My first attempt at "barrel aging" on oak chips didn't turn out too well, likely for several reasons. For one, the beer got infected...it was clearly soured, and that wasn't the intent. Further, there were really harsh tannins in the flavor.
However, a recent issue of Zymurgy had a Dragon's Milk clone recipe (by Amahl Turczyn) that had some really good advice on preparing the oak chips for use:
- boil the chips for 5 min
- soak the chips in cheap whiskey or bourbon for 7 days, then "donate" the booze to the sink or to a marinade recipe
- soak the chips on good bourbon for 4 - 7 days
- after the beer has fermented, rack on to the chips and monitor the beer until you have "noticeable vanilla notes"
- rack the beer into secondary (off of the chips) and let it mellow for a month or two
I see a good opportunity for a "barrel-aged" sour in the near future.
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