Seeing as I have never done anything like this before, I thought it might be a good idea to start with some research to see how other brewers have done this and what results they saw. During my search I came across many posts, some offering a very generic answer (all still helpful to a first timer) and others that start talking about how the toast of the wood changes flavour. However, what stands out the most is the fact that almost everyone has the same warning to any noobs: less can definitely be more in this situation.
At this point you are probably wishing I could just get on with it and tell you what you need and how to do it so let's just get on with it. Keep in mind this is my first time, so I am giving you my version of how I did this and as per usual there are probably many different ways or even better ways to achieve this - feel free to drop me some tips in the comments.
- Some bourbon and some oak chips of your choice, obviously. For my 5 litre test batch I used about 100ml of bourbon and about 10 grams of oak chips.
- a small jar to start the bourbon/oak infusion
- A hop sock/muslin bag would be ideal so you do not have to try filter or fish out little bits of oak before bottling
- a small pot
- Start your infusion when you have about 4-7 days left of your primary fermentation. I usually ferment for a minimum of 14 days in primary and then do a batch-sparge in secondary for half an hour or so then bottle. I definitely decided on this too late and had to keep five litres aside for about four/five days while I soaked my oak chips. Next time I will start my soaking a couple of days before bottling.
- If you do not plan to use any spirits (why!?) then you will have to sterilise the oak chips by process of steaming (described in this post) and not by soaking them in something like Iodaphor as it will only soak into your oak chips and impart the flavour into your beer. I went the bourbon route without the steaming process, I just made sure I cleaned the jar and rinsed with some boiled water a couple of times. In hindsight, I could have probably sanitised it better...time will tell...
- Have some no rinse sanitise handy - this will be useful if you need to replace lids on buckets, to rinse your hands before handling the baggie or to clean whatever else might be in contact with your beer or secondary fermentation vessel. You do not need 15 litres here, just a small jug with a couple of drops should be fine or a spray bottle might even be better.
Keep an eye out for the follow up post where I will give some feedback on the evolution of this little project. Until then, happy brewing!
References/Sources on the topic:
http://www.fermentarium.com/homebrewing/brewing-beer/add-oak-to-beer/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/bourbon-soaked-oak-chips.64015/
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=390391
http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/02/20/oak-in-your-beer-oak-chips-and-barrel-aging/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/how-long-until-oak-chips-start-to-impart-flavor.19039/
http://www.morebeer.com/content/using_oak_in_beer
http://www.greatfermentations.com/oak-bourbon-and-homebrew-volume-i/