3. Amount of time wood is left to soak in the moonshine ? – When moonshine is aged on oak that has been charred and toasted it is transformed from a harsh, burning distillate into a smooth often sweet whiskey. The amount of time required will depend on if your using chips, cubes or staves.
- Oak Chips – 20-30 grams per quart 2- 4 months
- Cubes – 1/2″ cubes 8 cubes per quart 3-6 months
- Staves – 6″ long by 1″ thick 3-12 months
You may find the oak chips will quickly add color and flavor but this does not mean your whiskey is ready to drink. It takes time for the harsh, burning flavor of the alcohol to be absorbed by the wood. Over oaking is possible with wood chips so it’s best to take a small sample every week or so to test the flavor.
- You may also want to split your moonshine up into several jars and vary the amount of oak cubes or chips you put in each one, this will allow you to experiment and see what you prefer.
- If you just can’t wait 3-12 months you can use a smoothing agent like glycerin to mellow the harshness of your moonshine,
It’s cheating but I’ve had some good results with it. 
Moonshine aging on medium toasted oak
Contents
How much wood chips for moonshine?
Using Oak Chips & Whisky Profile Kits! I love scotchscotch scotch scotch.rum too, oh and bourbon as well. Actually I’m partial to the entirety of the brown spirit family. On the rocks, mixed with coke, mixed with ginger beer, its all good to me. Actually my love for the dark spirit has pushed me at times, no I’m not talking about borderline alcoholism or constant partying.
No I much prefer a quite one or two at home, where I can really begin to appreciate the merits and uhh, demerits of my fine brews. This fun little past time however has made me wonder, made me think, almost forced me at times to seek out the best spirit I can, forced me to tinker and play with my spirits, developing and re-developing my favorite drink.
It is a never ending cycle but one that I love and I feel it is almost my duty to pass on the things I have learnt. Let me first start by saying don’t feel pressured reading this article, most people find that just using an essence is fine, so do I, its just on special occasions its nice to know you have something truly fantastic in the cabinet.
I have come across many a skeptic in my time, the snobby nosed ‘high class’ citizen who hear’s home brew and goes yuck! Its just nice to know you have something really capable of changing opinions. Apart from creating your own essence, there is basically two ways of modifying your spirit. Either oaking or tailoring with an assortment of extracts (profiling).
Lets start with the most simple and better known of the two, oaking. Oaking: Oaking is a relatively simple concept. It involves soaking your neutral filtered spirit on wood. But not just any wood, most oak chips come from old whisky or bourbon barrels, used by breweries for centuries to soak there own spirits on.
In turn the barrels have absorbed the flavor from the spirit, this is what you are trying to obtain from them (except in the case of “American Oak” chips, which are simply from an American oak tree). Oaking you spirit will not only receive the flavor and receive the colour from the chips, but as you might have guessed, that woody and sometimes smoky flavor that is so prized in some of the top quality spirits.
The method is simple but varies slightly depending on the type of chip and the brand. In general it involves soaking 10gms-50gms of oak chips for every litre of spirit for about 1-3 weeks (dependant on taste). The longer you leave it the more flavor and woodiness it will impart.
You can often reuse the same chips once or twice after, just soak it for longer. Some people use the flavour just from the oak chips itself whilst others use it in conjunction with an essence, in an attempt to add an build on the flavour profile already present in the essence. If, and it will probably happen eventually, you leave it for to long and you find its like drinking bark, you can use more neutral spirit (unflavoured) and an essence to dim it down and smoothen it out.
Using Extracts: The best way to go about using extracts and flavour profiles is to obtain a whisky profiling kit. These kits come with all the basics that you need, plus some instructions and recipes and give you an easily to follow guide on what to do and how to go about it.
The kits come with 4 different whiskies base essences, which generally the 4 different major styles of whiskies (as reflected by the different regions of Scotland), Lowland, Highland, Irish and bourbon. The also come with a range of adjunct flavours used for exentuating certain flavour profiles in you drink.
These Are:
Oak cask (the main flavour which is present in most whiskys) Sweet vanillin (a sweet vanilla flavour with a slight sherry flavour) Peat Smoke (A strong almost pungent peat smoke flavour, a very prominent note in Scottish Whiskies) Astringent Notes ( A sharp bitter astringent flavour that helps to add some bite to the whisky) Fruity Esters (more prominent on the nose then anywhere else, they add a lot to the whisky bouquet) Cereal notes( often described as grainy, these flavour notes are a part of any grain and are contained in the whisky bases) Carob Notes ( a chocolate grain flavour that results from the use of some mildly roasted grains) Cedar Oak ( imparts a distinctive drier oak flavour, often found in Irish whisky styles) Distillers Caramel (purely for colour, imparts a warm golden hue) Glycerine (contribute to smoothness and mouth feel)
Using just this small list of flavours you can create almost any whisky, bourbon and add to many rums. What you do with them is up to you though! The only way your going to know what your spirit can be is to try it. It was with the best of intentions that we all started homebrewing.
How do you age moonshine with wood?
How to Age Whiskey – There are two ways to age whiskey at home. The most traditional method of DIY whiskey aging is to purchase or build a charred white oak barrel. To prep a barrel to be used for aging, make sure to first fill it with warm water and leave it sit until the wood swells enough to prevent leaking between the staves.
The hydration process could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. It’s very important that you do this to prevent your spirits from leaking out of the barrel when you initially fill it. Once hydrated, drain the water then fill it with clear, un-aged store-bought whiskey and leave it sit for a couple of weeks.
Remember, it’s illegal to distill your own alcohol for consumption without a distilled spirits permit. But no need to fret, there are plenty of un-aged whiskey options to be found at any liquor store. The easiest way to accomplish aging is to add charred American white oak sticks or shavings to a jar or bottle of spirits (such as the product picture to the right). The charred wood will naturally absorb and release spirits contained within the vessel, allowing the wood to impart its flavors to the spirit.
How many oak chips are in a gallon of moonshine?
For oak aging whiskeys of all types and other spirits where you want oak flavor and some brown color. Add two level tablespoons per gallon of distillate. Shake container daily for a minimum of 30 days. Strain and filter chips (a coffee filter works well) from whiskey before consuming,50g pack which is enough for 5 gallons of distillate.
What is the ratio of wood chips?
Compost, Wood Chips & Carbon:Nitrogen Ratios – Wood chips have an average C:N ratio around 600:1, but only the outer surface of the wood chip is really available to react with the microbes in the compost pile. In practice only about 1/3 of the wood chip will decompose in a 3 – 6 month composting period.
How long to age on wood chips?
Garden Q&A: Age fresh wood chips before using in garden My bean, squash, cucumber and pepper plants are stunted and yellow in color. We cut down a huge maple tree and tilled all the wood chips from the cuttings into the garden to improve the soil this spring.
- The garden has produced well in previous years.
- The wood chips are the culprit.
- Fresh wood chips are very high in carbon and low in nitrogen.
- Micro-organisms use nitrogen to break down the wood chips, robbing your plants of nitrogen.
- This only creates problems in the early stages of decomposition.
- The remedy is to supplement the nitrogen loss by adding nitrogen fertilizer.
Very fresh wood chips can also emit volatile compounds toxic to plants. We recommend aging new wood chips for 6-12 months before using them around plants as mulch or soil amendment. What is the thorny, nonflowering vine climbing up my trees and through my fence? I spray every year with glyphosate but can’t rid of it completely.
It’s evergreen, with shiny leaves. Greenbriar is a desirable native vine, in natural areas, and feeds wildlife. However in ornamental landscapes, mature greenbriar can be objectionable and difficult to eliminate. Herbicide does not adhere well to the glossy foliage, unless a spreader-sticker is added to the herbicide.
An efficient and economical way to tackle woody plants like greenbriar is to cut down the stems and apply high strength glyphosate or triclopyr to only the freshly cut stem within 5 minutes. Early fall is a prime time to apply herbicide to leaves or stem because it translocates well to roots then.
Plant of the WeekRhubarb Rheum acuminatum
Tuck this perennial “fruit” into a flower or vegetable bed. Rhubarb can pass for a big-leafed hosta and also be handy for harvesting its delicious sour stems. Rhubarb wants full sun to light shade — not too hot. Given average moisture, established plants tolerate drought, but “wet feet” cause root rot.
- Rhubarb produces for many years, so amend your soil heavily with manure or compost before planting.
- Varieties are available with red or green stems, so be sure you’re buying the color you prefer.
- Plant crown divisions in early spring, allowing 4-foot-square space for each plant.
- Wait a year before harvesting and always remove flower heads that divert its energy.
After tops die in fall, mulch with more compost. —Ellen Nibali Originally Published: Jun 24, 2013 at 3:39 pm : Garden Q&A: Age fresh wood chips before using in garden
How thick to lay wood chips?
Step 3: Spread Your Woodchips – The wood chips should really be scattered to a depth of 3 or 4 inches for the best effect. You should always leave a few inches between each plant and the wood chips you’re distributing to ensure that the plants you want to keep are not harmed in the process of getting the effect you want.
How much is a ton of wood chips worth?
In t rodu cti on Harvesting and transportation costs for woody biomass in its different forms vary due to tract size, tree species, volumes removed, distance to the wood-using/storage facility, terrain, road condition, and other considerations. There is tremendous variation of these factors within the southern United States, so timber harvesting, transportation, and delivery systems must be designed to meet constraints at the local level.
This fact sheet provides a brief explanation of factors affecting costs for harvesting, transporting, and delivering woody biomass. It also summarizes relevant research relating to harvesting costs. Without a real-life situation or example, it is difficult to determine real harvesting costs. As a result, this fact sheet will focus more on cost factors than currently estimated costs.
Co sts o f T imbe r Harv esti ng Operations by Type Harvesting costs depend on equipment investment, stand size, tree species and volume removed, terrain, and even degree of difficulty due to proximity to houses, power lines, public roads, noise restriction areas, and other restrictions posed by forestry related ordinances.
- Harvesting costs also depend on the type of equipment used, season in which the operation occurs, and a host of other factors.
- Table 1 shows price ranges for pulpwood stumpage and clean chips delivered, averaged across the South from 2000 to 2006 and averaged 2006 fuel chip price ranges.
- Conventional Harvesting Costs,
Conventional timber harvesting equipment is expensive and can constitute as much as 40 to 50 percent of the delivered cost of wood. Purchase costs, for highly mechanized conventional systems capable of handling the harvest and recovery of woody biomass commonly range from $600,000 to $2,000,000 (1). Table 1.2006–2013 Price Ranges Transporting conventional timber harvesting equipment is expensive. It generally involves four to eight separate pieces of equipment, all of which need to be transported from site to site. Each piece of equipment requires its own tractor and trailer.
- Virtually all transportation of raw wood material from the harvesting site the end-user facility is by trucks.
- Overcoming these costs typically requires tracts with large volumes of relatively valuable material.
- At this time and based on current cost and revenue estimates, woody biomass for energy and other bio-based products may not generate enough revenue on its own to be profitable.
Recovery of this material depends on its value for other objectives such as reforestation or wildfire fuel reduction or harvesting concurrent with a harvest of traditional forest products. As fossil fuel prices continue to rise, harvesting woody biomass for energy will become profitable in more situations.
- Results from a study in south Georgia show that under the right conditions, a small chipper can be added to obtain additional chip production without adversely impacting roundwood production (2).
- The market for fuel chips varies with local supply and demand across the South, but delivered prices of $14 to $19 per ton are common (Timber Mart South 2006).
Westbrook projects that chips can be produced from limbs and tops of harvested trees at costs ranging from $11 per ton and up. Harvesting understory for use in making fuel chips is about $1 per ton more expensive. Logg i ng Co st A na lyses Wor ksheets and Ca lc u l a t or s What are they? Logging cost analysis (LCA) worksheets are computerized spreadsheet calculators that provide basic, usable information to determine operating costs for harvesting equipment, systems, and operations.
Hourly operating costs, productivity, logging costs, harvesting system costing models, and road construction and maintenance models are available. Where can I find one? A good collection of some easily accessible LCA worksheets can be found at this website: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/programs/forest_mgmt/projects/textbook/cost/ T he For est Resi du es Tran sp or t a ti on Mod el (Fo R TS) What is it? It is a computerized spreadsheet calculator designed to help users compare alternative methods of moving woody biomass from the forest to a wood-using facility What does it do?• Estimates loading and hauling costs for different combinations of equipment• Evaluates the best mix (numbers and types) of equipment• Compares different hauling routes• Examines reloading and two-stage hauling opportunities Where can I find it? http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/forestops/products/tools.html Per ton costs increase as the volume chipped decreases per acre.
Westbrook’s estimates suggest that if no more than 10 loads of roundwood are produced before a load of chips is made, that chipper-modified system will break even if the market price for fuel chips is $17 per ton. Cost projections suggest that removing only limbs and tops may be marginal in terms of cost since one load of chips was produced for about every 15 loads of roundwood.
- Single and Smaller Machine Harvesting Costs,
- Efforts have been made to investigate newer, smaller timber harvesting technology systems, much of it through the modification of agricultural or industrial machines.
- Logging systems that employ smaller, single machines with multiple functions will have lower per unit transportation and setup costs.
So relocation is more economical. Smaller timber harvesting equipment may also have more advantages because more than one unit may be moved on a transport trailer3. Additionally, smaller timber harvesting equipment has lower capital costs. For example, currently a small tractor costs between $15,000 and $40,000, with modifications for forestry averaging between $4,000 and $20,000 (1).
- While the use of smaller equipment with lower capital costs may allow for optimum performance at lower levels of productivity, it is rarely economically feasible to harvest a lower volume of less valuable material4.
- In addition, smaller, less mechanized machines often may have difficulty meeting OSHA approved safety standards.
For more information on small-scale equipment, please see “Small-scake Woody Biomass Harvesting Systems”. Woody Biomass Tran sp or t a ti on and Delivery Costs Delivery of woody biomass from the harvesting site to a conversion facility, like delivery of more conventional forest products, accounts for a significant portion of the delivered cost5.
In fact, transportation of wood fiber accounts for about 25 to 50 percent of the total delivered costs and highly depends on fuel prices, haul distance, material moisture content, and vehicle capacity and utilization6. Also, beyond a certain distance, transportation becomes the limiting profitability factor and its costs become directly proportional to haul lengths.
Table 2 shows cost per green ton for 45, 75, and 100 miles, assuming an average haul rate of $0.12 per ton per mile. One hundred miles is generally considered a maximum haul distance in forest operations Summary and Conclusions Currently, the most cost-effective harvesting system for recovering forest residue for biomass is in-woods chipping as part of a conventional logging or thinning operation.
Bulk vans, due to their relatively light weight and large capacity, are generally considered to be the most cost-efficient mode of transporting preprocessed woody biomass provided the access roads are suitable for these over-the-highway carriers. At current prices, timber harvesting contractors are not likely to actively pursue purely biomass-related projects.
On private land, timber or biomass sales involve the transfer of ownership of the trees or biomass to be harvested to the contractor either based on a lump-sum price or a stumpage (pay-as-you-cut) rate1. The contractor’s profit is determined by the difference between what they pay the landowner, the price they get at the mill or plant, and the cost of harvesting and transporting the biomass. Table 2. Transportation Costs Endnotes 1 Visser, J.M.; Hull, R.B.; Ashton, S.F.2006. Mechanical vegetative management. In: Monroe, M.C.; McDonell, L.W.; Hermansen-Baez, L.A. (Eds.). Changing Roles: Wildland-Urban Interface Professional Development Program.
Gainesville, FL: University of Florida.2 Westbrook, M; Greene, D; Izlar, R.L.2006. Harvesting forest biomass by adding a small chipper to a ground-based tree-length Southern pine operation. Center for Forest Business. University of Georgia.3 Stanturf, J.A.; Kelllison, Broerman, F.S.; Jones, S.B.2003. Productivity of southern pine plantations: Where are they now and how did we get here? Journal of Forestry.101(3): 26–31.4 Updegraff, K; Blinn, C.R.2000.
Applications of small-scale forest harvesting equipment in the United States and Canada (Staff Paper Series No.143). St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and College of Natural Resources.5 Demeter, C.P.; Knowles, D.F.; Olmstead, J.; Jerla, M.; Shah, P.2003.
Assessment of power production at rural utilities using forest thinnings and commercially available biomass power technologies. Landover, MD: Antares Group, Inc.6 McDonald, T.P.; Taylor, S.; Rummer, R; Valenzuela, J.2001. Information needs for increasing log transport efficiency. First International Precision Forestry Symposium.
Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
How do you measure wood chips?
The wood chips are measured by the multiplication of the area of base and height. Therefore by multiplying length, breadth, and height, we can measure the volume of wood chips. Note: Wood chips are considered a solid of the rectangular base.
Do you keep adding wood chips when smoking?
The number of woodchips you use will depend on how long you’ll be smoking meat. Remember to keep adding new woodchips to the tray every hour of cooking time to keep the flavors rich.
Do you wet wood chips before smoking?
You Do Not Need to Soak Wood Chips – The most popular, and most argued about, tip when it comes to smoking is the soaking of your wood chips and chunks for at least an hour before smoking. The thought is that doing this will slow combustion and create a better-flavored smoke than dry wood would. In truth, soaking your wood chips and chunks isn’t necessary and here’s why.
It takes more than 24 hours for a significant amount of moisture to penetrate the wood Soaked wood is producing steam Soaked wood will lower the smoker’s temperature
Wood chips and chunks that have been soaked have to get rid of any moisture before they can produce smoke. The water on the wood will have to heat to 212°F (the boiling point of water) and will stall there until the water has been evaporated. Only then will it begin to smoke.
Soaking wood chips or chunks can be used to your advantage in other situations, like when smoking on a charcoal or gas grill – as opposed to an Apollo® or similar bullet smoker. Using a tray with soaked wood and another with dry, you can create a time-release for your smoke as the dry chips/chunks will smoke while the wet ones will dry and begin to smoke later.
Plank grilling is an exception to the no need to soak rule. Soaking the plank ensures that there is enough surface moisture on the plank that it should not combust while you are cooking. There is not enough moisture to produce significant steam or smoke, however, it will produce delightful flavor on your food.
How many pounds of wood chips do you need to smoke?
Wood Consumption by Food Smoker Type – To know how much the wood costs will be, we will outline next to the wood consumption by the hour of operation. There can be a huge difference from one type of smoker to the other, especially if the wood is the source of heat, or for smoke generation only. 
Offset Smokers: Are the most difficult ones to measure cost of wood, as everyone can manage the fire a different way. For our average we’ve checked Aaron Franklin’s masterclass about food smoking. And he says that to start the fire you’ll need 8 logs or approximately 6.4 pounds of wood. And to continue the fire maintenance 2 new logs per hour. 
Charcoal Smoker: According to most blogs and forums we’ve checked for reference you’ll need to add 2 to 3 chunks of wood to each mound of lit charcoal. And as it burns down to charcoal you’ll need to add more wood at least every hour to have smoke. Coming to about 1 pound per hour. 
Pellet Grill/Smoker: A pellet grill will use about 1/2 pound of pellets per hour on the smoke setting and 2 and 1/2 pounds on high. And the consumption goes up with the temperature going up, and be aware, the warmer you want, less smoke you’ll have. 
Electric Smoker: There are different types of electric smokers, for the ones running on pellets follow the same averages as above. And the other common smokers will run on wood chips, you need 2 pounds of wood chips that can burn for about 3 hours. But for better results, as you don’t want just ash flavor to go to your food, you’d need at least to refill every hour, to reach this 0.6 pounds of wood per hour. 
Electric Smoker 2: Now we’ll talk about the Bradley Smoker that works with Bisquettes or compressed wood sawdust discs. With an automated system that burns the wood disc for precisely 20 minutes each, generating clean smoke with new wood. So here you have a consumption of 0.125 pounds of wood per hour, yes just that!
How do you calculate wood chips?
Wood chip mulch is usually applied at a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Divide the depth by 12. For example, if you plan to apply the mulch 3 inches deep divide 3 by 12 for a result of 0.25. Multiply this result by the number of square feet in your bed.
How many pounds of wood chips do you need to smoke?
Wood Consumption by Food Smoker Type – To know how much the wood costs will be, we will outline next to the wood consumption by the hour of operation. There can be a huge difference from one type of smoker to the other, especially if the wood is the source of heat, or for smoke generation only. Offset Smokers: Are the most difficult ones to measure cost of wood, as everyone can manage the fire a different way. For our average we’ve checked Aaron Franklin’s masterclass about food smoking. And he says that to start the fire you’ll need 8 logs or approximately 6.4 pounds of wood. And to continue the fire maintenance 2 new logs per hour. Charcoal Smoker: According to most blogs and forums we’ve checked for reference you’ll need to add 2 to 3 chunks of wood to each mound of lit charcoal. And as it burns down to charcoal you’ll need to add more wood at least every hour to have smoke. Coming to about 1 pound per hour. Pellet Grill/Smoker: A pellet grill will use about 1/2 pound of pellets per hour on the smoke setting and 2 and 1/2 pounds on high. And the consumption goes up with the temperature going up, and be aware, the warmer you want, less smoke you’ll have. Electric Smoker: There are different types of electric smokers, for the ones running on pellets follow the same averages as above. And the other common smokers will run on wood chips, you need 2 pounds of wood chips that can burn for about 3 hours. But for better results, as you don’t want just ash flavor to go to your food, you’d need at least to refill every hour, to reach this 0.6 pounds of wood per hour. Electric Smoker 2: Now we’ll talk about the Bradley Smoker that works with Bisquettes or compressed wood sawdust discs. With an automated system that burns the wood disc for precisely 20 minutes each, generating clean smoke with new wood. So here you have a consumption of 0.125 pounds of wood per hour, yes just that!
How often do you add wood chips?
Page 2 – Most seasoned pitmasters recommend adding wood chips every 30 minutes to 1 hour, but this will depend on several factors for you. They are your smoker model, whether you want a mild or strong smokey flavor, the type of meat, and the cooking duration.
- As a professional pitmaster, perfecting the I use today has been quite a journey.
- Over the years, I have used plenty of smokers and in my experience, using flavored wood chips in an electric smoker is a forgiving, hands-off technique that gives excellent results.
- In this article, I will tell you what to consider when adding wood chips to your electric smoker, and the best way to use wood chips in your smoker.
I will also explain how your electric smoker uses up pellets and how to pre-test it. 
How big should wood chips be for smoking?
Wood Chips – Also known as smoking chips, wood chips are typically around ¼ inch thick and up to 1 inch in width and length. They come in the form of scraps and shavings from hardwood trees such as oak, hickory, cherry, and mesquite. Wood chips, due to their small size, tend to ignite quickly but burn out very fast. One of their biggest advantages is that they are readily available. You can pick up a prepackaged bag of chips from your nearest BBQ specialty store or even a hardware store, or simply order one online. They can also be conveniently stored because of their compact shape and size. Read our guide on how to use smoking wood chips.