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So, obviously prompted by my wife's request...I'm assuming that I'll have to use a flavoring like this one? There's no other reasonable way that I can think of. Any clue how much to use? I've never used a flavoring in a beer.
My thought is to make a big batch of my Christmas caramel beer - I'm thinking 7 gallons. Put four gallons into a carboy, then a gallon and a half into two different plastic buckets. Leave the big batch as caramel only, treat one bucket with vanilla, treat one with vanilla and hazelnut.
For my base recipe, I'm looking at a high gravity beer (obviously) - as high as 1.090 ish. 70% maris otter, maybe a half pound of brown malt, layer British c malt in there heavily. Mash low, add in some table sugar to help dry it out - I'm looking at an FG of 1.015 or so. Bitter it to, say, close to 40 IBUs.
My thought is to make a big batch of my Christmas caramel beer - I'm thinking 7 gallons. Put four gallons into a carboy, then a gallon and a half into two different plastic buckets. Leave the big batch as caramel only, treat one bucket with vanilla, treat one with vanilla and hazelnut.
For my base recipe, I'm looking at a high gravity beer (obviously) - as high as 1.090 ish. 70% maris otter, maybe a half pound of brown malt, layer British c malt in there heavily. Mash low, add in some table sugar to help dry it out - I'm looking at an FG of 1.015 or so. Bitter it to, say, close to 40 IBUs.
I'm looking at a dry English yeast, and at reducing a nice part of the first runnings to syrup, so as to emphasize my caramel.
Any thoughts on any of it?
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by homebrewdad
Look up jamils hazelnut Porter.
Posted 34 days ago.
So... hazelnut extract?
Posted 34 days ago.
100% MO, boil for 4 hours, reduce runnings, decoct it if you want to be a heathen, anything to get hot side darkening and caramelization. Mash at normal temp...152ish? Dry English is fine. Just about any english strain should be fine actually. Bitter to 50-60 IBU with EKG. Age for 4 years. Caramel city right there...oh...you need it ready by december. Well, good luck with that. Kidding of course. 4 years of age will make for caramel city, but I think this will be pretty heavily caramel out of the box. You could bitter it less if you want it ready sooner.
I love brown malt as much as anybody, but in an amber beer I think it could be off putting at a pound. It's almost off putting in my Best Bitter at 4oz. Could be the malster though. I like Crisp better than Fawcett or Bairds or whatever this darker junk is I have right now.Posted 34 days ago.
I wonder if 50-60 IBUs would be wrong for someone who doesnt like beer. I guess it depends on what she doesnt like about beer.
Also, i wonder if going lower ABV would be a good idea. I assume his wife doesnt drink much, and she might get turned off to it if she gets too woozy from one beer. I dont know anything about Olan's wife, though. Maybe she likes wine or whatever and can handle the alcohol. *shrug*
Also, i wonder if going lower ABV would be a good idea. I assume his wife doesnt drink much, and she might get turned off to it if she gets too woozy from one beer. I dont know anything about Olan's wife, though. Maybe she likes wine or whatever and can handle the alcohol. *shrug*
Posted 34 days ago.
I would say absolutely 50-60 IBU is too much for someone who doesn't like beer. Bitterness is usually why people are turned off to beer. The beer I described will be practically undrinkable young, even for a seasoned beer drinker, but at 3-4 years old, it's heavenly.
Olan, I think you've said she drinks wine. What kind of wine does she usually drink?Posted 34 days ago.
smile.amazon.com/Raw-Oregon-Hazelnuts...
or these and roast to various levels for complexity. I am wondering if you should split batch those runnings and bring the gravity down a bit. You don't want her face melting from the booze (or maybe you do).
Posted 34 days ago.
That's a great link, ingoogni. Basically what I'm doing with the vanilla beans. I wonder, though - will I have the issues of head retention with the infusion method? We all know that oil is the enemy of head.
My wife will drink a sweeter wine from time to time, but let's be honest - she's more of a liquor girl. I'm not too worried about her reaction to the booze, it's more a flavor thing. I do think that a less bitter beer is probably in order.
Dan, I listed a half pound of brown, not a pound. I feel like a half pound in a seven gallon batch of big brown shouldn't be too much. Think I should cut it down?
Hmm, interesting observations on the British crystal. I was definitely looking at Crisp. I've found it to be more flavorful than the Briess stuff, though I've always used it basically as a one to one swap. Does anyone else agree with Dan's assessment here?
Posted 34 days ago.
Reduce gravity, maybe so. Maybe I should make this a decent sized caramel beer, not just for her sake, but for the turnaround time; I can't age it for years.
As I mentioned, Dan, she'll do wine every now and then. It's usually some kind of sweeter blush wine, usually only a glass or two. Now, she'll sip (shoot?) some whiskey, put down way too many white Russians, etc.
Posted 34 days ago.
has she had milk stout or something like it? I'd think if she likes mixed drinks she might be into something with less bitterness and some sweet/maltyness? Not really sure.
Posted 34 days ago.
The dance you are walking here is a cloyingly sweet crystal bomb and a big bodied beer. Not saying it should be dry, but that brown malt doesn't attenuate well, and lots of crystal. Even with a long low rest, it's going to finish high. I would walk back the gravity, and use a yeast that really accentuates the malts and adds a lot of fruity esters (I LOVE West Yorkshire for this - especially roused).
Occasionally, Black Sheep makes a Winter Warmer that is a lovely mahogany color. It's MO, Extra Dark Crystal, EKG/Styrians and a variety of spices, but only about 5%. And that Yorkshire yeast really brings up the mouthfeel and floral fruity ester profile.
Posted 34 days ago.
I agree that I'm walking a fine line. I was thinking about mashing low and adding table sugar to help dry it out a bit. Hmm.
Posted 34 days ago.
Nothing like making you question and doubt :) you asked!
Posted 34 days ago.
lol, no kidding. Seriously, though - I appreciate all of the input.
Posted 34 days ago.