Need advice choosing a bourbon for my beer

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Jtc2811, Sep 7, 2012.

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  1. Jtc2811

    Jtc2811 Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 California

    OK guys, so I recently came into the possession of some old chopped up Bourbon barrels. No idea what they held before, but I want to use these pieces to make a BA stout. I'm a much better beer BA than a bourbon BA, so I could use some advice.

    I am looking for a Bourbon to soak my wood in, preferably under 40$ per bottle, that will give a nice vanilla sweetness and showcase the rich chocolate of my base beer without much booziness and with no metallic or astringent notes.

    Any suggestions on the bourbon? Also looking for advice on prepping the oak ( thinking I'm just going to let it soak in the booze for about 2 months, no boiling or anything)
     
    #1 Jtc2811, Sep 7, 2012
  2. Naterobsnyk4

    Naterobsnyk4 Initiate (0) Jan 25, 2012 New York

    I am of no help, but I'm curious what type of homebrew recipe you are going to use to then age?
     
    #2 Naterobsnyk4, Sep 7, 2012
  3. FUNKPhD

    FUNKPhD Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2010 Texas

    For 40$, you can get some delicious bourbon, but if the wood is from bourbon barrels, why re-soak it? Also, I would have to second Buffalo Trace; solid and affordable.
     
    #3 FUNKPhD, Sep 7, 2012
  4. Jtc2811

    Jtc2811 Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 California

    The wood has not touched liquor in a while, so it's to ramp up the bourbon flavor and also sanitize.

    The base beer is a burly imp Choc stout recipe I tried a while back. Super smooth, tastes not unlike a piece of melted dark chocolate. I used home-roasted cocoa nibs in the mash, boil, and secondary with some chopped vanilla bean. It would be heavenly on bourbon.

    Speaking of heaven, is heaven hill expensive?
     
    #4 Jtc2811, Sep 7, 2012
  5. FUNKPhD

    FUNKPhD Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2010 Texas

    I believe it's on the lower end of the price range, comparable to Buffalo Trace if I remember correctly. 40$ should get you whatever you decide on, though.
     
    #5 FUNKPhD, Sep 7, 2012
  6. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    I am wondering which bourbon to use when i brew Denny's BVIP next month. I am thinking Buffalo Trace but am not 100% on that yet.

    Heaven Hill from what I have seen will put you near the $40 mark but that was a while ago and I do not remember which bottles I had seen, meaning that there could very well be cheaper ones out there too.
     
    #6 OddNotion, Sep 7, 2012
  7. Jtc2811

    Jtc2811 Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 California

    The only reason heaven hill came to mind was that pappy is sourced from heaven hill, iirc
     
    #7 Jtc2811, Sep 7, 2012
  8. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Pappy is now associated with Buffalo Trace IIRC. Dont remember much about HH though.
     
    #8 OddNotion, Sep 7, 2012
  9. Xul

    Xul Pooh-Bah (2,139) May 18, 2008 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Correct, since 2002.

    They're responsible for quite a few familiar brands of bourbon, especially for barrels that end up used in BA beers:
    - Elijah Craig
    - Evan Williams
    - Old Fitzgerald
    - Rebel Yell

    And others. They're sitting on the second largest inventory of aging bourbon right now, so their barrels will likely to continue to be common in the craft beer world.
     
    #9 Xul, Sep 8, 2012
  10. Jtc2811

    Jtc2811 Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 California

    Ended up going with EC 12. If its good enough for Eclipse it should do well for me. Thanks all for the advice!
     
    #10 Jtc2811, Sep 8, 2012
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