Use good bourbon/whiskey. Like cooking with wine, use the good stuff when creating something because it will affect the beer positively/negatively. I've brewed a few beers that used whiskey/oak cubes (I prefer the cubes to chips), used the medium toast American oak as previously mentioned by ggrumet, and dumped all the contents into carboy...also previously mentioned. I didn't boil the cubes, or do anything special. I let the cubes soak in Elijah Craig, used about 2 to 2 1/2 cups and the vanillin I got out of the wood was amazing. Funny you mentioned you are brewing up an Old Ale, because that's exactly the style I made about 5 years ago, and I'm opening my last bottle today. Should be fantastic.

Thanks guys, after some net surfin it sounds like bourbon soaked cubes are the way to go. How many ounces of cubes would you recommend with the 2 cups or so of bourbon? Don't want a woody whiskey bomb, but would like a nice mellow compliment to the Maris Otter and Munich that make up the majority of my recipe.

I'd use the cubes (beans) and only soak them in bourbon if that's all you want to taste... and I'd only do that in a massive impy stout, etc. I've ruined smaller beers using bourbon. Wine, or plain works just fine too.

So I'm boiling a new batch of Old Man Kinger as I type. Got a 2.5 ounce package of Medium Toast American Oak Beans/Cubes. Going to ferment for approximately 4 weeks then transfer to secondary with the addition of the Oak soaked in Evan Williams until desired flavor profile is obtained. I don't want the bourbon to overpower so my plan is to use just enough bourbon to cover the oak cubes and add as it's absorbed. Planning to soak for 2-3 weeks during primary and add everything to secondary. Much of what I read indicates a cup or two of bourbon typically gets overshadowed by the oak in a beer such as this, and that's what I'm after.....more oak influence with a slight backdrop of bourbon.

I've never poured the soaking bourbon in the beer too - just the soaked beans. Let us know how it goes!

quote: Originally posted by Brett I've never poured the soaking bourbon in the beer too - just the soaked beans. Let us know how it goes!

So there was maybe an ounce or so of the bourbon remaining in the jar after a 3 week soak, I poured a little into a shot glass to taste and the rest into another canning jar. Very assertive oak in the bourbon. I then filled the oak cubes up with fresh bourbon for a week long soak. Ended up pouring the fresh bourbon into the canning jar with the oaked bourbon and only put the cubes into the secondary carboy. Figured I'll see how just the oak cubes do and I can always add the oaked bourbon to the beer if I want to. And for what it's worth Nottingham is a beast, final gravity ended up around 1.015 when Beersmith calculated 1.021

quote: Originally posted by kinger quote: quote: Originally posted by Brett I've never poured the soaking bourbon in the beer too - just the soaked beans. Let us know how it goes! Figured I'll see how just the oak cubes do and I can always add the oaked bourbon to the beer if I want to.

Sounds like a solid plan!

use spirals.

For what it's worth I cracked my 1st bottle of Oak Man Kinger this evening and am pleased. Approximately 1.5 oz. of bourbon soaked oak cubes in 3 gallons of Old Ale in secondary for 6-weeks. Turned out very nice, 10% abv mellow chestnut colored maltsterpiece.

quote: Originally posted by kinger For what it's worth I cracked my 1st bottle of Oak Man Kinger this evening and am pleased. Approximately 1.5 oz. of bourbon soaked oak cubes in 3 gallons of Old Ale in secondary for 6-weeks. Turned out very nice, 10% abv mellow chestnut colored maltsterpiece.

Wonderful! Is that (your avatar) a pic of it?