Oaking Time Frame

[freddie1]

What is the best time to place oak.
Is it possible to do it between the racking periods. How long should the oak be left in or is that subject to the style or taste and finish that you are aiming for.
What is the best way to suspend the oak in a demijohn or vat ?. Thanks.

 

[ibglowin]

Oaking is subjective big time. Some kits have you add it in at primary or secondary. Some after you have racked off the fines and stabilized. It all depends on how fast you want to bottle. I always bulk age my reds for at least 6 months before bottling so plenty of time for the oak to extract settle and get one more rack or filtering in before bottle time.

As for length, chips will extract in about a week. Beans or cubes take much longer anywhere from one month to three months for full extraction depending on the amount added.

 

[vcasey]

You can use a sanitized fishing line to suspend the oak spirals in the larger containers.

As far as how much and how long really depends on your taste. Since I bulk age mine for a longer period of time I use 1/2 the oak during the fermentation and just let it bulk age on the other half. I find it ends up perfect for our tastes.