Is this a good oak for aging?

[venkman]

Hey guys, I wanted to get some opinions on this particular source of wood for aging a bourbon.

https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Cookwoo ... 8C95/?th=1

The product is marketed as fuel for woodfired pizza ovens. Their operation (Carolina Cookwood) is within reasonable driving distance from me and I can get a better price than this Amazon link by going on site and buying in bulk. They say their white oak is naturally cured outdoors rather than kiln dried, but I just don't know enough yet to decide if this is a good wood for aging. Does it make a huge difference if the wood comes from the heart wood of the tree, versus the periphery or from a branch? If I can get good cured white oak already split into 6" staves, that labor savings is attractive if this product is suitable.

Thoughts?

[OtisT]

Hi venkman. Any relation to Dr. Peter Venkmen by chance?

There are several species of white oak that I am aware of. I’ve used American and Oregon white oak with success, but they are different. Not sure about other species of white oak, and of course you don’t know what species it is for sale, but it could be worth a try if that is what you have access to.

You definitely want to use heartwood and not use the sap wood. The sapwood is lighter in color and will absorbed moisture and swell much more rapidly. The sapwood has a lot more tannin in it.

Having wood that is naturally cured outdoors is a good start, but to be best for aging it should be seasoned outdoors for multiple years before it is adequately washed of tannins. Having made spirits while aging my own stock of wood I found that two years is the minimum I will use and I think year 3 is a big improvement over 2 years. It is likely your firewood was not seasoned that long, so it will still create a bitter result.

I only know of one place that will sell you a specific species of new wood seasoned for multiple years. (I have not searched for years, but have still not seen anything new). I read a few threads where Chris at Badmotivator Legacy Barrels was selling properly seasoned wood by the board for making your own barrel head. Those could be cut up for stick aging.

Good wood is worth the investment in your liquor.

[venkman]

Thanks so much OtisT. No relation to Pete, but that guy is a legend haha. That info will help me tremendously to start with. I can take a drive down there and talk to the proprietor. Maybe we can see how possible it would be for me to select heartwood and ask him questions about how long their wood is cured. You never know, he might see a potential market in what I'm looking for and bring something new to market.

I thought of cutting down a white oak and curing out my own wood for aging. But... I have a lot of hobbies and and each one seems to want to generate a new side hobby haha. I keep bees and made mead this year. I traded a lot of honey for beet sugar and molasses. My friend Dwight grew a lot of beets this year for sugar and I helped him get sugar and molasses so I could feed my bees and have some molasses for rum. (His last name is NOT Schrute, but I tease him a lot.)

Propagate my own yeast cultures? Yes, doing that now. So recently I had started thinking of cutting down a white oak tree from my acreage and curing my own wood for aging whiskey. But man.. does it ever end? I have to stop somewhere and let other people do what they do best.

[NormandieStill]

Careful. Beet molasses do not a rum make. Apparently. If they did, then the region a little south of me would be swimming in the stuff. You want cane molasses for rum.

Personally if I had honey I'm not sure I'd trade it for beet sugar.

As for the wood, even if you source some ready aged, I would consider starting a little stack of home grown wood in the yard... at least if you have a log lying around. It'll cost you a couple of hours at the worst and then you just leave well alone for a few years. Consider it an investment.

[Dancing4dan]

Hey guys, I wanted to get some opinions on this particular source of wood for aging a bourbon.

https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Cookwoo ... 8C95/?th=1

The product is marketed as fuel for woodfired pizza ovens. Their operation (Carolina Cookwood) is within reasonable driving distance from me and I can get a better price than this Amazon link by going on site and buying in bulk. They say their white oak is naturally cured outdoors rather than kiln dried, but I just don't know enough yet to decide if this is a good wood for aging. Does it make a huge difference if the wood comes from the heart wood of the tree, versus the periphery or from a branch? If I can get good cured white oak already split into 6" staves, that labor savings is attractive if this product is suitable.

Thoughts?

Likely it could be made to work after some additional outdoor exposure, charring and toasting. Wood for cooking isn't cured the same as curing for aging alcohol. Having it cut and split to that size would be convenient.

[still_stirrin]

I order stave chunks from Midwest Barrel. I’ve also got a couple of 5 gallon barrels from them too. Here’s a link:
https://midwestbarrelco.com/collections ... ing-chunks

They work great. And in season, they often have a variety avalable.
ss

[Saltbush Bill]

My friend Dwight grew a lot of beets this year for sugar and I helped him get sugar and molasses so I could feed my bees and have some molasses for rum

Careful. Beet molasses do not a rum make

Everything I've ever read on any distilling forum say that Beet molasses makes a very crappy rum.......you'd do well to take Normadie's advice.

[venkman]

Thanks guys, for bursting my bubble! HAHA. I had more honey this year than I was going to use and was excited about that molasses trade. I guess maybe I'll find a different use for it.

If I come across a downed white oak tree on the property, I'll cut it up and pull some heartwood out of it to stack outside. Normandie, you're right that wouldn't take long. I just didn't want to commit to felling and clearing a live tree for it.

Appreciate the link still_stirrin!

[venkman]

Personally if I had honey I'm not sure I'd trade it for beet sugar.

Normandie, I traded him 75lb of honey for 50lb of molasses and about 350lb of sugar (which is feeding my 5 hives all winter) That was a good trade. I just wish I could use that molasses for the purpose I had intended.

I haven't read a lot about rum yet, was just trying to get prepared. I'm glad to be here in the shadow of giants though. This site is a treasure of information and great folks. Thanks again all!

[NormandieStill]

Despite what I said earlier, if you've already got the molasses you might as well try them. In the worst case you can just keep the resulting spirit for reprocessing as neutral. Looking quickly back through the forum archives I found a couple of mentions of beet molassss rum but the only person who seemed to have tried it said it was bad off the still... except from what I've seen and heard since, rum is generally bad off the still.

So make a batch. Maybe make a narrow cut and a wider one just to see. And stick it on some oak. Who knows, perhaps in a year or so you'll have something really interesting.

[SaltyStaves]

Yard seasoned oak for the spirits industry attracts Fungi that play an important roll in breaking down cellulose into hemicellulose. Why is that important? Hemicellulose turns to sugar when you heat (brown) it.

You can bake a piece of steak, boil it or cook it in the microwave, but most people agree, it is better when you brown the outside...