Looking to use Palo Santo in a brew this weekend, planning on getting some sticks of it from the herb shop in town with the hope they are "tea-making" quality. I was wondering if anyone had used this unique wood in a homebrew before? I know Dogfish Head has their Palo Santo Marron that is aged in a palo santo barrel but would it be possible to throw it in near the end of the boil or is it more of a secondary fermentation addition? Cheers!
I've used it in RIS recipes years ago. I cut it into 1/2" x 1/2" cubes that I added to secondary. It's tough to cut and requires the proper equipment. I don't remember but I think I used a crosscut saw blade on a miter saw. Pungent stuff. I got mine from a homebrew club member who bought it on ebay. He told me at the time that there are several types (species?) of palo santo and that you have to get the right one, but I forget which one is the right one.
It's definitely not a boil addition. Treat it like an oak barrel/cubes/chips. It is pungent and long-lasting. You might even be able to re-use cubes or staves of the stuff for subsequent beers.
I used it in a porter and the beertirned out great! I added with some American Oak and Makers Mark in secondary and it was delicious.
