sit for as long as it takes to get the oak flavor in the beer. I believe that I have 2 oz's Oak chips.

My question is this...is 2 weeks long enough to soak the Oak chips to get good Bourbon flavor into them, or would you just add the unsoaked oak to the beer, and then add the bourbon to taste at kegging time? Also...I've never added Oak to my own beers. How long, and how much oak is desireable for a beer that I described earlier?

Anyone have any good input?

Thanks all...

I made a great Bourbon Barrel Porter a while back and suggest soaking the chips in the bourbon during primary (or start now if you like). 2 weeks (thats how long mine sat) of soaking should be enough to impart the bourbon flavor into the wood. I used Maker's Mark (2 cups) and am not un-happy about my selection however would try something else if I were to do it again. Woodford Reserve or Buffalo Trace (my new favorite bargain-priced bourbon) would compliment it nicely. Maker's has a sharper bite to it which is nice when consuming borbon. However in the beer is not to my liking. The other two options would have the same spicy flavor with a little less bite. When racking to secondary I put both the bourbon and chips in together and then racked on top of it.

As for how long you should leave the beer on the oak is a bit tricky. With the porter I left it on there for 2+ months. The oak flavor was present but not prominant. But since it was not a high IBU I was not concerned about dwindling hop flavor. I'm not sure how a shorter period would affect the taste. I would be concerned with keeping it on the oak too long might make the borbon and oak more prominant than the hop flavors. As this is an IPA that would be counter-intuitive. I'm not too much help here but I would say go with your gut and only keep it on there 2 weeks. If the oak and/or bourbon is not enough for you add more borbon to the keg. When in doubt next time you try it you will know weather or not to keep it on the oak longer

Summary
5gal batch
16oz bourbon
2oz charred oak chips
Soaked chips in bourbon for 2 weeks during primary fermentation
Added chips and oak to secondary and racked on top of it.

hope this helps.
John

Have you tried adding bourbon to a glass of IPA to see if you'd like it first?

For oak I've used 2 ounces of medium toast French oak chips in a black IPA and it was enough. I let it set for a couple weeks and then kegged it.

As far as sanitizing oak, I would just place your oak in a microwavable container, cover it with water and cook it on high for 3 or 4 minutes. Then cover it with plastic wrap until it cools to room temp and add the oak and water directly to the carboy/bucket when fermentation is within a few points of finishing up.

For the bourbon, just pour into the keg keeping splashing to a minimum until you get the flavor you want. Start with a little bit like a couple ounces and go up from there. I would be really hesitant to add more than 4 ounces but that's my preference.

+1

I am always hestitate to say "don't do that" but personally, I haven't found an oaked IPA that I've really enjoyed. The oak seems to bleed out the hops and I drink IPAs for the hops! This is my own personal opinion, so whatever you like, go for it....but I wouldn't oak 5g unless I was sure I dug the intended beer.

So...for giggles, and for reassurance, I did as suggested, and got an IPA and put a bit of makers mark in it. I'd rather have had the IPA by itself, so....the question is moot. I'm not doing it.

Thanks for the suggestion. Might have saved me 5 gallons of beer.