The best wines are aged in giant oak wood barrels to give an amazing drinking experience.
Adding oak to a beer's aging process can have the same wondrous affect.
You probably don't have a giant oak barrel lying around so using oak wood chops could be one way to add some delicious flavour to your home brew beer.
Oak wood chips impart flavor into homebrew beer through the process of extraction. The wood chips release their flavorful compounds, such as vanillin and oak lactones, into the beer.
The type of oak and the level of toast on the chips will affect the flavor profile of the beer. For example, American oak tends to impart flavors such as vanilla and coconut, while French oak tends to impart more subtle, spicy flavors.
The amount of time that the oak chips are in contact with the beer will also affect the flavor. Longer contact time will result in a stronger oak flavor, while shorter contact time will result in a more subtle oak character.
It's important to note that it is crucial to use fresh and clean oak chips, and also to taste the beer regularly to ensure that the oak flavor is not overpowering.
Brewers use oak chips when brewing beer for a variety of reasons:
- To impart oak flavor: Oak chips can add a variety of flavors to beer such as vanilla, caramel, and toasted bread.
- To add complexity: Oak can add complexity to a beer by adding new flavors and aromas.
- To age beer: Oak chips can help speed up the aging process of beer by providing a surface for the beer to interact with.
- To balance beer: Oak can help to balance out certain flavors in a beer, such as sweetness or acidity.
- To add tannins: Oak chips can add tannins to a beer, which can help to balance sweetness and bitterness.
Should I use wood chips or cubes or spirals?
The choice between using wood chips, cubes, or spirals for oaking beer will depend on personal preference:
- Wood chips are the most common form of oak used in home brewing. They are inexpensive and easy to use, and they have a high surface area to volume ratio which allows for faster extraction of flavor compounds. Wood chips are best used in secondary fermentation or aging process.
- Wood cubes are similar to wood chips, but they are cut into smaller, cube-shaped pieces. They have a lower surface area to volume ratio, which can result in a more gradual extraction of flavors. Wood cubes are also best used in secondary fermentation or aging process.
- Wood spirals are thin, curled pieces of oak. They have a high surface area to volume ratio, which allows for faster extraction of flavors. Wood spirals are best used in aging process, but can also be used in secondary fermentation.
How to use oak wood chips in home brew beer
It's dead simple:
To properly use oak wood chips for home brewing, you should first soak the chips in water for at least 24 hours to prevent them from stealing too much liquid from your beer.
Next, add the soaked chips to your fermenter or keg during the secondary fermentation phase, or directly to the aging process in the barrel.
Allow the beer to sit with the oak chips for a period of time, at least a week.
The amount of time the oak chips are in contact with the beer will affect the flavor profile. A shorter contact time will result in a more subtle oak character, while a longer contact time will result in a stronger oak flavor.
Given that, you may wish to do the odd taste test as you patiently wait for the oaking process to come into its own.
Once the desired oak flavor has been achieved, remove the chips and then bottle or keg your beer in the normal manner.
What are the best kids of oak wood for use with brewing?
American Oak: American oak tends to impart strong, vanilla and coconut-like flavors, making it a popular choice for beers that are aged on oak.
French Oak: French oak is known for imparting more subtle, spicy flavors, and is considered to be a more elegant and refined option. French oak is often used for aging wine and spirits, and is becoming increasingly popular for aging beer.
Other types of oak, such as Hungarian and Slovenian oak, are also used in beer making but less frequently
What kind of beers benefit from using oaks chips?
Beers such as imperial stouts, barley wines, and strong lagers can benefit from the addition of oak chips. The strong flavors of these beers can stand up to the bold flavors imparted by the oak.
Sour beers: Sour beers such as American wild ales can benefit from the addition of oak chips. The acidity of these beers can complement the tannins and subtle flavors imparted by the oak.
Belgian-style beers: Belgian-style beers such as saisons, witbiers and abbey ales can benefit from the addition of oak chips, as the subtle spicy and fruity flavors imparted by the oak can complement the complex and spicy character of these beers.
Aged beers: Beers that are aged for a period of time can benefit from the addition of oak chips, as the oak can help to add complexity and balance to the flavors of the beer.
Belgian lambic beers benefit from using oak chips when brewing beer for a few reasons:
Oaking with wood chips does not enhance the alcohol by volume (ABV) of beer.
Belgian-style beers: Belgian-style beers such as saisons, witbiers and abbey ales can benefit from the addition of oak chips, as the subtle spicy and fruity flavors imparted by the oak can complement the complex and spicy character of these beers.
Aged beers: Beers that are aged for a period of time can benefit from the addition of oak chips, as the oak can help to add complexity and balance to the flavors of the beer.
Belgian lambic beers benefit from using oak chips when brewing beer for a few reasons:
Does oaking with wood chips enhance the ABV of beer
Oaking with wood chips does not enhance the alcohol by volume (ABV) of beer.
The ABV is determined by the amount of fermentable sugars present in the beer, which are converted into alcohol by the yeast during fermentation. The oak chips do not add any fermentable sugars to the beer, they only impart flavor and other characteristics.