the_sloth

Recipes 

I have an idea for a recipe that I would like to try and am very interested in getting some feed back for proceedure, amounts, aging, etc.

so here is my idea....I want to brew a beer that would be similar to a muddled old fashioned made with maker's mark. I am flying by the seat of my pants here. I want to brew some thing that will be somewhat orangy, yet not terribly wheaty. I am using rye grain, crystal malt, sweet dried orange peel with a light LME, citra hops and Belgian Ardennes wyeast. I am going to ferment as usual, then transfer to a new white oak barrel that has been lightly toasted.
I want to incorporate maker's mark into the mix, but do not know when, how, or how much for a five gallon batch. I thought once the aging process is done, which I also have no idea how long to age the beer, I would bottle with a maracchino cherry and a few splashes of bitters into each bottle.
anyone out there ever try something crazy like this? Input, suggestions, past experiences???

aseg

Recipes 

This sounds pretty awesome! I made a strong ale once where I put in a pint of Mr. Beam. It was very whiskey-y. I think that the oak aging that you are doing will be sufficient to get the right amount of whiskey flavor without over-powering it.

That said, you probably want to stick to the "old fashioned" so I would say add 1/2 Cup to the secondary would do it. Or even better - soak the cherries in a maker's mark and bitters solution for a while and bottle with that!

Mugsfull

Recipes 

I made a big stout last year with Makers Mark. I still have a jealous few left. This beer was scary at first but at 6 months it was amazing. It was supposed to be a version of bourbon barrel stout. My friends drank a few with me and later named it, "Death Trap".

I think it is now sublime. I open 1 12 oz bottle periodically and enjoy it in a brandy glass. Its rich, dark and 1 is all you need!

Here's about what happened.

Partial Mash at 152F
4.5 pale malt
1 choc malt
.25 roasted Barley
.25 Flaked Oats

6 lbs Light LME

3 oz Hallertau (was what I had on hand) 60, 20 and 5 mins.

Nottingham dry yeast.
Primary:
3 weeks
Secondary: Pour in 2 full cups of Makers Mark
4 weeks later
Boil some Oak Chips 4 oz. toss em in and go 7 more days.

Bottle and forget about it for 6 months.

Mikethepoolguy

Recipes 

After primary is complete it doesn't matter when you add the bourbon. You can do it a month before bottling or just add when filling a glass. After primary it is just a blend and does nothing to the beer itself.

if you are going to add it to bulk beer I would suggest you start light. You can always add more later.

Don't put bourbon in a primary.

You can put bourbon in as a 0min addition, you will lose the alcohol, but retain much of the flavor.

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the_sloth

Recipes 

batch has been brewed, thank you for input. now i just need to be patient.

@aseq nice suggestion on soaking the cherries, I am certainly going that route!

any suggestions on how long to age in barrel? get varying time frames, i do want the barrel to impart its flavor upon the sweet nectar. it is a five gallon batch, i understand that the oak will do its magic quicker but still how long? prepping barrel now, soaking it swell, man it smelled devine, this is exciting.

aseg

Recipes 

I think it depends on how old/used the barrel is amongst other variables. You should taste it daily for sure though.

the_sloth

Recipes 

brand new never used barrel, all bourbonie-like offical.

there is so much conflicting information on this.

also think a pint of makers is the right amount to add to secondary (the barrel)?

aseg

Recipes 

Are you going to "season" the barrel first? With a brand new barrel, I would think it would be between 1 and 3 days.

For the bourbon, I would start with 1 cup - a pint will likely be too much with the oak.

the_sloth

Recipes 

by season do you mean soaking with water swelling up and sealing said barrel? if so yes, that is currently being done. I washed out loose char, then soaked. it is sealed, but i left the water in as I know it should not dry out and plan on adding wort this weekend.

aseg

Recipes 

Yup, that is what I meant. That will likely tone down the oakiness a bit, but it will still be really assertive.