Bourbon Stout

Back in September 2001, I visited my family in Washington DC. One day, my uncle and I went to the Old Dominion Brew Pub near Dulles Airport. My uncle had saved me an article about their beers and I was particularly eager to try their Oak Barrel Stout. It was delicious! The beer was silky smooth with a hint of bourbon in the finish.

I knew I would never be able to age the beer in oak barrels to get that bourbon finish, so I ordered three pints and drank them very slowly!

Last week, in my AHA newsletter, there was this entry:

From: Marc Chaton >>> Maybe I could soak some oak chips in bourbon and then put into a secondary. Not a bad idea, really.<<< A great idea. I made a "Bourbon Barrel" stout by soaking 4 oz. of American Oak Chips in 8 oz. of Bourbon for a few days, then adding it to the secondary. The Bourbon flavor will start out fairly strong and mellow with time. Pete Clouston Lawrence Brewers Guild http://www.lawrencebrewers.org

As I mentioned yesterday, we ordered a Guinness Extra Stout kit from Austin homebrew Supply, and 4 ounces of American Oak Chips. When we started the boil, we put the oak chips into a clean airtight container, and adding bourbon. Next week, we will transfer the stout to secondary, and add the oak chips.

Here are the stats: OG=1043. Target OG was 1045.