« Reply #15 on: May 22, 2012, 09:49:45 am »
My 2 cents...
Wine doesn't seem to be a good choice by itself. Some vinegars are made from wine. So obviously acetobacter has no issue with the alcohol levels in wine. In fact Balsamic Vinegar is made from red wine stored in Oak Barrels for decades. Acetobacter does need oxygen to convert the alcohol to vinegar. If you want the wine flavor try steaming the oak or putting it in a pressure cooker. Then you have sanitized oak that you can soak in wine or whatever. Make sure the container is topped off to limit oxygen as much as possible.
I've used cubes and chips over the years and always start out by steaming them first. Then I soak directly in the beer or another alcohol to pick up the flavor I want.
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Sean Railing
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