Ok, I have an RIS in the primary and am going to oak it with about 4oz of cubes, just boiled no booze. I have read a lot but it seems 1 to 4 weeks is the range. Does anybody have a sweet spot?? It will be soaking in the cellar where athe ambient temp is 57F. 6.5 gallon batch.
I definitely feel that less is more, and I like to add the complexity of oak without it being obtrusive. I haven't used cubes in a couple of years (switched over to spirals), but 4oz of cubes seems like a lot. I don't think I ever used more than 1oz, and was happy with it. I did age for 6-8 weeks, though. For spirals, I like 1/2 spiral in 5gals. I don't really time it; by the time I bottle, it gave all it could have given a few weeks ago.
Four ounces is way too much unless you are brewing a real monster of a beer. I brewed an oak-aged strong ale last winter (O.G. 1.090), and used two ounces of bourbon-soaked medium-toast American oak cubes, and the oak still dominates the flavor. I don't mind, since oak fades with age and I planned on aging the batch, but I'd recommend using no more than 1 ounce unless you want to wait 18-24 months to drink it.
Not a huge beer, probably 10abv. Using my own white oak that is dryed. And probably a 50/50 mix of medium and heavy toasting. No booze soaking this time. I want just the oak highlights in the beer. OG was 1.098.
I would go with a smaller amount of oak for a longer time if needed. It is really easy to over do it with oak. You can always add more, but you can't take it out
Thank you, I'll use 1.5 oz for a week and taste, then wait longer if required. I usually age an RIS 2 or more months. Takes that long to bottle carb in my cellar but it starts to shine at 6 months.
StaVin, the maker of high quality oak products suggests 2-2.5oz of cubes in 5-6 gallons for a minimum of 2 months. This amount and time frame may produce more flavor than you want. 1.5oz for a couple months should produce a good result. Shorter contact times such as a week or two tend to produce a rougher result and a less desirable flavor. It takes a while to extract some of the more desirable flavors such as vanilla and coconut.
