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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Batch #5: Very Merry Chocolate Cherry Christmas Stout Brainstorm


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 CorrectedScaleUnCorrected
Original:1.081Specific Gravity1.08
Final:1.031Specific Gravity1.03
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.

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