This is my 3rd brew and i’m looking for a little guidance. With the bourbon barrel i got a OG of 1.7. 2.5 weeks of the primary i transferred to secondary and instead of waiting to put the bourbon/oak mixture in, i put that in as well, also I added a couple oz’s of vanilla. Today is the 5 week point, i tasted it and it was pretty damn good (FG- 1.2), not as much oak as i thought would come out and vanilla was ever so slightly a little strong. So heres my question, should i bottle now and let that conditioning start, or let it sit another week or 2? Will a few more weeks in a carboy make that big of a difference, and will having the oak in there for longer than 2 weeks hurt anything?
Vanilla will fade with time.
Bourbon will stay basically the same with time. (It will fade ever so slightly over time, its almost unoticable)
Oak will increase with time.
I say taste it weekly until you reach your desired oak and vanilla flavors, then bottle and drink
I agree with Greg. Vanilla fades FAST. For that reason I often allow more vanilla flavor to be infused.
