Oak Barrel Alternatives

punkin

Try toasting that stuff to a dark chocolate colour. That''s where your 'raw wood' taste is coming from.

Should look like this...

captainshooch

Thanks, so what do you suggest, it is already somewaht toasted, so say fire up the pit and flame it for a while but stop somewhat short of charring so it gets an ever darker tosat??

captainshooch

Gosh my spelling...even darker toast??

punkin

Wrap em in alfoil and toast in the oven at 220C (430F) until it gets to a dark chocolate colour. Takes a couple hours from raw, so may take 40-90 mins.

captainshooch

Ok, mate, I will sure give it a try, and thank you for the info. Since they are partially toasted already it should not take long but I will look for a sign that the colors are somewhat same as yours and give it a try. Gotta love it, always something new to tinker with. Yeah, I like it...

captainshooch

@punkin 75 minutes at 430F and the whole house smelled great! New air freshener :-) I will try as is and if I still get the woody flavor then I will toast some more but I think I am going to like it. Thanks!

punkin

That looks right mate. Wait till you do your next roast, it'll be like a smoked version. Lasts a few bakings so hopefully she's not about to do a pavlova.

They will work very well as is. You should try some by themselves and some in conjuction with your charred ones.

captainshooch

@punkin...Test has started. I will update.

punkin

Goody goody, i love these tests. Always charred wins as in ready to drink first and then toasted catches up and overtakes. :D

Some people just like charred best though.

captainshooch

@punkin any idea on time frame between charred wins and toasted catches up and overtakes in such a small test batch?

bentstick

Pint jars I assume? What ABV%?

captainshooch

yes pint jars and 60ABV

bentstick

IMO only, 15-20 days chard,30-40 days toasted, well it was double when I did qts, but taste and smell when you get close to those days, as said " my experince" it is yours and you chose when it is what ys want! :)>-

captainshooch

Just wondering what time frame since it has already been 5 months in barrel, new Am. oak charred. @punkin any way to get those toasted dominoes in the USA? been uanble to find. @bentstick thanks for your help. time will tell i feel the longer the better, just don't want to over do it since small ammounts like these samples mature so much quicker than industry standards.

cooperville

I have read that if you leave them to oak for a long time like over a year or two the over oaking will smooth out also and leave you with something special I'm not to sure how much this is true but I have had some jars aging for a year now I guess it's time to check em out

I tend to under oak anyway as I'm not to sure when I will get around to checking them that regularly

punkin

I'd be guessing the charred to be ready in maybe 2-6 weeks and the toasted in 6-10. :-$

moscca

Found this article mentioned on AD. Surprised to read that rum is aged at 78ABV and that the alcohol increases in the tropics in a barrel.

Barrel Story (PDF)

captainshooch

@Mosca I find it interesting how much the barrel aging influences the final product, seems like it is just as important as the recipe and the distilling method, just takes a long long time, which is why I prefer smaller barrels. The ratio between surface area to volume is so much greater it helps bring it along faster.

cooperville

so far for me time will tell but @FullySilenced has a great method for short time aging unfortunately i haven't had to use his process i don't get much time at home so most things age pretty well

cooperville

Box-o-Bourbon
Using a SD dash will leave you with more than you can trade
It's the unfusions that will shine

captainshooch

@punkin finally back home so an update on the oaking experiment, it really sucks having to put stuff on hold for 2 weeks at a time, but it helps me with the most important thing..."patience"...did I spell that right? :-O

Wow, the colors really took off fast. As of today, you are right, charred is getting my vote but I will continue on and give toasted time to work it's majic.

Charred

Toasted

Charred and toasted

cooperville

what size jars are the @captainshooch it seems a lot of wood for such a small jar is this just for the experiment or will you be drinking these??

captainshooch

@cooperville Pint size jars for a fast test max 2-4-6 weeks to decide which I like best between toasted, charred or toasted and charred. For the long term I plan on gallon size jar with a a few dominoes (not sure how many for one gallon) and a few ?? months to age. Any advise is welcomed. Currently at 18 days.

cooperville

With my small amount of experience 6 gen of uj among other things in a 1 gallon jar I would use 1 to 2 dominoes wether toasted or toasted and charred I still have a lot of tatsting to do but I liked the uncharred Very much I think if it's not aged enough you should find the patience To let em sit It will be worth it I've been aging at 68,55,40 abv to see what differene that has as well

captainshooch

This is all at barreling proof 60ABV, maybe once in gallon jugs I will dilute to semewhere around 45ABV and give it a try. Thanks Coop!

bentstick

@cooperville said: With my small amount of experience 6 gen of uj among other things in a 1 gallon jar I would use 1 to 2 dominoes wether toasted or toasted and charred I still have a lot of tatsting to do but I liked the uncharred Very much I think if it's not aged enough you should find the patience To let em sit It will be worth it I've been aging at 68,55,40 abv to see what differene that has as well

My UJ aged 40 days,3 sticks of chard oak of 3-1"x 1" x 6"=18"sq or 116 centimeters sq,in 1/2 gallon or 1.89 liters My panella rum is same time frame, same amount of oak but the abv is kicked to 62% :-c fellas!

captainshooch

Thanks Bent, that gives me an idea to work with Hooch