Advice on Oak

[Enoch52]

Brewing friends: I'm thinking of doing a rye stout (NB's Rye Stout Extract), and I was considering aging it on oak cubes. However, I've never done this before, and I need expert advice:

* what type of oak and toast? I was considering either American or Hungarian Medium-Plus.
* should I soak them in bourbon or rye?
* preferences on cubes vs. spirals?

 

[ColoHox]

I prefer the spirals. My technique is to tie a bit of unflavored dental floss to the spiral, drop it in the fermenter, then dangle the excess out the top. It is really easy to overdo the oak flavor, so it is nice, after taking periodic samples, to be able to pull the oak out. I usually go a few days to a week total.

I also soak the spiral in some whiskey, but just put the spiral/cubes in, not the oak-soaked whiskey. Your whiskey choice doesn't really matter.

 

[Cyclman]

I have done chips, cubes, and spirals, and I enjoyed the results from the sprials most. I soaked them in bourbon, dropped bourbon and spirals in secondary. It does impart a very strong flavor if you're not careful, but it ages beautifully.

 

[b-boy]

For an RIS I soak medium toast American cubes, about 3 oz per 5 gallons, in bourbon for about 2 weeks. I use Jim Beam or Elijah Craig to keep the costs down. I then add them to my carboy and let them age for 1 month. The oakiness is pretty strong at first, but will age out in a few months.

Oh, drain off any bourbon that wasn't soaked up by the oak. Its nasty stuff.