Preferred method for soaking oak cubes

Soaking the wood in whiskey for a few days will likely kill off anything that would live in it. I've had lots of luck using this method and adding to the secondary. In fact I've got some chips that have been in rum for 6 months waiting for me to get brewing. I usually take a sample about once a week after adding the wood until I find its where I want it to be. I'm not sure I'd oak a nut brown, but its your beer enjoy.

 

As johnnnniee said, the alcohol should kill off any bugs within a short period of time. As for a length of time to keep the cubes in the beer, this is really up to you. Tasting at regular intervals is the best way. It would also depend on what amount of cubes you're adding.

 

The alcohol in the whiskey will only kill the bugs as deeply as it soaks into the wood. I would recommend either boiling them or putting them in the microwave long enough to finish the job.

 

I've never heard anyone recommend microwaving them. It's an interesting idea. I've had lots of luck with vodka and I would recommend baking them over anything else. It's hot and doesn't add that funny flavor I tend to get when I microwave food

 

Wood is pretty porous, I would imagine as long as you gave it enough time the spirit would get the wood soaked throughout. It certainly wouldn't hurt in the least to boil or microwave them just to be sure though. I once baked an oak dowel in the oven at 300 for an hour before I stuck it into the opening of my carboy. This has the added benefit of drying the crap out of the wood so it will soak up liquid like a sponge. Of course if you take that dry dowel and get it snug to the carboy lip you will be buying a new carboy like I did.

 

Boil the chip for 10 minute and you are good to go.

 

I'm not a homebrewer, but since you're discussing the use of oak cubes in homebrewing, I have a question. Do you burn your oak cubes on an open flame before using them? I would think this would help you to impart certain flavor characteristics to your beer (assuming that is what you are using them for). After all, when bourbon is made, the insides of the (oak) barrels are charred first in order to caramelize the wood. This is what ultimately imparts both the color and the faint vanilla-like sweetness to the contents.

Just wondering.

 

When you buy oak chips or cubes from the home brew store they are sold with a certain level of char or toast to them, so unless you are using raw wood you don't need to burn the wood.