Oak chips in homebrew

[tinman]

I'm thinking of brewing up a kit (probably Cooper's old dark ale) and adding some oak chips as an experiment. Can I use oak chips that are sold for BBQ smoking, such as the ones sold by smokedust made from whisky barrels?

How should I sanitise them before adding them? How long should I leave them in for? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Farmbrew]

I'm thinking of brewing up a kit (probably Cooper's old dark ale) and adding some oak chips as an experiment. Can I use oak chips that are sold for BBQ smoking, such as the ones sold by smokedust made from whisky barrels?

How should I sanitise them before adding them? How long should I leave them in for? Any advice greatly appreciated.

The standard advice is boil them up to scald or sterilise them..5-10mins. The problem with bbq chips is that they wont be toasted - the level of toast affects the colour and flavour more.

Then chuck out the water and throw the chips in.

Don't use dust...it has a huge surface area and will prob throw a haze and make the beer taste like a plank

If you're fermenting with them then they'll be in for less than a week. If your putting them in the secondary/conditioning maybe 4 or 5 days depending on taste...taste daily.

Some people soak the sterilised chips in a spirit for a couple of weeks before they use them. This can add another dimension.

F

 

[gollyfish]

ive used them in my irish red very good they are, first few times i used dust in the mash 30g for a 25ltr batch but now i add chips to the wart as i start the cool 20g seems good .they add a lot of flavour and can be overpowering it you use too much, so go easy!

 

[tinman]

That's great advice, thanks. Can I toast the oak chips myself, using the oven or grill? Would that also serve to sanitise them?

I'll go easy and start with 20g for a couple of days in secondary. I can always add more.

 

[Farmbrew]

That's great advice, thanks. Can I toast the oak chips myself, using the oven or grill? Would that also serve to sanitise them?

I'll go easy and start with 20g for a couple of days in secondary. I can always add more.

Yes, you can toast them yourself under a grill. Never done it myself but it may get smokey...I'd keep an eye on them.

F