Adding Bourbon Shot for Pseudo Barrel-Aging

Half a shot or slightly less with Obsidian poured over it is pretty good.

It's not a BA beer and if you expect it to be, you'll be disappointed no matter what you use. In the proper frame of mind, it's enjoyable.

 

I had some HF Everett with a splash of George T Stagg added. Fantastic.

 

if you want woody elements, try woodford reserve or basil hayden's. woodford reserve has some extra spicy character, basil more straight wood. i bet bulleit would be a good alternative as well. elijah craig surprisingly not good, in my experience.

p.s. i do this all the time.

 

I have to admit, this is a practice I simply don't understand. Seems like a way to ruin a perfectly good beer.

 

i believe you. & i'm quoting your post to put something into perspective. i'm pretty sure a lot of what GI has used in the past were spent HH barrels that were most likely bottled as Elijah Craig. some of the better BA 50/50 bottles were the Elijah Craig variants, also -- which, imho, your comment serves to illustrate how difficult or unrealistic is to replicate "barrel aging" by adding finished bourbon/whiskey to finished ale/beer.

adding it for some characteristics & experimenting is one thing & i do it from time to time myself. as far as true & actual "barrel" & "aging", this approach is almost akin to having a glass, a oxygen tank + a hydrogen tank... trying to make a full pint of water out of the 3. jmho.

 

yeah, you're not going to get a flavor like BA beer, you're going to get some bourbon flavor, and maybe a couple distinct characteristics from the bourbon you're adding. even if you get oak flavor from woodford reserve, it's still nowhere near as strong or well integrated as a properly barrel aged beer.

 

bourbon : beer :: bacon : everything

 

in general, i do it when the beer *isn't* perfectly good. "this pale ale is underwhelming me, but i usually like the flavor of bourbon mixed with a bland pale ale. time for that bottle of evan williams i received as a gift to come save the day."

however, some beers really go well with bourbon. sierra nevada celebration + woodford reserve is excellent, and i swear by it(:. piny hops of the beer + piny/spicy/flowery flavor of the bourbon, along with better-than-average malt backbone + woodford reserve's strong oak-vanilla "backend" (if that makes sense; does to me). they go together like peas and carrots.

 

From what I understand, if you are wanting to sell this beer with the "Pseudo Barrel-Aging" it would be illegal. It is "spiking" the beer and raising the alcohol content with an "unnatural method". It is also why a beer company that wants to age with Vanilla can't use Vanilla Extract because it would raise the alcohol (even if it is subtle).

 

Try pouring some Remy Martin into your Cantillon Classic Gueuze to make 50n 4e

 

That makes a little more sense. I keep seeing suggestions like FBS and Old Chub and other beers that are just fine on their own, imho.

 

I actually really like a bottle of Expedition Stout with a 3/4 shot of Angel's Envy, only with a fresh bottle of Expedition though.

 

Based on the description of how Jim Beam Devil's Cut is made, I'm thinking that this would be a good bourbon to add to a beer if you are trying to mimic barrel aging.

 

Tried-Failed-Drainpour.

 

I've tried it and it's always crap. Even spiked the end of my DDBA recently with Noah's Hill. Crap. But I may have put too much lol.

I much rather just drink them side by side.

 

Lots of bourbon makers use that technique, I don't think it would be much differnt from any other whiskey, but I see where your coming from.

 

This isn't necessarily how this works at all.

 

I recently did 4 drops of bourbon and one drop of vanilla in a Bells Cherry Stout. I liked it well enough

 

I am personally of the mind that adding a shot is not comparable to barrel aging. The nuances and flavors added by barrel aging are dramatically different from what a shot adds to a beer. If for no other reason than the simple fact that adding a shot will elevate the alcohol content of what you drinking from anywhere (assuming you are starting with a more robust brew) from 30%-60%. That significant an infusion of alcohol has a dramatic effect on what you are experiencing. Barrel aging as a rule does not transform an 8% beer into a 12% beer.

If anything, adding a shot will simply replicates an overly hot and muddled beer. That is not to say its a "bad" thing. But its definitely not the same as barrel aging.

 

Light, medium, or dark toasted oak chips?