RIS: How long to age on additions?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by phiberoptik, Jul 6, 2012.

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  1. phiberoptik

    phiberoptik Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois

    I am planning a nice imperial stout that I am planning on aging/flavoring two ways. Once I split-rack the batch into the two secondaries, at what point should I add additions? Right away or closer to bottling time? This is assuming that the beer will be in the secondaries for up to 3 months.

    For reference my splits are bourbon soaked medium-plus American oak cubes, and cacao nibs and orange peel.

    Also, is there a difference in when I should add the orange peel and nibs to the second half if the peel is dried vs. fresh?

    Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 phiberoptik, Jul 6, 2012
  2. jthahn

    jthahn Initiate (0) Jun 1, 2009 Indiana

    quantities would help in making a decision. but...

    IME the bourbon/oak will stay with the beer so the time of addition may nt be terribly crucial. the cacao nibs and orange peel will fade over time so i would add them closer to bottling. probably a few weeks prior.
     
    #2 jthahn, Jul 6, 2012
  3. PangaeaBeerFood

    PangaeaBeerFood Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2008 New York

    Bourbon soaked oak cubes take a while for the full flavors to develop. At least 6-8 weeks, ideally 3-4 months. There are much more complicated reactions going on between the beer and wood than simple flavor extraction, which is what you're getting from the other ingredients. Both cacao nibs and orange peel should have their full flavor extracted in 1-2 weeks.
     
    #3 PangaeaBeerFood, Jul 6, 2012
  4. phiberoptik

    phiberoptik Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois

    I appreciate this info!

    jthahn, I dont have exact quantities lined up yet but since I am splitting 5 gallons, each batch is 2.5 gallons so I was thinking 1-1.5oz oak cubes soaked in bourbon for a few weeks and then a couple ozs of cacao nibs soaked in orange liquer and 1-2 oranges worth of zest.
     
    #4 phiberoptik, Jul 9, 2012
  5. JebediahScooter

    JebediahScooter Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2010 Vermont

    Anybody have experience with spirals? I've looked high and low, and most threads on various homebrewing boards either say, "The package says 6 weeks," or "I haven't used them yet." The six weeks as stated on the package, however, are direrctions for use in wine, so I don't know how that translates to beer.
     
    #5 JebediahScooter, Jul 9, 2012
  6. Hopopotamus53

    Hopopotamus53 Devotee (312) May 16, 2011 Illinois
    Trader

    Im doing something like this too. If I left the cacao nibs in for a couple months with the oak cubes would flavor still fade despite the nibs remaining in the beer?
     
    #6 Hopopotamus53, Jul 11, 2012
  7. PangaeaBeerFood

    PangaeaBeerFood Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2008 New York

    The directions for wine and beer are fairly interchangeable as far as wood aging goes. The 6 weeks should be fine.
     
    #7 PangaeaBeerFood, Jul 11, 2012
  8. PangaeaBeerFood

    PangaeaBeerFood Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2008 New York

    From my experience, the effect of the nibs doesn't fade over time the way hops or herbs do. Cacao nibs are extremely bitter, like eating a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder. The bitterness is primarily what was pulled from it, and seemed to stay in the beer indefinitely.

    My concerns with leaving cacao nibs in the beer for that long are that over-aging might give off flavors or extract too much fat. I know that hops and other additives give off some funky flavors if left in the beer for longer than two weeks. I don't know for sure, as I've only used the nibs twice, but it's something to consider. And nibs do have a high fat content. I aged the beer on them for two weeks and had no issues with the fat, perfect head in the finished beer, great retention, etc. However, if you age too long, you might be more likely to get those fats in the finished product.
     
    #8 PangaeaBeerFood, Jul 11, 2012
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