White Trash wrote:[color=blue]
> Any thoughts/advice on using wood to add to a brew? Im thinking adding a
> sort of hickory/oak hint to a stout could be tasty. Anybody done it? Can you
> just use normal chips (say like the kind you get to use on a bbq) and
> sterilze them, should you cook them up in anyway first to bring out the
> flavor?
>
>[/color]
From my wine experience i'd say go to a brew store, buy some french oak
chips or the like and toss em in your secondary (the beer has some booze
etc by that time so it should be pretty safe). Just be careful how much
! You don't want it to dominate your beer.

IF you are really worried they may infect your beer somehow, i'd say
steep em at 140 for a while in some water. Maybe denny will chime in
with more insight on this. I'm assuming if you boil the wood you will
extract some stuff you do not want in your beer (Mmm turpintine beer).
Could also soak em in some booze i guess, a little rummy oak in your
stout (i've heard of people doing that with vannilla seeds)?