Anyone ever oak a sparkling cider?

[Test_Engineer]

I was thinking about putting one of my ciders on some oak before bottling, but I'm not so sure how that would taste. The plan is to make them sparkling and put them in champagne bottles. I don't think I have ever tried a oaked beverage that has that high of carbination(4 volumes or so).

Would the oak and the carbination volume, just be way too much? Are Rose' sparkling wines aged in oak or stainless? I have one cider that has a ton of black rasperries in it, and that was the one I was considering the oak, as it is more like a wine than a traditional cider.

Any comments?

[Bugeater]

I've not done it myself, but I have had a commercial one that was really good. Oak Aged Woodchuck cider is pretty tasty. Much better than the regular. I think what the oak does is mask the flavor of a less than optimal blend of apples.

Wayne

[Test_Engineer]

I've not done it myself, but I have had a commercial one that was really good. Oak Aged Woodchuck cider is pretty tasty. Much better than the regular. I think what the oak does is mask the flavor of a less than optimal blend of apples.

Wayne

Was it a high carbonation level? I guess I am worried about the combination of the "sourness/bite" of the carbonation, and the aroma of the oak being too powerful of a combination. Typically when you think of oaked beverages, you think of very low carbonation.


I have a 3oz bag of medium toast Hungarian Oak just begging to do something, so I thought this might be an interesting time to use it.

[hotrod38]

I have used oak in my New England cider. I took French oak cubes, med toast. and soaked them in Whiskey for a couple of months. When I was ready to keg the cider, I used 1 1/2 oz of cubes. I placed them in a nylon stocking and tossed them into the keg. I like to let the cubes sit in there for the duration. If you use the right amount of cubes, the flavor is just right. Not over powering.