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Thread: Bourbon Barrel Chips

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    hudson river valley
    Posts
    162

    Default Bourbon Barrel Chips

    I'm getting some of these Whiskey Barrel Chips to try in some home-brew and syrup.

    Anyone here tried this for a bourbon barrel syrup?
    2019-2023 40 to 50 taps to get 8 to 10 gallons of syrup
    2018 Built the sugar shack, produced 10.5 gallons (converted some to sugar,& cream). taps varied 45 to 50
    2017 Built 2x4 arch for a divided pan, 8.5 gallons from 30 taps increased to 42 taps during season.
    2016 Produced 3 gallons & 1 quart Syrup, Block arch & 3 buffet pans, 12 taps
    2015 Thought about tapping

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

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    I've never tried it, but I've heard of someone selling syrup with an actual charred oak chip in the bottle.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Grafton, Ohio
    Posts
    27

    Default

    We tried "oaking" a wine batch we were making once. We missed a crucial step of sterilizing the wood chips before we added them. It caused the wine to go bad. I forget what we needed to do, but it never crossed my mind. If your adding the chips to your bottles you may need to consider adding them when your syrup is hot(bottling temps)to "sterilize" the chips as they go in. Or if your putting syrup into a drum, maybe put your chips in first and then add your hot syrup (bottling temps)as you would if you were bottling. This is a interesting way to possibly bourbon barrel age syrup and much cheaper for those of us that don't have the ability to fill a bigger bourbon barrel. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
    Dale

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lancaster NH
    Posts
    143

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    I plan to try charring some white oak in my wood stove , then soaking in bourbon for 5 or six weeks. I going to put chunks of the soaked chard wood in half gallon masons jars with syrup for a few weeks and re bottle. I did some years ago in a barrel but it cost me 150 for the barrel.
    44 27'08/71 27'56
    300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
    50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
    on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
    1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mid-coast Maine
    Posts
    79

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    I know the Big guy that makes bourbon barrel aged syrup uses a barrel that aged bourbon for 8 years or more, and uses a "wet" barrel, recently dumped and still has residual alcohol left behind as well. IMHO, it’s not as easy as adding barrel chips. If it turns out comparably I’d be interested to hear your results.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Cornwall, CT
    Posts
    356

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    I took a gallon of syrup, threw it in a pot with a fist full of barrel chips, let it boil for 15 minutes, re-filtered and bottled it. Came out really well!
    1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
    2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
    2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
    2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
    2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
    2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
    2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.

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