adding liquor to make a "sipping beer"

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BaronIV

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OK, so heres my idea. I was thinking of making some kind of barleywine style beer somewhere in the "amber" spectrum and once its fermented out, adding some kind of alcohol to boost the abv, but also help keep it smooth. I was thinking some sort of high end sipping whiskey or rum. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on the idea? feel free to tell me this is just a stupid idea too. (i randomly thought of this while laying in bed one day.)

and also i plan on bottling this out of my keg so i can have a very small, yet noticable amount of carbonation in the beverage. I was thinking just over 1 volume.

p.s. i would like this to something that i pour over ice and am able to sip on like i nice whiskey (but still be drinking beer).
 
An interesting idea, but frankly I'd think any amount that would make a notable increase in abv would overtake the beer flavor pretty quick.
 
I think this sounds great. I would go with an intense Scotch like the 12 year Laphroaig with a lot of peat smoke and spice. A smoky, super-high abv barleywine would definitely be something different.
 
I dunno, would have to experiment. A fifth or two in five gallons shouldn't be that overpowering unless it's a really wimpy barleywine. I guess you could get the same flavors by using some peat smoked malt, throwing some toasted oak in the secondary, and boosting the abv with neutral spirits. This way you can control the oak and smoke balance without having to experiment with several recipes.
 
Why not just make a super high gravity beer? Ferment with a turbo yeast to get everything out of it. Did this with a Triple Bock used three types of yeast last being a turbo up to 23% at that point it wouldn't carbonate. Strong like a brandy, was good cold, never tried it on ice...........my .02
 
An interesting idea, but frankly I'd think any amount that would make a notable increase in abv would overtake the beer flavor pretty quick.

Allagash curieux is the tripel aged in bourbon barrels and gets about a 2% abv boost from the bourbon, along with some color. It's the same effect as just adding bourbon. At least that's what the rep told me.
 
You mean like a bourbon stout?!? It's not like it's all that rare....

IMG_1877.jpg
 
Why not just make a super high gravity beer? Ferment with a turbo yeast to get everything out of it.

Definitely don't use turbo yeast to start the fermentation. In fact, I wouldn't use it at all - it produces some pretty nasty stuff.
 
Thanks for the input everyone, i may just try the smoked peat moss and oak idea to get some of the flavors i want. Like i said, i just thought of the idea while laying in bed.
 
I think it's a cool idea but I just think that something like 25oz (a fifth) in 5gal will totally overwhelm your beer and you'll get some sort of weird hybrid beverage that won't be satisfying. I'd say if you want to pull this off you should do a couple small scale experiments so you don't waste too much of anything... maybe brew the beer like you're thinking and split the batch adding some scotch to half and leaving the other half alone or something.
 
I'm just a noob brewer, but have had a plethora of beers fortified with another alcohol. I seem to enjoy a lot of barleywines aged in bourbon barrels. I'd just soak 1-2 oz oak chips in a pint of GOOD whiskey (Woodford, Basil Hayden, Makers is probably the bottom end) and add them to the secondary with the some of the whiskey. Depending on how much of the pint you use youll definitely want to age it out a bit. The Scotch idea sounds good, but I haven't ever had any, so I can't say for certain. If it were me, although it is my favorite single malt, I'd shy away from Islay malts like Laphroig or Bowmore. I'd go with something more neutral like Dahlwinie (sp?) maybe. Just my .02
 
i like to make alchahol not add it. my whiskey stout is made with chips from an old barrel. ive thought about "spicing it up" with some makers mark bourbon but i dont know if im gonna or not
 
I think it's a cool idea but I just think that something like 25oz (a fifth) in 5gal will totally overwhelm your beer and you'll get some sort of weird hybrid beverage that won't be satisfying.

+1

Maybe try adding 4oz at a time. Soaking oak chips/cubes in a liquor and adding them afterwards is a good idea as well. Just don't add too much, once you do you can't take it back out again!
 
I can't believe the amounts some of you are talking about. whole 5ths? Pints? The last post was closest. I'm going to brew a dark ale, & At the same time,take 4 ounces of medium toast French oak chips that'll be soaked with 3jiggers,maybe 4 of Beam's Black 8 year old bourbon in a sealed container. When the ale reaches FG,transfer to secondary & pour chips & liquor through a hop sock over secondary,then tie off & toss in. Seal sec bucket & let sit for a week,then taste to determine if more time is needed.
Then prime & bottle as usual. Then I'd leave them till September or so.
 
a 5th is way to much. dont add nothing and have a shot with every beer instead, at least the beer wont be ruined. in my opinion
 
I respectfully disagree with those posters recommending you go low. I made a 5 gallon batch of pseudo baltic porter that got a wopping 8 ounces of toasted American oak chips that were soaked in a pint of bourbon in the secondary plus the whole pint at bottling. By all accounts it's one of the best beers I've made, and that includes some pretty tasty ones. The result was even more subtle and delicious than I was expecting, but this may have to do with the fact that it was aged in the bottles for over a year. Since you would doubtless be doing the same with your barleywine, I think it will turn out nice with a big dose of whiskey. Of course you should experiment at bottling to see what you like if you go that route.
 
One time I mixed trois pistoles with amaretto, 'twas good.
 
+1 Beerlogic's last post. My buddy does 10oz burboun + 2oz oak in a extra stout. I think it tastes grand w/ 6-8 months on it. You're starting to see I think that there probably isn't a consensus in the brewing community on exactly what to do. Lots o booze in your beer is some people's bag, but certainly not everyone's. Only way to see if it is yours is experimentation.
 
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