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I have a question about Oaking and please don't recommend a search as I have been searching for several days.
It seems the general consensus for Oaking amount is about 22 Square inches per liter.

However, I have seen a few posts where the math doesn't add up
For Example if using square inches a .75 x .75 x 6" stave gives you 3.375 square inches so you would need 6.5 staves roughly for a liter.

But I have seen some do the math as "surface area" but reference it as square inches .75 x 4 (4 sides) x 6 = 18 inches...not including the ends. so that would be roughly 1.25 staves per liter.
I'm pretty sure the general consensus is Square inches so for a half gallon using .75 x .75 x 4" = 2.25 I would need 9.75 staves (roughly)

Are we looking at Square inches as surface are or cubic inches.
1" x 2" x 6" = 12



For now I'm following the T-Pee way, but also have a question on that...

Once the charring is done, the fingers are rinsed off and summarily dumped into the jug. I use 6 fingers per gallon. I use a formula that I read from Corene some time back. For my use 22-23 square inches of oak per liter gives me the flavor I like. The equation is 5" x .75" (3/4") x 6 pieces = 22.5 square inches.The UJ also gets one stick of raw cinnamon bark which is just enough to give the flavor profile a nice note but not enough to be even close to taking over the flavor of the corn. Darn tasty.

if its 22.5 square inches per liter, for a gallon wouldn't that be 85 square inches, equaling 22 staves?



So are folks using surface area or square inches to do the math?

With all that said, is anyone using weight as a measurement?


Instead of starting a new thread I'll post my next few questions here.

There seems to be mixed feelings on Oxidation and breathing using glass jars. I was going to try and make a few lids from White Oak for breathing, whats folks thoughts on this?

Peppercorns, for those that have tried peppercorns is there a safe ratio? I was thinking 4 peppercorns per half gallon?

Cloves, has anyone tried cloves and if so what would be a safe recommendation for the use of cloves

I know this is all subjective and based on personal taste but would love to her some opinions.

I'm hitting the submit button before my head explodes and you guys send out a Hit Man!

I can't answer those questions but I have a question for you.

What are you oaking? Corn based whiskey or malt based? Or maybe rum?

I'm doing a few center cuts from a Rads All bran. I liked the smell from the strip so figured it's worth a shot.

So are folks using surface area or square inches to do the math?

Yes, sq inches is a measurement of surface area.
A 1" x 1" x 6" stick = 6 sq in on each side, so 24 sq inches total, not counting the ends.
I use one stick per quart. I oak at between 120-125 proof.


There seems to be mixed feelings on Oxidation and breathing using glass jars. I was going to try and make a few lids from White Oak for breathing, whats folks thoughts on this?
Corene and a few others have done this and report success.

Peppercorns, for those that have tried peppercorns is there a safe ratio? I was thinking 4 peppercorns per half gallon?
Start small, you can always add more...

Cloves, has anyone tried cloves and if so what would be a safe recommendation for the use of cloves
I've done a single clove in a quart before and it was plenty.

MC, Thank you. I now have a game-plan.

Toasted white aged oak will work fine for you.

When doing scotch I season the oak with corn based whiskey first. Why I asked.

i just throw a few sticks in, 3 to 4, I don't meassure, if it's not enough I leave it for longer

Swedish Pride wrote:i just throw a few sticks in, 3 to 4, I don't meassure, if it's not enough I leave it for longer

I agree, use less and oak longer seems to be the safest bet.

Got some White Oak the other day. Foiled and "Toasted at 400° for 2 hours (4 toasted on right, Raw on left)

Next step is to “Char” the staves, I placed a large bowl with water next to the burner and used a pair of tongs. I kept it simple and just tossed them on my gas burner. As I'm charring the staves I'm getting a ton of questions from the wife and my son asking me what the heck I'm doing. The smell is awesome!

After I am happy with my char, the Staves are dunked in cold water then rinsed , and left to cool.

At this point, I dumped a little less than a half a gallon of my stripped run into a gallon mason jar and dropped in two staves, 15 minutes later I realized I didnt proof it... Oooops!

Anyhow I went back and proofed the distillate and it was a bit lower than I wanted, I was shooting for 120 proof 60% ABV. I can live with 110. This will be diluted to 100 proof in 4-6 weeks and left on oak another 3-4 weeks then the staves will be pulled. I plan on splitting the whiskey into two jars to about 85 proof then add to each a bit of honey maybe a teaspoon or so and one will get 2 peppercorns and the other will get a clove and the whiskey will be left to mellow another 4-6 weeks.

The jars are in the workshop to take advantage of the temperature swings The workshop is not heated or cooled. I'm calling this "Honey-Wheat, "Balls to the wall" Whiskey"

Great Post! I was hoping someone showed how much they charred there oak, book marking now!

I'll probably take one of the staves after the whiskey is done and cut in half and add to my Tobasco Sauce and Roasted Pineapple Ghost Chili Hot Sauce that I'm working on.

C2H5O5,
thank you for the great pictures. I only want to comment the amount of wood you put in the jars. IMO it's way too much. I see, you want to finish the oaking in a few weeks. I would recommend to fill some jars as you want and some jars with 1/2 or 1/4 of the wood for a long time oaking. So you have soon a product and probably in a few months or a year something much better.

OldBrew75 wrote:Great Post! I was hoping someone showed how much they charred there oak, book marking now!

And here is a video from this thread: http://www.homedistiller.org/forum/view ... =4&t=50348" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

der wo wrote:C2H5O5,
thank you for the great pictures. I only want to comment the amount of wood you put in the jars. IMO it's way too much. I see, you want to finish the oaking in a few weeks. I would recommend to fill some jars as you want and some jars with 1/2 or 1/4 of the wood for a long time oaking. So you have soon a product and probably in a few months or a year something much better.

it's two staves of 22.5 (45 " in surface area), from everything I have read folks are saying 22-23 " surface area per liter. I planned on Oaking for up to 8-10 weeks, diluting to 100 proof halfway through. I'm a bit confused but I guess less longer is better than too much.Gonna read some more today to confirm what others are doing. Thanks for the heads up.

der wo wrote:I would recommend to fill some jars as you want and some jars with 1/2 or 1/4 of the wood for a long time oaking. So you have soon a product and probably in a few months or a year something much better.

+1
I think oaking can be a hobby in itself.
Experiment with different temps for toasting, different levels of charring, more or less oak for more or less time... Lots of variables to explore. Not to mention other types of wood.
All of it will have an impact on the final spirit. Best way to find out what you like is to try several methods side by side, but what you are doing is a great starting point.

MichiganCornhusker wrote:

OldBrew75 wrote:Great Post! I was hoping someone showed how much they charred there oak, book marking now!

And here is a video from this thread: http://www.homedistiller.org/forum/view ... =4&t=50348" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks for posting this video!

OldBrew75 wrote:Thanks for posting this video!

No prob. T-Pee actually posted the video in his Oaking & Aging thread, I just copied it over here for this discussion.
Sometimes photos and vids can sure make everything easier to understand.

Thank you for the video, I didn't char mine that much. I let mine catch up on fire on all sides then tossed in a bowl of water.

This is after one day on oak.
and another "posed" pic.
Got my second batch on oak at 120, this was a slower strip. I was bit surprised at the proof, with only one wad of copper it was at 160 proof.

Storing the jars up in the attic of the shed, it gets pretty hot up there, especially when running the still.

I hope you don't get earthquakes where you are...those jars might just "jump" off that ledge. Things have been shake-rattle-and rolling around here lately. I just hope it's different where you are.

The color is coming on nicely. Have you 'nipped a sip' yet?
ss

still_stirrin wrote:I hope you don't get earthquakes where you are...those jars might just "jump" off that ledge. Things have been shake-rattle-and rolling around here lately. I just hope it's different where you are.

The color is coming on nicely. Have you 'nipped a sip' yet?
ss

Hope all is well with you.
Haven't had a nip yet, the smell is way too rough to even contemplate a nip.
But I do have to laugh, I asked the wife unit to take a sniff and she nearly passed out. I smelled it and after the initial jolt I could smell undertones of the Oak she couldn't get past the initial whiff, but it's there after only one day, quite impressed so far.
I'm going to Oak another half gallon with 22.5" (one stave) just in case I overoak then I can use the 22.5" to dilute the 45" (2 stave bottles)

I posted in another (very useful old) thread, I tasted overoaking after 2 months with 1x1x6 per litre at 64% stored in a shed in the summer.

dodgebrown wrote:I posted in another (very useful old) thread, I tasted overoaking after 2 months with 1x1x6 per litre at 64% stored in a shed in the summer.

der wo wrote:C2H5O5,
thank you for the great pictures. I only want to comment the amount of wood you put in the jars. IMO it's way too much. I see, you want to finish the oaking in a few weeks. I would recommend to fill some jars as you want and some jars with 1/2 or 1/4 of the wood for a long time oaking. So you have soon a product and probably in a few months or a year something much better.

You guys now have me worried , I may pull one stave from each, after a week and leave the one sit in longer.

That pic you posted of one day on oak .... mine wouldn't reach that color after a month on oak. I try to judge my oak so that it never has to be removed.

Ok I panicked and pulled one out of each, the one that's been 5 days is starting to smell like whiskey.
I had to stick my hand in a bit because the staves sunk.
I can smell the oak on my hands it smells a little sweet with a cinnamon undertone. Hmmm

I let my rum sit a year unmolested in my garage attic with one 1x1x5 or 3/4x3/4x6 toasted and charred stick per quart. I was nervous at 6 months, it smelled really oaky and thought i over oaked. The one year mark I pulled the oak and double coffee filtered.

What a turnaround. The vanilla smell was amazing. The oaky smell was gone. I think the amount if oak is critical not the length of time. I now leave mine on oak for the duration. Each quart I draw out for drinkin I pull a stick.

Surface Area
The surface area of a solid is the area of its outermost skin. A cardboard box, for example, is made up of a bunch of rectangles fastened together. The sum of the areas of those rectangles is the surface area of the cardboard box.
To calculate the surface area of a rectangular solid, all you have to do is find the area of each of the sides and sum them. In fact, your job is even easier than that. The six sides of a rectangular solid can be divided into three pairs of two. If you look at the solid diagrammed above, you should see that panel ABFE = DCGH, BCDA = FGHE, and BCGF = ADHE. Therefore, you only have to calculate the areas of one of each of the three pairs, sum those areas, and multiply that answer by two.

With a cube, finding the surface area is even easier. By definition, each side of a cube will always be the same, so to calculate the surface area, find the area of one side and multiply by six.

There is one property of surface area of which you should be aware. Imagine a rectangular solid that has a length of 8, a width of 4, and a height of 4. Now image a giant cleaver that comes and cuts the solid into two cubes, each of which has a length, width, and height of 4. Do the two cubes have a bigger combined surface area, a smaller combined surface area, or a combined surface area equal to the original solid? The answer is that the two cubes have a bigger surface area. Think about the cleaver coming down: it cuts the original solid in half, meaning it creates two new faces that are now on the surface. Whenever something is cut in half, or in pieces, its surface area increases (although its volume is unchanged).

MichiganCornhusker wrote:

OldBrew75 wrote:Great Post! I was hoping someone showed how much they charred there oak, book marking now!

And here is a video from this thread: http://www.homedistiller.org/forum/view ... =4&t=50348" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

literally exactly my process after 2 hours in the oven at 380-400. i hit the sticks with the torch until i get a nice aligator skin on all sides run it under the sink and droped strait in.

i use 1 1x1x5-6in peice per gallon. Ive got one jar that i just found that will be one year (9/17/16) on the same oak in a qt jar at 120 proof. it is far from over oaked. im very excited because i can fill a 750 bottle and have some to drink .

yes the whiskey is dark buuut, i have found with shorter again, even though the likker might look to dark or starting really good, once you cut it with water the color dilutes and so does the flavor. so i now know why everyone urges 6-12 months.

the key is go make as much as you can on a regular schedule for like a year. then you can go back and start drinking some aged stuff. my motto is
"drink rum , age whiskey"

funny thing is , that like my first full qt i let sit for a year on oak never touched and ive made a bunch of booze

cheers

Got my 3rd going, inserted teflon lids in the mason jar lids.