Beer Forum

Anybody have advice on using oak powder? I picked up a 3 oz bag from the LHBS because I want to try to add something to this funky brown I'm making, but I don't have a lot of time before it needs to be ready. I'm thinking just take some in a nylon hop bag and dunk it. Since it's so fine, I probably won't want to have it in there for very long, but is that time limit 24 hours, 12 hours, 72 hours? I don't know.

How much time do you have? Based off my experience with chips and cubes, I wouldn't use oak powder at all, and I'll bet if you used enough chips you could get the flavor in a week.

The reason I am skeptical about the powder is that I think it's going to stay up in solution to some extent unless you filter it, which is going to add a more powdery, tannic flavor, like sucking on sawdust. Even using chips, you get this flavor at first, if you do not wash them. Then it goes away as it settles out with time, but if you accidentally rouse the bottle dregs it comes back. I would use chips, use more, like maybe 2+ ounces if you only have a week, taste it daily, and still at least rinse them to avoid that flavor. You can still put them in a hop bag if this is going to happen in the keg.

But this is all based off of not ever having used powder, so take that into consideration.

Can't say I've ever used or heard of Oak Powder but I would have the same reservations Chupa mentioned. I'm going to guess like most homebrew ingredients there aren't any useful instructions mentioned on the package? I only ask because I'm having a hard time picturing if 100% of this powder is supposed to fully dissolve into the beer or if some of the tannins are supposed to bond to proteins in your beer and the remainder of the powder is supposed to drop out after a few days.

Either way I would play it safe and make an Oak Powder tea and see what happens to it and what it tastes like.

Oak has a specific density of 0.60 to 0.90, so yes, it will float in the beer/water and may stay in solution. Chips are easier to remove.

I've never heard of it before either, and you're right, no useful instructions. Basically, it is finely ground oak. It's not dehydrated and supposed to dissolve or anything. Maybe I'll just play it safe and go with chips/cubes. No sense in making things harder than I need to with random ingredients. Thanks, guys. Also, for a brown ale: light or dark toast?

Oak sawdust will sink to the bottom eventually, I'd assume that once its in there long enough it would settle, but if you have to wait to settle, you won't have as much control over oak character.

I believe the oak powder is for use in wines?

Are you referring to wine tannin? If so, I don't think that all wine tannin powder additives come from oak.