Start with a good Stout base (reuse Up and Over Oatmeal? Smooth and silky)
Use cherry puree instead of cherry extract (would taste like cough syrup)
Used 2/3rd of a cherry concentrate bottle. From Harris Teeter
Use lactose sugars 1lb bag
Use chocolate coco powder (1/3rd at 60 min 1/3rd at 10 min)
-Will use last 1/3rd during 3rd week
Good thread for base recipe
Stop hop addition around 30 min mark. Don't want to overpower the chocolate/cherry aspect.
Get a yeast to accentuate the fruit aspect.
Wyeast 2450PC
Denny’s Favorite 50
A mainstay of one of our local homebrewers, Mr. Denny Conn, this terrific all-round yeast can be used for almost any style beer. It is unique in that it produces a big mouthfeel and helps accentuate the malt, caramel, or fruit character of a beer without being sweet or under-attenuating. A great yeast for extract brewers and for fruit beers.
Attenuation 74-76%
Alc. Tolerance 10%
Flocculation low
Temperature Range 60-70ºF (15-21ºC)
Consider cinnamon and or nutmeg for Christmasy flavor
9/17/11 -
Using a swamp cooler and T-Shirt this time around for some semblance of temp control.
Also made sure to use a blow off tube in anticipation of a hellacious fermentation.
Hydrometer reading at apprx 6 gal was 10%. I think the lactose factors out as it is unfermentable.
10/07/11 -
OG 1.080
Gravity as of 10/07/11 - 1.030
11/12/11 -
FG 1.030
| Temp Corrected | Scale | UnCorrected | |
| Original: | 1.081 | Specific Gravity | 1.08 |
| Final: | 1.031 | Specific Gravity | 1.03 |
| Alcohol By Weight: | 5.4 % | ||
| Alcohol By Volume: | 6.7 % |
First time I kegged into a CO2 rich keg environment. Hopefully this will cut down on air bubbles.
Tastes exactly the way I wanted it to. Smells heavy of chocolate, tastes a hint of chocolate and sweet cherries. No off tastes of note!
Putting away till Dec. 1st with tastes along the way to see how it matures.
