1. Heat Strike Water to achieve Mash Temp of 66°C (~6°C above strike).
2. Add minerals to Strike or Foundation water.
3. Begin mashing in. Measure the mash pH (once all the grain is added) to achieve 5.2-5.5 (adjust with 1 mL additions of 88% lactic acid, if required).
4. Mash at 66°C for 60 mins. Confirm no residual starches remain.
5. Batch sparge with 78°C water until kettle volume is achieved (or stop runoff when the last runnings drop below 1.010 and pH rises above 5.75).
6. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops and kettle finings at indicated times.
7. At End Of Boil, whirlpool while chilling (immersion style) or for 10 mins, stand 15 mins or until chilled to pitching temperature.
8. Transfer to fermenter at 18°C, oxygenating wort (inline or via aeration in fermenter).
9. Rehydrate and pitch yeast as per manufacturer's recommendations. Ferment at 18°C for the first 3-4 days.
10. Raise the fermentation temperature to 19°C on day 5. When Specific Gravity points (1.5-2.0Po) from the predicted Final Gravity(FG), cap the fermentation. This is best achieved through use of a spunding valve set to ~7-8PSIG.
11. When FG is reached (i.e. no change in gravity after 48hrs; no gas release from the spunding valve) raise the fermentation set point to 20°C for at least 48hrs to diacetyl rest.
12. 48-72hrs after the VDK rest (i.e. Taste No Diacetyl), Crash to 6-8°C.
13. Dump the bulk of the yeast cake or rack the beer into a CO2 purged secondary containing the oak cubes.
14. Oak Toasting, Charring, and Aging:

Toasting your Oak:  Place the cubes in a clean stainless steel roasting tray, and bake at 165°C for 30-60mins depending on the toast level you desire.

Charring your Oak:  Char a portion (~50% of the total cubes) using a propane torch. Lightly burn this portion of cubes, being careful not to over char it. Keep in mind the average oak barrel only burns for between 5 – 25 seconds. Only charring half will also protect against over-charring.

Aging: You can simply add your freshly Toasted and Charred cubes to your fermenter/ secondary vessel and condition on the oak at 6-8°C. If the secondary is pressurizable, another option is to “speed age” the beer by cycling the beer for several days to weeks at both chilled (4-8°C) and ambient (~18-20°C) temperatures. This attempts to replicate the seasonal variation oak barrels experience.

1. Taste the beer on a weekly basis until the desired level of Oak character is achieved.
2. Keg or bottle condition - your choice?. Aim for 2.45-2.6 volumes of CO2.