How to make cognac at home and correctly use oak chips for moonshine. How to prepare and burn oak chips with your own hands How to use oak chips for moonshine

Oak chips (chips) are sticks or blocks with approximate dimensions of 1 cm by 1 cm by 5 cm. They are used to prepare tinctures from moonshine and vodka. Oak colors the liquid in noble brown color and gives the drink pronounced taste, depending on the degree of burning of the chips. The price varies from 100 to 200 rubles per 100 grams (enough for about 30 liters of drink), but you can easily make it yourself.

We will tell you the correct technology for making wood chips at home, share a good recipe for the tincture and show in detail how best to make it. Not all oak wood is suitable for making a drink, so you should also pay attention to its choice.

The consistency of oak chips may vary. The most universal bars are 1 cm by 1 cm by 5 cm.

Yes, because it costs a penny and is sold in any more or less large locality, and you will have to spend more than one hour of your time on its production. The store offers oak chips of various roasts and varieties, so you can quickly choose the product that you find most pleasant in taste and color.

Even if you are a very active distiller of moonshine, 1000 rubles will buy you so much wood chips that you won’t even think about it for several years. We do not advertise any store, but simply recommend that you do not waste your time and immediately buy a ready-made tree.

Buy several varieties at once to experiment and choose the option that suits you.

Various degrees of oak roasting.

Oak chip tincture recipe

To prepare moonshine tincture you will need ingredients in the following proportions:

• Moonshine - 1 liter.
• Oak chips - 2 grams.
• Sugar - 20 grams.

Moonshine must be taken stronger, preferably 50–55% .

The oak will absorb some of the alcohol from the drink, resulting in a lower strength at the end. This is especially noticeable in oak barrels, where the strength can decrease by 30–40% of the initial value.

The container must be glass. Even food grade plastic is not suitable for us.

Different shades of the finished tincture, depending on the type and roasting of the wood.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing oak chip tincture

Now let's look at the step-by-step instructions for preparing this very tincture:

1. We prepare moonshine with a strength of 50–55%.
2. Pour it into a glass container that has a wide neck. Thanks to it, you can then easily remove the tree from the container.
3. Add oak chips at the rate of 2 grams per 1 liter.
4. Close the container tightly and put it in a cool, dark place for 2-3 months.
5. Check the color of your tincture periodically. If it starts to darken too much, then it makes sense to stop steeping so as not to overexpose the product. In the new batch, you will already know that you will need to add less or more wood.
6. After infusion, filter the moonshine through cheesecloth to remove sediment and wood particles from the drink.

I will place special emphasis on the high strength of the initial raw materials. This is necessary so that the alcohol content of the finished product does not fall below 40 degrees.

If this happens, the drink will have to be diluted, and this is absolutely not a tincture that you can be proud of.

An interesting video prepared by a distilling guru and the author of the channel Moonshine Sanych. Konstantin fully reviews the entire process of preparing tinctures from theory to tasting the finished product. His recipe is different from ours. The choice is yours.

How to make oak chips with your own hands

I’ll note right away that the process is quite hemorrhoidal, but it allows you to save some money and get a unique basis for preparing tinctures. It is best, of course, to use Caucasian oak, but in our case we simply find the most dry oak log and get to work.

1. Choose the driest and hardest oak log you have. It is strictly not recommended to use damp, rotten or rotten wood.
2. We chop the tree into so-called chips with dimensions of 1 cm by 1 cm by 5 cm. These sticks will be our wood chips.
3. We clean the wood using boiling. Pour hot water over the sticks, bring to a boil and cook for 15–20 minutes. Then we refresh the water and bring it to a boil again. We repeat the procedure 3-5 times until the water becomes as clean as possible.
4. We dry the clean cubes in the oven or air grill. 30 minutes at a temperature of 150 degrees will be enough.
5. When the wood becomes dry, we roast it in the same oven. Raise the temperature to 250 degrees and start frying. Depending on the duration of heating, you will get chips of different roasts. The gradation is as follows: 10 minutes - mild, 15 minutes - medium, 20–25 - strong.
6. Having brought the wood to condition, turn off the oven, let the sticks cool and you can start making the tincture.

The pan will get very dirty during cooking, so be prepared to do a lot of cleaning immediately after this process. In the oven, it is better to place the tree on special baking parchment so as not to spoil the baking sheet.

The entire production technology takes about 3–4 hours.

For clarity, we recommend watching a video from the author of the channel Distilled. The guy completely shows the whole process from chopping logs to frying wooden sticks, so after watching you shouldn’t have any unnecessary questions.

Which oak chips are better and why?

Different types of wood have their own individual set of flavors and colors. In total, about 300 varieties of this tree are known.

Caucasian oak is used to make excellent barrels for infusing drinks (price about 3 thousand for a 3-liter capacity).

• Choosing a variety. French oak is considered the best, but its price is prohibitively high. Caucasian is also considered very good, and its price is very affordable for the average moonshiner. As a last resort, just take the first dry log in the yard, or at least not the cheapest sticks in a specialized store.
• Choosing a roast. Everyone distinguishes between three degrees - light, medium and strong. Each of them gives off its own aroma and color, so it is best to do a tasting with each.

A well-prepared tree will absorb some of the harmful impurities and alcohol, so the resulting drink will be softer and more pleasant to taste.

If the sticks are bad, then the wood, on the contrary, will release some harmful substances into the liquid, as a result of which the quality of the product and its taste will suffer greatly. Take a responsible approach to the production and selection of oak chips.

High-quality, aged cognac is an expensive product. It is not always possible to find it in stores. But you can make the drink yourself; this is done by infusing moonshine on oak chips or using other methods of modifying moonshine. Homemade alcohol is not only tasty, but also does not contain harmful additives or flavorings.

Oak chips in moonshine

To make cognac using a moonshine still, you will need an oak barrel, or oak chips, as well as the patience of the distiller and a recipe with proportions. It is thanks to the wood chips, which contain tannin and give a noble shade to the taste of moonshine, that the drink becomes mature and tart.

How to cook oak chips correctly?

Before making moonshine using oak chips, you need to first prepare all the ingredients. They are purchased in wine stores, but such sales points can only be found in large cities. It is better not to order such products on the Internet, since it is difficult to assess their quality. But if you have a recipe, you can prepare oak bark yourself.

Already prepared oak logs, which have previously been cleared of bark, are split to size 15x3x0.5 centimeters, after which they are soaked in water and dried at high temperatures. The water for soaking is taken to be potable and changed 3-4 times per day - this process will get rid of excess tannin.

The soaked wood chips are poured with a soda solution for 6 hours. Proportion: 1 teaspoon of soda per 5 liters of water. After this procedure, the pegs should be boiled over low heat for an hour. Then the wood is dried in a ventilated room in a suspended state for 24 hours.

The last step in preparing the chips is frying them in the oven at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius. The color and taste of cognac will depend on this stage. The time is chosen by the distiller independently. There are three options for degree of roasting:

• A light degree of firing (light brown wood color) gives the infused moonshine the aroma of flowers with light notes of vanilla. This cognac from moonshine will be straw.
• Medium roasting and, accordingly, the brown color of the chips contribute to the appearance of almond and caramel flavors. The color of the drink will be rich.
• Highly roasting the chips until they turn dark brown will make the drink taste like chocolate.

The correct color of the tincture on wood chips is considered straw or brownish. If the shade turns out different, it means that a mistake was made in the technology during the preparation of the wood.

Tincture recipe

In addition to using oak chips, to refine moonshine you will need the following ingredients and proportions:

• moonshine or vodka (45-50%) - 3 liters;
• oak bark - 3 tablespoons;
• honey to taste - 1 tablespoon;
• cloves - 5 buds;
• black pepper, allspice - 10 pieces;
• St. John's wort - 1 tablespoon;
• oregano - 1 tablespoon;
• coriander and vanillin - a small pinch.

All proportions can be improved and selected independently. A drink without the addition of spices and herbs turns out to be harsh, especially if it infuses for a long time. The taste may be too tart and impossible to get rid of. But adding honey and St. John's wort will add tenderness and additional aroma. It is better to purchase herbs in pharmacies or other trusted places.

You can prepare the tincture according to this recipe:

1. Oak bark along with other ingredients is placed in a container, preferably a glass jar, and filled with moonshine. After which the container is covered with a lid.
2. Infusion occurs for two weeks in a dark place at room temperature. You need to shake the liquid once every 3-4 days.
3. The tincture is filtered through a cotton or gauze filter without the use of additional adsorbents such as coal. To achieve transparency, you can filter 3-4 times. The finished drink is poured into bottles and sent for storage. The jars should be hermetically sealed with stoppers.
4. If you keep the tincture for 10-12 days before drinking, the drink will turn out even tastier.

Recipe for making homemade cognac

If necessary, you can use oak chips exclusively for a clean flavor. To do this, you need moonshine made from wine or grapes, as well as instructions for the method. In a pinch, a drink made from sugar, grains or other fruits will do.

It is important to carry out high-quality distillation twice and not forget about purifying the alcohol after the process. You can make delicious cognac at home if the drink does not contain aldehydes, fusel oils and other substances obtained from poorly distilled mash. The resulting tincture will not be a full-fledged cognac, but it will be a completely high-quality imitation of it.

Glassware is required to continue cooking. Containers made from other materials should not be used, as they may react with alcohol components. But glass is neutral in composition and will not disrupt the recipe.

For a liter of moonshine with a strength of 45%, you will need from 30 to 60 grams of wood chips to taste. Moonshine should be infused for 3 to 6 months. Airtight containers should be stored in a dark and cool place.

After infusion is complete, the drink can be filtered through simple gauze and bottled. Moonshine tincture is stored for about 2 years. To saturate the color of the product, you can add caramel to cognac. This action will give a sweetish tint to the taste and reduce the strength by 2-3 degrees. If you want to speed up the preparation of the tincture, you can use the previous recipe, which contains vanillin, cloves and other components.

If you need to be careful with spices and control the amount of ingredients, then you can experiment with oak chips. If the distiller is making cognac according to this recipe for the first time, then you can divide the moonshine into several parts and pour it into different jars with different amounts of chips added. The time needed for aging has no restrictions - everything depends only on the desire of the manufacturer. As soon as the distiller makes several attempts and gets the desired result, you can insist on the resulting proportions in large bottles.

And before pouring the finished tincture into jars for storing the finished tincture, you can saturate the drink with oxygen. To do this, during cleaning, alcohol is released through cheesecloth slowly and in a thin stream: while the product flows into the jar, it is saturated with oxygen, and the taste of the drink improves. It is desirable that the height of the jet fall is about 50 centimeters.

Caramel, which gives softness and rich color, is also unlimited in quantity. A tablespoon of burnt sugar or less is added per liter of drink. To make caramel, sugar should be heated over a fire until it turns brown and dissolved in a small amount of tincture, which is selected for this purpose. In order for the caramel to dissolve better, part of the tincture is heated to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, stirred until the caramel dissolves, the resulting mixture is added to the main container with homemade cognac and the liquids are mixed.

To avoid alcohol evaporation, the liquid must be poured into a container that is hermetically sealed. The recipe for moonshine is close to the technologies used to prepare the product by French winemakers. It is very difficult to distinguish cognac from France from high-quality cognac made from home-made moonshine.

The recipe has been tested and improved over the years. You can make not only edits, but also additions at your discretion, then the drink will turn out not only tasty and soft, but also unique.

Chips for aging alcoholic beverages must be made from high-quality oak wood that is at least 90-100 years old. Only the lower part of the trunk is used - up to 7 m in height.
No additional substances that increase the oak aroma or increase the extract content of substances are used in production - oak chips are a completely natural product.

On average, 300-500 g of wood chips are used to keep 80 liters of drink.

The effect of roasting level on the drink:
Lightly fired - subtle hints of vanilla, fruit and flowers
Medium roasting - bright aroma of vinyl, almond, coconut, spices, caramel.
High firing - rich smoky, chocolate effect.

Light, medium and high firing

Unburnt wood chips
Uncharred wood chips used during alcoholic fermentation improve the tannin structure and stabilize the color of red wines. The aroma profile reflects the characteristics of fruit and almond with a slight oak tone. You can also note an increase in the intensity of the aftertaste.

Burnt wood chips
The combined use of medium and deep roast wood chips during aging increases the aromatic complexity of the wine. Medium-fired wood chips enhance the sweetness and oak flavor. Highly fired wood chips have an intense aroma with a predominance of vanilla tones and a strong oak tone in the taste.

Table: quantity of oak chips for cognac or wine and required aging time:

The best results were obtained when using:
- for processing white tableware (dose 0.3 - 1.0 g/dm3), holding time - 6 - 12 days;
- for red table fortified and dessert wines (dose up to 1 g/dm3) - aging time 6 - 30 days;
- for cognac and calvados alcohols (dose 5 - 30 g/dm3) - minimum aging time - 3 - 6 months.

The standard dosage is from 0.5 to 4 g of chips per 1 liter of wine. In fact, the decision is left to the winemaker. The dosage depends entirely on the desire to impart a rich oak tone to the wine. It is also possible to prepare a concentrate in a small volume of wine with a high dosage of chips (approx. 10g/1litre), and then blend it with the rest of the wine. The properties of the chips are similar to those of the new barrel, which has more intense aromatic characteristics.

Unfried or lightly fried chips are recommended for alcoholic fermentation. Medium and strong types of roasting are used during wine aging.
Before the start of alcoholic fermentation, chips or powder can be added to the wort or pulp. Oak tannins will help stabilize color and lock in the fruity aroma of the wine. At the end of fermentation, the chips will add a complex aromatic profile and roundness to your wine. During aging, the chips allow the manufacturer to monitor the development of oak aroma tones. By using a medium to high roast blend, you can control the oak flavor in your wine.

Can be added freely, to a container or barrel. You can also use fabric containers made from porous material. Cotton bags for food use are also available, both empty, which can hold the desired number of chips, and pre-packed bags of 6 kg each (3 bags per box). In order to improve the exchange between oak and wine, we advise winemakers not to overfill the bags.

Oak shepa is not made sterile, but it is cleaned well enough and therefore does not require special processing. But if you are not sure about the storage conditions and want to avoid any problems, you should rinse it for 5-7 minutes in sulfated water at room temperature in order to avoid too much loss of its aromatic properties. And you need to keep in mind that due to the risk of producing some phenols, which give off-tones, you should avoid washing oak chips with chlorinated water.

If you use oak chips during fermentation, they should be kept in a container throughout the fermentation period. If you are using chips when aging wine, the contact time is between 3 and 8 weeks, depending on the intended purpose. The extraction takes place quite quickly (from 1 to 4 weeks depending on the size), but more time is needed to assimilate the extract with the wine.

Re-using fine oak chips is not advisable, since the chips are quite thin, the drink penetrates through the chips and extracts all the necessary components in a short time. And larger oak cubes and bars can be reused.

Recipes:

Cherry wine on oak chips

Cherry – 1 kg
Vodka – 400 ml
Cinnamon – 1.5 g
Nutmeg - 1 g
Sugar - 250 g
Oak chips

Cover the cherries, crushed together with the pits, with gauze and let stand for about 2-4 days so that the cherries ferment. Then pour sugar, spices, vodka and cherries into the container. Cover with a lid and leave for about 6-18 days.
At the next stage, it is necessary to filter the tincture and bottle it, adding oak chips at the rate of 12-14 g per 3 liters of cherry liqueur.
Leave to ripen for at least a month.
Cherry liqueur made with oak chips will have a pronounced cherry flavor, light sweetness and tartness, thanks to the oak chips.

Most luxury spirits are aged for a certain amount of time in barrels made from various types of wood. Many experts argue that there is not much difference where and in what way the alcohol was stored. However, true gourmets are able to detect the tart notes in alcoholic beverages that wood gives it. So, how to infuse moonshine with oak chips?

Why wood?

Since infusing moonshine on oak chips is not a complicated procedure, it’s worth understanding why many people use wood. There are several explanations for this. Oak chips, once in alcohol, act as an adsorbent. This is due to the structure of the material. Wood capillaries, like sponges, pull out impurities dangerous to human health from alcoholic beverages. Aldehydes do not disappear on their own during the distillation process. Thanks to this, alcohol aged on oak chips for several years is a purer product.

As practice shows, moonshine infused with such raw materials becomes softer due to the biochemical substances contained in wood. They also give the drink a pleasant aroma and also bind toxins.

Most doctors agree that oak chips are a product with amazing properties. This drink can help a person get rid of many diseases and improve their general condition. In this case, it does not matter at all where the tincture was made: in production or at home.

What substances end up in alcohol?

Oak allows you to make homemade alcohol softer and more noble. Why is this happening? Oak chips not only remove harmful compounds from the drink, but also release their beneficial substances, including:

Wood comes in different varieties

How to infuse moonshine with oak chips at home? First of all, it is worth clarifying what kind of wood is required for this. Alcohol can only be infused with wood chips made from oak grown on impoverished soil and in a dry climate. Such wood is considered ideal. If you take oak chips made from trees growing in other conditions, you can create a drink with an unpleasant taste. After all, such wood is saturated with tannins. They are the ones who spoil the taste of alcohol.

Choosing oak material

How to infuse moonshine with oak chips and get a pleasant-tasting drink? To do this, you need to choose the right raw materials. Alcohol can be infused on oak bark, oak chips, or each of the methods has its own characteristics:

How to properly prepare wood chips

Before answering the question of how and how much to infuse moonshine on oak chips, it is worth clarifying how to properly prepare the raw materials. Of course, you can purchase the material at a specialty store or pharmacy. But if you wish, you can prepare the wood chips yourself. This requires:

• Find an oak log of the required size. It should be left at room temperature until completely dry.
• The prepared log must be cleaned of bark. It can be used to prepare bitters. The rest of the wood should be made into wood chips. The dimensions of each piece should be no more than 2x2x10 cm.
• Oak chips that will be used to infuse moonshine should be filled with cold water. The raw materials must stand like this for at least 24 hours. Every 8 hours the water must be changed to fresh.
• After this procedure, the flail needs to be leached. To do this, use a baking soda solution. You can prepare it yourself. It is enough to dilute two tablespoons of baking soda in 10 liters of water. You need to soak the wood chips in the solution for 6 hours.
• After the specified time, the oak chips need to be washed, poured into a deep pan, filled with clean water, and then boiled for 5 minutes.
• The water needs to be drained and the raw materials washed. Oak chips should be dried in a dark but dry room. This takes at least a day.
• Finally, the raw materials must be heated well in the oven. Oak chips should be placed in an oven preheated to 150˚C for two hours.

Raw materials prepared using this method can be stored for many years.

Does roasting affect the taste of the drink?

How long to infuse moonshine on oak chips? In this case, much depends on the recipe, as well as on the degree of firing of the raw materials. These factors also affect both the aroma and taste of alcohol. The wood should be grilled before use. There are three ways:

• Light firing. The raw material remains light brown in color. In this case, moonshine infused with oak chips will have a pleasant aroma of fruit, vanilla, and also have smoky notes.
• Medium firing. The wood chips take on a brown tint. Thanks to such raw materials, the alcoholic drink will acquire the taste of almonds or caramel.
• Strong burning. The wood should become dark brown. A drink infused with such wood chips will have a chocolate taste with a slight hint of smokedness.

Which moonshine is better to use?

How long to steep moonshine on oak chips? It depends on taste preferences, on the method of firing the raw materials, as well as on the type of alcoholic beverage. For infusion it is better to use:

• grain;
• sugar;
• fruit moonshine.

As for the last type of alcohol, you should use chacha to prepare an elite alcoholic drink. This is moonshine made from grapes. Of course, a lot depends on taste preferences. If you use oak chips in combination with other types of moonshine, you can get an unpleasant result. The drink may acquire a strong odor or bitter taste, and may also contain harmful components.

Classic recipe

So, how to properly infuse moonshine on oak chips. To do this you will need oak chips and moonshine. It is best to use a drink whose strength is 45˚.

To prepare a tasty and aromatic drink, you need to add wood chips to a container with alcohol. In this case, it is necessary to observe proportions. 1 liter of alcohol requires 20 grams of raw materials. How long does it take to infuse moonshine on oak chips for this recipe? It all depends on the desired result. On average it takes from 3 to 6 months. When the drink is completely ready, it is necessary to remove the wood from it. Now you know how to infuse moonshine with oak chips.

To prepare the drink, use a glass or stainless steel container with a sealed lid. Plastic products are not suitable. Moonshine should be infused in a dark and cool place.

Recipe with raisins

If you want to get an alcoholic drink with smoked, vanilla and grape notes, then you need to infuse it with oak chips and raisins. The cooking process is simple. For 3 liters of moonshine you need 20 grams of raisins, 60 grams of burnt wood chips, a handful of oak bark.

All components must be combined in one container and infused for 2-3 months. Finally, it’s worth trying the finished drink. If necessary, the infusion time can be increased. The result should be a soft, slightly astringent alcoholic drink.

How to speed up the process

How to infuse moonshine on oak in just a few weeks? In this case, spices will help. For 1 liter of moonshine you will need 0.3 grams of vanillin, two peas of allspice, two cloves. The drink must be infused in a glass or stainless steel container. The room should be dry, cool and dark. How long should moonshine be infused with oak chips and spices? It takes 2 to 3 weeks to prepare an elite drink.

It is worth considering that alcohol prepared according to this recipe will not have healing properties. To obtain the required color, you will need to add caramel, which reduces the strength of the alcoholic drink by 2 or 3˚. This factor should be taken into account during the first distillation.

Alcohol “Country style”

Is there another way to infuse moonshine with oak chips? A recipe for making an alcoholic drink may include various herbs and spices. How to make moonshine “Country style”? To do this you will need:

• high quality moonshine with a strength of at least 45˚ - 3 liters;
• white sugar for caramel syrup - 2 large spoons;
• medium-burnt oak chips 4x4x10 centimeters - 6 pieces;
• rose hips - 15 pieces;
• black pepper - from 3 to 4 peas;
• black tea, preferably large-leaf and high quality - 1 teaspoon;
• St. John's wort - 1 teaspoon ground or 1 small sprig.

There is no need to add too much of the last component. It's better to put less than more.

Additional Ingredients

To make the drink more aromatic and softer, you should add:

• 1 tablespoon each of white and black raisins;
• 1 pitted prune;
• no more than 3 centimeters long;
• 15 grams of oregano;
• 15 grams of thyme.

These components do not need to be added. However, thanks to them, the moonshine will acquire a more interesting taste. You can also exclude St. John's wort from the recipe. But you shouldn’t give up vanilla.

Cooking process

First you need to make caramel syrup from sugar. It should be a light brown color. The remaining components should be placed in a glass container and carefully poured with moonshine. Finally, add the prepared caramel syrup and seal it with a lid.

In terms of time, you need to infuse moonshine on oak chips for at least 14 days. However, it is worth considering a few rules. A week after adding all the components, it is necessary to remove the prunes and vanilla from the container. In general, it costs from 14 to 28 days to infuse alcohol. In this case, the container must be shaken periodically.

What to do next

When the moonshine acquires a more pronounced aroma and its color becomes darker, it is necessary to filter it. To do this, you can use gauze, pre-folded in several layers, as well as a cotton filter.

The finished alcoholic drink should be poured into glass containers and left to rest for three months. If desired, this time can be increased. Containers should be placed in a cool and dark place. As a result of this procedure, the taste of the drink will become softer and more harmonious. At the same time, all tanning compounds will be removed from the moonshine. If after the specified time a precipitate has formed, then the alcoholic drink should be filtered again.

What not to do

You can infuse moonshine on oak chips for more than 3 months. Much depends on the desired result and recipe. However, there are general recommendations. What should you not do?

• It is not recommended to fry oak chips for too long. If you are doing this for the first time, you should practice on a small amount of raw materials. Black wood chips cannot be used.
• You should not use damp or raw material to infuse moonshine. The wood chips must be dry and burnt.
• It is not recommended to infuse alcohol in containers made of plastic. This drink can become poisonous. After all, alcohol can corrode all types of plastic.
• You should not add a large amount of spices and wood to moonshine, violating the proportions. This may negatively affect the taste of the drink. It will be almost impossible to correct the consequences.
• You should not overexpose the moonshine. This can also affect the taste and smell of the finished product.
• It is not recommended to infuse large amounts of moonshine on wood chips using an untested recipe. It is better to put a small amount of alcohol.

In conclusion

Moonshine infused with oak chips acquires a pleasant and mild taste. Even with the same recipes, in each case an ambiguous result will be obtained. Alcohol will differ in both taste and aroma. However, oak chips are still the best material for removing harmful compounds from moonshine. As a result of infusion, the drink becomes noble and purer.

It is difficult to imagine the world of alcoholic beverages if one of our ancestors had not noticed the influence of an oak barrel on their taste and aroma. According to experts, about 80% of the taste of whiskey, cognacs, Calvados, rums and other aged distillates comes from an oak barrel. Today, becoming the owner of a quality product has become accessible to almost everyone. But before you order a barrel, the ownership of which is associated with some difficulties, we decided to tell you about refining the drink with oak chips as an effective, inexpensive and fairly simple way to turn homemade beer, wine or aromatic distillate into something incredibly tasty and with a hint of authenticity.

Oak as a source of taste and aroma in drinks

Oak was chosen for the production of barrels for a reason. First of all, it is valued for its ability to retain liquids due to the structure of the wood, mainly due to the formation of tyloses (growths within the vascular system of the tree that prevent it from drying out during drought) and multi-level medullary rays. Also, oak wood is quite strong and elastic, which makes it possible to form curved barrel parts from it. But more importantly, oak wood, after heat treatment, contains many different compounds that in one way or another affect the color, taste and aroma of the drink.

American and European oaks, which are traditionally used for barrels, have a similar wood structure consisting of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. None of these structural polymers are susceptible to extraction or dissolution in their original form. Only after drying and heat treatment (to give oak staves a curved shape, they are first steamed) do they depolymerize, forming many more complex compounds that can be extracted with alcohols. More than 100 extractable volatile components were identified in the structure of thermally treated oak. Among them: 35 aliphatic compounds (do not contain aromatic bonds), 54 aromatic compounds, furans and terpenes. At least 7 fatty acids were also detected.

Most of the typical flavors and aromas of oak-aged drinks come from the decomposition of lignin, which, after depolymerization, produces aromatic compounds such as vanillin, vanillic acid and sinigaldehyde. Lignin breakdown products have low sensory thresholds and therefore have a great influence on the development of sensory qualities (taste and aroma) of the aged drink. Charred American barrels produce large amounts of volatile phenols, such as guaiacol and syringol (which is why charred wood chips are most often used). It has been found that some compounds desirable for the organoleptic qualities of bourbon are located deep in the charred wood, up to 6 mm below the charcoal layer (one of the advantages of deep-roasted oak cubes, which are usually 10 mm long on the sides). Hemicelluloses, after hydrolysis under the influence of acids and other factors, form monosaccharides that give softness to drinks.

Otherwise, the main compounds formed after depolymerization of structural polymers contribute the following flavors to drinks:

• vanillin– vanilla;
• apocynin(acetovanillone) – vanilla;
• eugenol– spicy, greenish;
• isoeugenol– spicy, greenish;
• guaiacol– cloves;
• ethyl guaiacol– sweet, medicinal;
• vinyl guaiacol– clove, smoky, peppery;
• trans-β-methyl-γ-octalactone– nutty, smoky, astringent;
• cis-β-methyl-γ-octalactone– nutty, smoky, coconut, woody;
• cinnamaldehyde(cinnamal) – cinnamon;
• sinigaldehyde– sour, lilac;
• p-coumaric acid– balsamic;
• cinnamic acid– floral, honey.

In other words, without the influence of oak, many drinks lack most of the flavors and aromas for which we value them so much. But taste isn't everything. Oak contains substances of the tannin group, which are an important component of any wine. They prevent oxidation of white and red wines during their maturation, make them stronger, and also promote clarification after alcoholic fermentation is complete. Tannins are also an important element of the “structure” of taste - they make the wine seem “dry”. After all, oak aging helps oxidize some of the compounds in raw drinks, making them taste more holistic and rounded. And all this magic can be done at home, using oak chips for refining.

Oak chips for refining drinks

Not every alcohol enthusiast, especially a resident of a metropolis, can afford a barrel, because it takes up a lot of space and requires special conditions. However, there is a simpler and more affordable way to give the drink the necessary “oak sensory” - use oak chips (chips, cubes, spirals, etc.). Oak chips– these are segments of oak wood prepared according to a special pattern. A small number of such segments in a drink can, in a fairly short period of time, enrich it with flavors and aromas typical of oak aging. And time plays a very important role in this case.

Even in a small barrel with a volume of 5-50 liters, which are most often used at home, the drink acquires the characteristics it needs to be considered aged no earlier than 4-6 months. At the same time, a decent amount of alcohol evaporates from the barrel through the pores, up to 500 ml per month - this is the so-called “angels’ share”. Even if the necessary storage conditions with optimal temperature and humidity are met, and the barrel is coated with wax, the “angels’ share” will be at least 200 ml/month. Agree, this is a significant loss for a home distiller. But they can be avoided, because drinks are refined with oak chips in hermetically sealed glass containers, and they acquire the necessary organoleptic properties in just 1-3 months due to the increased area of ​​contact with oak.

During industrial processing, oak wood blanks are crushed into oblong segments, small chips, cubes, or other shapes are made from them, for example, spirals. After this, they are soaked in water, then in water with soda, then steamed and dried. This treatment is necessary to completely disinfect the wood and remove excessive amounts of tannins from it, which negatively affect the taste of drinks. After this, the chips are either left in this form or fried. The degree of roasting affects the taste of the aged drink, as well as its color (however, a distillate aged on properly prepared wood chips will still have a weak or intense straw color):

• lightly cooked– subtle vanilla, fruity and floral aromas;
• medium done– pronounced vanilla, almond, coconut, spices, caramel;
• deep roast– smoky and chocolate aromas.

Unfired wood chips or lightly roasted wood chips are used during grape processing and alcoholic fermentation of wine - it increases the tannin content and brings fruit, almond, vanilla and wood undertones to the drink. For aging beer, wine and distillates, it is recommended to use medium to deep roast wood chips. It is advisable to prepare the wood chips before use. To do this, you need to dip it in boiling water for 5-10 minutes to sterilize it, and then leave it in raw alcohol for 1-2 days to remove excess tannins. During the aging process of any drinks, samples should be taken regularly, since excessive infusion of the drink on wood chips can lead to not the most pleasant taste sensations (popularly, a drink overly saturated with oak is called “plinth”).

Dosage, infusion time and use of oak chips

The most important question that a brewer, winemaker or distiller should ask himself is how much wood chips should be used to refine the drink? In fact, this decision remains his, but there are certain recommendations that we have compiled in the form of a simple table:

Oak chips and strong alcohol

To give homemade distillates the properties of drinks aged in an oak barrel, medium or strong roasted wood chips are added directly to the distillate at the rate of 2-30 g of wood chips per 1 liter of drink (in most cases, 2-4 g/l is sufficient). Before adding wood chips, the distillate must be diluted to a strength of 45-55% alcohol by volume. It is believed that the strength of the drink affects its ability to extract certain compounds from wood. For example, a 55-50% distillate will “pull out” more aromatics from the wood chips, and at a strength of 45-49%, more monosaccharides from hemicellulose, which will make it softer. Based on these properties of the wood chips, the distillate can be infused in two stages: first for some time at a strength of 50-55%, and then complete the aging by diluting it to 49-45%.

The infusion time depends on the degree of frying of the wood chips and its size, but on average it is 1-3 months. During aging, it is recommended to periodically “ventilate” the drink, leaving the container without a lid for about 1 hour - this will stimulate the oxidative processes necessary for the formation of a solid and rounded taste of the distillate.

On a note! Many noble drinks are aged in wine barrels, due to which they acquire completely new flavor shades. This technique can be adopted and at the stage of preparing wood chips before use, soak it not in raw alcohol, but in any suitable wine (traditionally this is sherry and port, but you can try dry red wines from different grape varieties). The wood chips can also be soaked in bourbon - many producers of Scotch whiskey and rum use barrels of American whiskey to age their drinks, which, by law, can only be aged in new charred barrels.

Oak chips and wine

Traditionally, many wines are aged in barrels. The following wines performed well in this regard: Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Chianti, Burgundy wines, Fume Blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Shiraz and Pinot Blanc. Unburnt wood chips are traditionally used at the grape processing stage and serve as a source of tannins (proportions in the table). Also, it and lightly roasted chips are used in the process of wine fermentation - so the chips not only participate in the formation of a strong, transparent and fairly “dry” wine, but also have a strong influence on its taste. To age wine in order to give it a “sensory oak feel,” medium or deep roast wood chips are used. Before use, it must be prepared according to the scheme described above, while maintaining maximum sterility to avoid contamination of the wine.

On a note! To refine wines, it is safer to use a concentrate: infuse a small volume of wine with a sufficiently large amount of wood chips (about 10 g/l), and then blend it with the main batch of the drink.

Oak chips and beer

Some beers are aged in oak barrels to impart oak flavors and aromas, as well as to create a flavor profile characteristic of older styles that were formerly stored and transported in oak barrels. Oak is most closely associated with English and some Scottish ales, such as old ales, stouts, porters, brown ales, IPAs and bitters. Some brewers use wood chips in Belgian styles. Very rarely oak can be traced in dark varieties of Central Europe, for example, in Bocks and Schwarzbiers. The recommended dosage varies from 0.5 to 3 g of wood chips/chips/cubes per 1 liter of beer. A common practice is to impregnate wood chips with noble alcoholic beverages or wine. Duration: from 1 to 2 weeks with constant tasting.

On a note! To enhance beer with oak, so-called “oak tea” is often used, which allows for more precise control of the taste. To prepare it, add the required amount of oak chips with water and boil for 10-15 minutes. The resulting oak decoction must be added to beer in small batches until the desired taste is obtained.

How to choose wood chips for enhancing drinks

About 300 types of oak are known to humanity, but traditionally, for aging strong alcoholic drinks such as whiskey, dark rum, cognac, Calvados, etc., as well as some types of beer and wine, barrels from the two most common types are used. In North America, white oak (Quercus alba) dominates, barrels from which are ideal for firing and subsequent aging of bourbon. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, most distillates are aged in barrels made from English oak (Quercus robur), sometimes called European, English or French oak. English oaks, along with other European species (Q. sessilis, Q. petraea and Q. sessiflora), are considered the best for aging distillates.

In Russia, sessile oak (Q. petraea) is traditionally used to make barrels, whose groves occupy more than half of the entire forested area of ​​the Caucasus. Joint research by Russian and French scientists has shown that Caucasian oak has all the necessary properties for the manufacture of high-quality wine barrels. Today, barrels made from Caucasian sessile oak are widely used for refining alcoholic beverages not only in the former USSR countries, but also in Western Europe, including for aging cognacs in France. That is why most of the wood chips presented in our online store are made from high-quality sessile oak wood from the Caucasus.

Chips come in different shapes and sizes. The most common form factor is oblong segments 10-12 cm long and a cross-section of 4x4 mm. This size is considered optimal, since it has been proven that alcohol, with short maturation, penetrates the wood by at least 2 mm. Elongated segments are optimally used for aging - they are easy to remove and dose. The so-called oak chips are small chips, which means they provide faster extraction. Chips are the best option for use during grape processing and alcoholic fermentation, but they also perform well when aging drinks (you may have to reduce the time). Cubes with a side length of 10 mm are convenient to soak in noble, already aged distillates. In addition, oak cubes, due to their relatively large size, can be reused - segments and chips are quickly used up and it is not advisable to reuse them.