Dragon's Milk - Page 2

JSomps6 · 03-15-2010, 06:17 PM

I have been doing some reading have seen some places that the recipe calls for lactose. Anybody have thoughts on that?

**uwjester** · 03-15-2010, 06:26 PM

I think lactose would be a good guess in this beer. Lactose is unfermentable sugar and will add to the sweetness of the beer. Generally used in milk (sweet) stouts, so perfect for this recipe. I'm not sure about the above recipe though, it seems like there was some disagreement on it.

valicious · 04-07-2010, 05:19 PM

I'm about to transfer this to the secondary, but I have a quick question about the whole JB and oak chips. I just start soaking them the day before I transfer, then toss them in? (I'll use a hop bag of course) Should I toss in the JB that it was soaking in too?

I've never had Dragon's Milk, but lactose seems like it would be a good addition to balance this out a bit. I'll try adding 4oz. Would you guys suggest adding it into the secondary or at kegging?

JSomps6 · 04-07-2010, 05:32 PM

I don't think you want to add the JB it was soaking in... You might want to add an additional ounce or two of JB for that whiskey taste.

As for the lactose I've thought about it... I don't believe the BYO recipe calls for it, and it is not a milk stout... however you are right, it might help balance it out. I'd try it, then you can let me know how it came out!

I'm trying to develop a clone of this myself and will hopefully be going to the brewery soon to see if I can get some additional information. I'll keep this thread posted if I get more information from any of the brewers.

JSomps6 · 08-10-2010, 06:13 PM

valicious - how did it come out?

I think New Holland will be doing a batch soon and I hope to get some yeast from them and give it a shot. Anything you'd change?

jschweiss · 08-30-2010, 01:07 AM

JSomps6 - I followed the recipe from BYO pretty closely (had to use some Pale DME because of some equipment limitations) and the smell from the primary makes is similar to the real deal, minus the whiskey/bourbon aroma. I'll let you know more as it comes along. I've been sitting on a few bottles to do a proper comparison, even though it hurts my soul to pass them over every time I open the refrigerator.

jschweiss · 09-19-2010, 09:09 PM

I just bottled this beer a few days ago and I have to say that the BYO recipe is pretty close in flavor and appearance. I used two packs of S-04 and let it ferment at basement temps, which hit around 70 this summer. I would not add any lactose as I don't feel that it is necessary. I added the bourbon the oak chips soaked in and feel that it really helped nail the profile. I'm curious to see how it turns out after it has a chance to rest in the bottle for a while.

JSomps6 · 11-10-2010, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jschweiss

I just bottled this beer a few days ago and I have to say that the BYO recipe is pretty close in flavor and appearance. I used two packs of S-04 and let it ferment at basement temps, which hit around 70 this summer. I would not add any lactose as I don't feel that it is necessary. I added the bourbon the oak chips soaked in and feel that it really helped nail the profile. I'm curious to see how it turns out after it has a chance to rest in the bottle for a while.

Well it's been a few weeks, thoughts?

jschweiss · 11-16-2010, 12:14 AM

So, my first thought is that I may have added a bit too much bourbon for it to be a spot-on clone. However, I'm not going to complain. Due to my grain limitations, I had to adjust the recipe as follows:

American Munich 1.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
American chocolate malt 0.67 lb, Grain, Mashed
American two-row 10.00 lb, Grain, Mashed
American wheat 0.25 lb, Grain, Mashed
Crystal 120L 0.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
Crystal 80L 0.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
Flaked oats 0.50 lb, Adjunct, Mashed
Light D.M.E. 3.00 lb, Extract, Extract

Columbus 0.75 oz, Pellet, 60 minutes
Willamette 0.50 oz, Pellet, 10 minutes

I mashed at 154 and ended up with an OG of 1.095 and an FG of 1.020. I think the mouthfeel and sweetness levels are quite good so I wouldn't consider adding lactose. The color and aroma are remarkably close and the flavor profile is very similar. I used McAfee's Benchmark Old No.8 instead of Maker's since it's an awesomely good bourbon for the money, but I probably shouldn't have added the bourbon that I soaked the oak chips in and some additional bourbon at bottling.

All in all, the process created a delicious beer, gave me a great learning experience, and landed me a bundle of beer for a lot less than $3.50 per bottle.

JSomps6 · 02-04-2011, 08:22 PM

Okay - think I'm finally going to brew this on Sunday. After looking at New Hollands' website they say it starts at 23* Plato which is roughly 1090. So I bumped my 2 row to get me there. If it's starting at 1090, what can I expect it to finish at? I plan to mash at 155/156 to keep some residual sweetness. I'm going pitch two vials into a one gallon starter tonight. I figured if I can get it down to 1020, I'll be in good shape. Sound about right?