Oak Essence. 4 oz

Product shipped promptly. I used this product in a bracket that i wanted to add an oaky almost whisky like flavor to. A little goes a long way as I added 2 tablespoons to a 5 gallon batch and it was perfect, it gave me the exact taste profile i was looking for in a matter of minutes. i would suggest this product to any wine maker looking to add an oaky essence to their product without the time, hassle, mess, or expense of oak chips or barrels.

Ignore the directions. Use 1 oz per 5 gallon batch. Using more could ruin your batch. Also recommend a gallon of vegetable glycerin to smooth things out

its not good, its more chemical flavor than smokey tannins and vanillans

Perfect. Added with medium oak chips works well for me.

works

I picked this up at the local home brew shop. I didn't expect to actually use these drops in a beer in place of oak, but to see if putting the beer on oak would be a good idea. This essence gives you a flavor character similar to that of using medium toast oak chips. By that I mean that you get a fairly one dimensional flavor without the complexity, caramel, and vanilla notes you get from aging on cubes, spirals, or staves. If you have never aged on oak before this is a great way to see if you would like it, but IMO you will get a substantially better flavor if you put in the extra effort and time of using cubes/spirals/staves. I do really like the product though as I think it is excellent for doing subjective testing on a batch before placing it on oak. This is how I use it to test a batch for oak compatibility: Pour a measured sample into several glasses. Add one drop to the first glass, two to the second, three to the third. A little goes a long way with this stuff so you want to add it in drops. I find the essence tends to settle in the bottom of the glass so give it a stir to mix it into solution. Taste the beer to see how much, if any, oak character compliments the beer. The same process could be used with wine. I highly recommend this product if you want to get an idea of what oak would do for your beer/wine. I don't think it takes the place of aging on/in oak, but it will give you a good idea of what to expect from oak aging and if you should do it for particular batch. I also wonder if a drop or two might be good in certain marinades to compliment hickory and mesquite smoked flavorings.

I have to agree that this is a disgusting-tasting product. I tested a tiny bit in a 1l bottle of wine....gross, "chemically" flavor. Maybe the flavor would mellow over time, but I wouldn't risk it in a carboy. I'll stick with oak chips or cubes.

This completely destroyed 12 gallons of chardonnay. The taste was disgusting and I literally had to pour it down the drain. I've used oak extract before , so I'm not new to it. If you're a wine maker, stay far, far away from this product