Oaked Stout?

lars · Post by **lars** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:05 pm

So I have 13 gallons of oatmeal stout ready to transfer and was thinking about experimenting with 3 gallons by racking to a small fermenter and adding oak cubes. Has anyone used oak in a oatmeal stout? Does it sound like a good idea? How much oak would you use?

backyard brewer · Post by **backyard brewer** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:11 am

I think oak would complement a stout pretty well. I have no idea how much to use.

PMR · Post by **PMR** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:56 am

Oak and stout are a perfect match. How much to add depends on the strength of the beer, the amount of time you'll give it on the oak, and whether you want a strong wood tannin flavor (think Oaked Bastard or Yeti Oak Aged Imperial Stout), or if you want more of a vanilla / caramel flavor to come from it. I'd add 1 oz. of medium or heavy toast cubes to 3 gallons for 3 weeks to get a mix of the wood tannin character and the toasted caramel / vanilla. Soak in Bourbon for a week before adding if you want that flavor as well.