How long should I age for?

[olddog]

I have made 6 generations of UJSSM now and although they have a corn taste and certainly alcoholic, they taste nothing like bourbon. I am adding oak barrel soakers which have been in the oven at 200 degrees for one hour, it colours up nicely bout there is a missing bourbon taste

[Husker]

I have found a couple things which 'bourbon up' UJSM.

1. I use toasted oak like you, but I also add some that is pretty heavily charred (DEEP alligator char)

2. Oak at 65%. Oak for at least 3 months (more is certainly better).

After aging:

3. A little pure maple syrup. Just a touch. It adds a lot more robustness.

4. A couple drops (per quart) of real vanilla extract.

The last 2 are certainly optional, but I have found they do add to the final product. If you add syrup and or vanilla extract, let sit at least 2 weeks, and decant off any sediment.

H.

[Tater]

Few pepper corns per qt wont hurt it any either.

[Husker]

Just remember, when adding adjuncts like this. DO IT IN MODERATION. A little may help. Too much, simply changes the drink to some over flavored hooch, and takes on it's own life. You can always add more, but can't really take it away.

H.

[dropping_planets]

2. Oak at 65%. Oak for at least 3 months (more is certainly better).

how much oak is reasonable for 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon growlers of DWWG or pugirum ... they can sit for months or much longer... time isn't an issue but i don't wanna over oak any more good juice (once is enough....made a delicious apple toothpick, kinda like a 2 by 4 in the face...)
had a tiny palm full (5 or 6 chips) of med toast chips in 3/4gl of pugirum.. smelled yummy and delicious, added a tiny bit more... next day all could smell was tannins.. decanted off the chips and the next day the buttery yummy smell was back....?
i have med and dark toast cubes and chips......... is one 3/4" cube good for 1gl of 65%booze....? also any thoughts on how i could tone down some new 2l charred barrels, they impart way too much wood.... now they're sitting with neutral cut to wine strength (didn't wanna waste too much....)... one has cheap wine in it...

[CoopsOz]

I think chips are very, very easy to over do. I was consistently overoaking mine when using chips. I now use my own toasted sticks, they are about 6" x 1/2" x 1/2" and are toasted in foil (with a few pin pricks in the foil packets) at 200Deg C for 2hrs. I add about 4 or 5 of these sticks to a gallon jug and leave the lid off for about 6 weeks, after 6 weeks is up I remove all but one of the sticks and leave it for a minimum of a further 6 weeks. I oak at 65% ABV for the first 6 weeks and when I remove the first lot of sticks is when I dilute it to drinking strength.

To be honest mine never really smells bourbony either....more of a light scotch, I think it's 'cos I don't change my corn often enough.

[Dnderhead]

" new 2l charred barrels, they impart way too much wood.... "
I whould suggest . 1) do not leave in so long. do to wood/ alcohol contact small barrels work to "flavor" quickly , so take it out and age in glass
when flavor/color gits right for you, also higher alcohol tends to extract more tannins. so keep lower%,( maybe 50% )
the "flavor "of the barrel will diminish over time. so I whould suggest not doing anything to the barrel . but it can be done with caustic cleaners
and rinsing. I suggest 1 month per gallon(4L) in barrel ( 2l whould be about 2 weeks,,, 4 l about 1 month,,, 5 gal / 18l about 5months.etc.
after that time sample,, remove if flavored the way you want and age in glass/stainless. after barrel gets some use on it you can leave in longer.

[Adverse Effects]

"How long should I age for?"

hehehehe silly question

as long as you can stand not having it in your glass drinking it

[Husker]

Nice answer AE, and probably one of the most truthful answer you will get.

Especially when first starting out, you will find it hard to age things as long as you think they should be aged. You will end up drinking a lot more white dog (which I really like), or some which has only partly colored up and aged. Comes with the territory. However, even when starting out, be SURE to set aside some of your product to do a long time aging. This is your 'reserve stock' product. Sometimes you have to hide it in the back of a cabinet somewhere (hide it from yourself), and forget about it. Then, several years later, when you do happen to stumble across it, it has aged up nicely. I have several bottles of pumpkin schnapps that had minimal oak in the bottle, and found them after they sat for 3 years. I wish I had more of that, but only had 2 of these 'lost' bottles.

More recently, I have started to stash bottles with a charred or toasted stick in it, out in the back shed, in the garage, basement, closets, and even the attic (and a couple more places). Some of these will end up in the multi year aged bracket at some time.

H.

[olddog]

Hi Husker, I just tried adding maple syrup and vannilla, now its starting to taste like bourbon. Thanks for the tip.

[Husker]

It's 'not' bourbon, but a closer facsimile than raw UJSM is.

[Dnderhead]

"as long as you can stand not having it in your glass drinking it"
My answer to this is make more than you use, so you have some to "put away" once your ahead by X amount for X amount of time
you will always have some aged, ( this year has been rough on stock with every one staying home and not going out)
(I know approxmently how much I'M going to use and make that much 1 year ahead if it is not used then it is carried over to the next
Iv had some that was 8-10 years old by just by making "a little" extra)

[duds2u]

The only thing I would suggest is that for any bottle of "Whatever" you are about to deliberately lose for a couple of years is that you use less oak than you would normally use on something you would be drinking in a coupe of months. Leave it long enough with too much oak and the tannins will kill you, back off the oak and leave it long enough and the vanillans and sugars will caress your tongue like an angels wing.

[olddog]

I have to build up a stockpile which is gradually increasing, probably got enough to last about 6 months now. It dosn't age too long if you keep on drinking it

[punkin]

Try leaving your sticks in the oven (after wrapping them in foil) for two hours instead of one, oldog. You'll find that longer aging on longer toasted sticks will allow you to skip the vannilla and syrups and still get a more rounded truer profile.









SentYourPipeYesterdayPunkin

[olddog]

I will have to do it while the wife is still overseas, the last lot stunk the house out, I had to open all the windows and doors to get rid of the odor.

[Dnderhead]

punkin right "deep"toasting is best and if your talking bout stinking up the house with smoke , fiend a toaster oven in a yard sale.
then you can do it outside. use the oven just for that. or do it on the barbe.

[1fourme]

I tried toasting oak in the oven and just about got shot for my efforts...
I found a Coleman camping oven (small fold up type) at a thrift shop for 5.00 and now toast my oak sticks outside heating with my camp stove.

[Husker]

Toasting oak sticks inside, in the wife's oven, might be a good addition to the "Tell us about your mistakes" thread.

I think many here have done it (Husker raises his hand also), and of those that are married, I bet most spent a night or 2 in the dog house after doing so.

H.

[Godstilla]

3. A little pure maple syrup. Just a touch. It adds a lot more robustness.

4. A couple drops (per quart) of real vanilla extract.

That sounds awesome!!!!! Thanks for that tip Husker!

[punkin]

I'm allowed to do it inside, just cause she's the Bourbon Girl.

Still prefer to do it outside in the toaster oven though.



Although it does give your sunday roasts a nice smokey taste for a month or two afterwards





IfIWasSmokingSomethingSheDidn'tLoveIt'dBeDifferentPunkin

[bronzdragon]

My wife kinda likes the smell of wood toasting in the house. She grew up in a wood heated house, so the smell doesn't bother her. With that said, I don't toast much. I usually use charred, which I do out on the barbecue with a torch.

Cheers

~bd~

[1fourme]

Hey Punkin
I was just about to add the same thing, The roast the next day had a great smokey flavor to it,
and the Sunday roasts tasted great for about a month. Even the wife and friends noticed it.
Now if I can only find a way to do it again, without smoking the whole house up...

[lawnman 2]

"How long should I age for?"

hehehehe silly question

as long as you can stand not having it in your glass drinking it

ere ere id like to oak mine for longer than i do but i cant keep up with my drinking habits but its oaked
long enough for a nice flavour.
i need 2 fermenters and stills lol.

[Usge]

Along with the wood, I find the cut and proof you age on makes a bigger difference with UJSM in getting a heavier "whiskey" or bourbony taste. Try this, cut your heads very late....wait until it's entirely clean/sweet. After collecting a couple of sweet/clean jars...you should start to taste a bourbony flavor coming. This is early transition into tails and is good stuff to. But at some point that turns nasty (smells like dirty sox and gets bitter). Avoid that...when it gets oily, bitter, and/or gaks at your throat. After that...in the late tails...it will get watery/thin and have a rather mild/pleasant grain taste. Add just a little of that in with what you got. (thank Pint and Punkin for that)

I use med/heavy toast cubes from "morebeer" .com on UJ's recommendation. I put about 8 small tiny cubes in a liter glass vase...with a coffee filter on top. If my final cut is higher than 150, I leave it for nor more than a week, then start to layer in water. (distilled water) and proof it down. Mix it good as you go. The higher proofs give good vanilla and deep color but than can be really tannic/dry/bitting if you leave it too long (thank Dunder for that). Get it down to about 130 proof or so . Then from there, just taste it every few days/week and add a little water (mix it well) to taste. When it tastes right to you...it's done. Usually for me..that's no less than 3 weeks just to clean it up and get it on the right track. And 1 or 2 more for everything to marry up. If you are losing volume as you go, the water should bring it back some. But, even still, you have to keep tasting. Might want to remove some chips as you go. I also sometimes use mixed kinds of chips..some heavy/toast cubes, some pieces of light toast sticks.

I've never had to add syrup etc., to this. It wreaks of vanilla and caramel on those cubes. The viscous/body and deep flavor comes from judicious/selective use of tails. If it's too clean, and particularly if you put that on oak at higher proof...it's going to taste like astringent corn wood.

[bronzdragon]

I replied, but damned if I didn't answer the question. I get off topic easily.

I age my raw spirits, on charred sugar maple for about 2-3 months. I find that it gets a nice color and flavor in that time period. Of course if it isn't dark enough, I leave it a bit longer.

Then I take the sugar maple out and replace with toasted white oak sticks and let them sit for upwards of 6 months until I put everything in big jugs or drinking bottles.

Cheers

~bd~