Oak reused staves - quantities and charring

Discuss everything about oaking and aging here

Oak reused staves - quantities and charring

Postby Hull brew » Tue Mar 03, 2020 12:46 am

Got hold of a few Scotch whiskey, ex Bourbon barrels.
I now have lots of oak to play with.
My question is how much to use.
One member (triangle) uses between 60-90 cm2 per litre, which would appear to be at the other end of the scale used by other members who typically quote a weight rather than surface area (eg 10g/l)
Totally confused. :?
Anyone care to put me right? I'm oaking Macs rum and shortly afterwards some whiskey.
I've planed the outside nice and clean down to lovely fresh wood.
Should I char the entire stick or just the 'inside' as it was in the barrel?
Cheers.
Hull brew
 
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 6:00 pm
Location: Hull, GB
equipment: T500 copper column
2 inch pot still
Power controller
2kW boiler

Re: Oak reused staves - quantities and charring

Postby dans.brew » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:39 am

The amount you use depends on how quick you want things to happen keeping in mind that you can over oak if your not tasting regularly.
Typically 5-7gms/ltr is what you would use for long term aging (6mths +) but if you want to crank it a tad faster go 15gms/ltr for a month or so and take half out after that.. but still keep tasting every now and again.
The level of char is up to you and your taste really.. perhaps for a start just lightly char one end and see if its to your taste and go from there before you turn it to an alligator skin type char.
With oak you want about 90% long grain and 10% end grain in your staves what ever there size. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
dans.brew
 
Posts: 987
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:26 pm
Location: Victoria- Northern Wimmera
equipment: Pure Distilling Reflux Still
2" Pot Still with lieberg
4" x 4 plates Bubbler with 2"bubble caps on 50ltr keg boiler

Re: Oak reused staves - quantities and charring

Postby Hull brew » Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:58 am

Thanks Dan.
Gonna have to split thee staves nice and fine to achieve those (low) weights. Didn't realise how heavy American Oak was. Hope there's still some goodness left in them.
Hull brew
 
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 6:00 pm
Location: Hull, GB
equipment: T500 copper column
2 inch pot still
Power controller
2kW boiler


Return to Oaking and Aging



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests

x