5 weeks until home brew is judged..

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Bdubbsyall, Apr 29, 2016.

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  1. Bdubbsyall

    Bdubbsyall Aspirant (241) Aug 13, 2014 Illinois

    Hey BA's.. My work held a home brew competition on the 14th so I joined in and brewed an Irish Stout from an extract kit. On Tuesday I secondary racked it, but I now feel like I should add some whiskey soaked oak chips. The beer needs to be ready to drink and be judged in 5 weeks on June 3rd. My questions for you all are:

    A. Is it too late to add the oak since I've already racked it?
    B. How long would you keep the oak in before bottling?
    C. Will any addition of whiskey soaked oak chips cause a longer bottle conditioning time?

    Thanks in advance, and sorry if these are total noob questions..:wink:
     
    #1 Bdubbsyall, Apr 29, 2016
  2. daem3384

    daem3384 Zealot (691) Nov 24, 2015 California

    No, it's not too late to add oak, but you might not have enough time for the oak to lose it's sharpness and meld well into the roast of your stout.
    That being said, if you're adding chips, I'd say 3-5 days before bottling is good, 7 days might put too much flavor to mellow by judging. If you're using cubes, I'd say 1-2 weeks.
    The key with oaking a beer is to KEEP TASTING it. There's no single time that works for every beer, and only you can decide when it's good.
     
    #2 daem3384, Apr 29, 2016
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