Toasted Oak

Treatment and handling of your distillate.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
ZAXBYC
Bootlegger
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:53 am

Toasted Oak

Post by ZAXBYC »

I ahve some oak chips that are saupposed to go in some wine I made, but I didnt used them as I do not like my lighten wines oaked.

If I wrapped these up in aluminium foil and put them in the oven, would they be suitable for flavouring/colouring my distilate? :?

Me
Been Stilling since October 2007
I operate a 20ltr, 2m LM Reflux Still, based on the Bokmini Photos http://s391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/ZAXBYC/
I use the head part of this unit for stripping and as a Pot Still- produces LOTS of flavour :D
Hawke
retired
Posts: 2471
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:39 am

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by Hawke »

Yes they can. Chips will impart a lot of wood flavor so you need to be carefull when using them. I prefer a very light toasting for my stuff. You may want to do 3 or 4 batches at different levels to find one that works best for you.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
BW Redneck
Trainee
Posts: 775
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:57 am
Location: 1000 acre farm, Ohio

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by BW Redneck »

IMO, shavings and "chips" are not the best when it comes to in-bottle aging. They toast through too quickly and don't form temperature layers that add complexity to the finished product. The end result: you get something resembling whiskey very quickly, but it's rather bland.

Relevant thread: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6597
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance... baffle them with bullshit."
"Don't steal. The government hates competition."
"Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see"

20lt small pot still, working on keg
decoy
Rumrunner
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by decoy »

I do mine 2 ways first i chuck the lot in a old frypan and just stir on high heat till they go a dark brown you
you can smell the oak as it browns..

or i use a corse wire sive to shake out the fine chips or splinters leaving me with large fat chips then still in the frypan i let them sit on one side to Burn a bit evry now and then giving them a gentle tap to or shake, you dont want them to burn on both sides.

cheers.
punkin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 2711
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:36 pm
Location: Northern NSW Oz Trail Ya

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by punkin »

decoy wrote:I do mine 2 ways first i chuck the lot in a old frypan and just stir on high heat till they go a dark brown you
you can smell the oak as it browns..

or i use a corse wire sive to shake out the fine chips or splinters leaving me with large fat chips then still in the frypan i let them sit on one side to Burn a bit evry now and then giving them a gentle tap to or shake, you dont want them to burn on both sides.

cheers.

I can vouch for decoy's aging process, it works, in a very short frame for the fine result.
ZAXBYC
Bootlegger
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:53 am

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by ZAXBYC »

Awesome! Cheers Guys!

Will have to give this a go then :D
Been Stilling since October 2007
I operate a 20ltr, 2m LM Reflux Still, based on the Bokmini Photos http://s391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/ZAXBYC/
I use the head part of this unit for stripping and as a Pot Still- produces LOTS of flavour :D
CoopsOz
Distiller
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:00 am
Location: Didjabringyabongalong

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by CoopsOz »

Rather than starting the 745th toasted oak thread, I thought I'd just tack on my question here. I must confess I am a toasting virgin, in the past I have always bought toasted chips from the local home brew shop. Rudi was kind enough to send me down some oak (about 18 months ago I think) and I' have just done my first toast. The oak was wrapped in foil and placed in a fan forced oven at 200 deg C for 2hrs, does the colour look right to you guys? Maybe it could have stayed in a little longer? I've seen some guys (Pint perhaps?) that take to the oak with a gas torch, every time I've tried that I just get charcoal.....so this is looking a little better. The untoasted is in the rear of the pic just for comparison.

Image

I'm gonna chuck it in some UJ and see what happens anyway....just thought I'd ask.
Last edited by CoopsOz on Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It is most absurdly said, in popular language, of any man, that he is disguised in liquor; for, on the contrary, most men are disguised by sobriety. ~Thomas de Quincy, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 1856
BW Redneck
Trainee
Posts: 775
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:57 am
Location: 1000 acre farm, Ohio

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by BW Redneck »

That looks perfectly fine to me. I use oak with two different toast levels on it to get the kind of flavor I want. The majority is lighter than that, and I add some that is very dark to it as a small adjunct for flavoring.
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance... baffle them with bullshit."
"Don't steal. The government hates competition."
"Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see"

20lt small pot still, working on keg
CoopsOz
Distiller
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:00 am
Location: Didjabringyabongalong

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by CoopsOz »

Thanks BW.
It is most absurdly said, in popular language, of any man, that he is disguised in liquor; for, on the contrary, most men are disguised by sobriety. ~Thomas de Quincy, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 1856
ZAXBYC
Bootlegger
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:53 am

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by ZAXBYC »

Cheers CoopsOz Useful photo for reference!
punkin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 2711
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:36 pm
Location: Northern NSW Oz Trail Ya

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by punkin »

That looks a very good colour Coops. I usually split my sticks before i toast em though :lol:

There's a lot of wood left in those staves that'll never see it's pupose.

I split mine into about 8-10mm square sticks pretty roughly with a tommyhawk. It goes a lot further that way.

Sometimes i'll let some of the sticks get a darker chocolatey toast on the verge of char, and sometimes a few in the middle of a foil bundle get a lighter toast. Then i can play with different blends for different flavours too.
Trapperjones
Novice
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:55 am
Location: Danger Bay

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by Trapperjones »

The oak chips at the local store here is more like oak sawdust. To reproduce rye whiskey I usually make a aluminum foil eggroll with half the pack of sawdust and using tongs place it on a electric stove burner on high. Move it around flipping it a few times don't be afraid to burn it a lil. I then pour it into mason jars containing 2nd and 5th hearts. Watch the color as using undulited spirits pull the color and flavor from the oak in hours. I usually leave it for a day or so then filter and cut down to 45%. I find the more burnt oak the darker the color but if you leave it too long you'll taste the burnt flavor. Hopefully one day get a 5L barrel from ebay!
Learn first...then ask questions.....then learn some more !
"Only fools don't make mistakes"
Hack
retired
Posts: 904
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 7:45 pm

Re: Toasted Oak

Post by Hack »

I had been using cubes of toasted oak about 3/4" x 3/4" x 1" for aging. One cube per quart. It takes a month or two for the spirits to reach a true dark color. Recently after reviewing the suggestions I found in a book I got i decided I wanted to try about half as much oak per quart. I had already made myself quite a supply of the larger cubes so I split them in half. I was surprised to find that the dark toasted color was consistent right through the center of the cubes I split.

I'm also really liking the results I'm getting using these smaller cubes.
Post Reply