All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.107  FG = 1.016
IBU = 52  SRM = 26  ABV = 12%

In a space between a brown ale and a barleywine, Okie packs a punch delivering flavors of sweet caramel and dark toast led by the nuanced character used in the barrel-aging process.

Ingredients

16 lbs. (7.3 kg) Canadian Superior Pilsen malt
1.3 lbs. (0.6 kg) Dingemans Cara 45 malt
5 oz. (142 g) Dingemans aromatic malt
2.5 oz. (71 g) Dingemans chocolate malt 
10 oz. (284 g) Weyermann acidulated malt
5 oz. (142 g) Weyermann Carafa® II malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) white wheat malt
12 oz. (340 g) medium brown sugar
20 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10% alpha acids)
1.2 oz. (34 g) Cascade hops (0 min.) 
2 oz. (56 g) French oak cubes
Servomyces (yeast nutrient)
SafAle US-05, LalBrew BRY-97 (American West Coast Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

If you do not have a used Bourbon barrel for aging, then soak the oak cubes in the Bourbon of your choice at least two weeks before brew day to recreate the barrel aging essence of the beer. Also, use two sachets if using a dry yeast or make a large starter if using liquid yeast strain. You may consider re-pitching yeast from a previous batch as well. 

This is a single infusion mash with a ratio of 2 qts./lb. (4.2 L/kg) of grain to provide a thin mash with high enzymatic activity. Target a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C) and mash for 60 minutes or until conversion is complete. Recirculate wort (vorlauf), then sparge with enough water at 170 °F (77 °C) to collect 7.5 gallons (28.4 L) of runoff to your boil kettle. Boil for 120 minutes or until target gravity is achieved, adding sugar at the beginning of the boil and bittering hops after the first hour. 

At flameout, add the Cascade hops and whirlpool for 10 minutes. Then rapidly chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) and transfer the wort to your fermenter. Oxygenate the wort if using a liquid yeast strain or re-using yeast, then pitch the yeast. Set the fermenter in a cool, dark place to ferment at about 68 °F (20 °C). After fermentation is complete, add your soaked oak cubes, or rack to a secondary vessel containing the cubes. After achieving the desired flavor profile, crash cool, keg and force carbonate to 2.5 volumes, or prime and bottle condition.

Extract With Grains Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.107  FG = 1.016
IBU = 52  SRM = 26  ABV = 12%

Ingredients

9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Briess Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess wheat dried malt extract 
1.3 lbs. (0.6 kg) Dingemans Cara 45 malt
5 oz. (142 g) Dingemans aromatic malt
2.5 oz. (71 g) Dingemans chocolate malt 
10 oz. (284 g) Weyermann acidulated malt
5 oz. (142 g) Weyermann Carafa® II malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) white wheat malt
12 oz. (340 g) medium brown sugar
20 AAU Centennial hops (60 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10% alpha acids)
1.2 oz. (34 g) Cascade hops (0 min.) 
2 oz. (56 g) French oak cubes
Servomyces (yeast nutrient)
SafAle US-05, LalBrew BRY-97 (American West Coast Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

If you do not have a used Bourbon barrel for aging, then soak the oak cubes in the Bourbon or whiskey of your choice at least two weeks before brew day to recreate the barrel aging essence of the beer. Also, be sure to use two sachets if using a dry yeast or make a large starter if using liquid yeast strain. You may consider re-pitching yeast from a previous batch as well.

Before starting your brew, separately pre-boil and chill about 3.5 gallons (13.25 L) of water so you can add that to top up the wort later. 

Heat about 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to somewhere in the ballpark of 149 °F (65 °C). The exact temperature doesn’t matter since there is no mashing, just steeping. When at temperature, put all your character grains (everything except the malt extract) in a mesh bag and steep for 10 minutes. Remove bag, letting the liquid drip back into the kettle without squeezing the bag. When complete, dispose of your used grains and stir in half of the total volume of malt extract and lactic acid. Raise to a boil, add the bittering hop addition and sugar then boil for 60 minutes, adding the remainder of the DME with about 10 minutes remaining. At flameout, add the Cascade hops.

Rapidly chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) and transfer the wort to your fermenter, topping up with pre-boiled and chilled water to a volume of 5.5 gallons (21 L). 

Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Tips For Success
The better the source of the Bourbon or whiskey, the better the barrel-aged character will be in the finished product. Also, be sure to keep extra malt extract on hand to add in case the starting gravity comes in low.