Black Jelly Bean Beer

OK. So I love black jelly beans. They're my favorite flavor. I also love black licorice and Jagermeister, not surprisingly. I'd like to make a black jelly bean beer. This will be an extract brew.

So far, Revvy has suggested melting black jelly beans in a double boiler and someone else (hey, I have trouble with my own name, so...) suggested black licorice or licorice root.

I've put dried licorice root in a stout (or was it a porter?) and the licorice taste did not carry through. It was put it in as a late addition to the wort. This was a small pack. Like a fat dime bag worth.

Revvy also suggested a Belgian wit beer. I do like wheat beers. Sometimes. Some are just blah. Breckenridge Agave Wheat is great and the Widmer Brothers stuff is good to. Of course, so is Shiner Hefeweizen. I'm thinking something like that may be too lemony and orangery though. Maybe I'll melt some black jelly beans and put them in the Agave Wheat to get an idea. For sure, probably, I want a beer that doesn't have a flavor that over rides the black jelly beans or just doesn't go well. I'm thinking a neutral flavor beer. Yeah. OK.

Well, I'm off to search extract wit beer recipes. Now appreciating suggestions for the whole recipe.

Have you looked into anise extract? Anise is what gives it that black liquorice flavor.

I will double that comment about the anise seed. I't doesn't just have to be extract, it can bee the entire star, or ground up. 1 should do for a 5 gal. batch, but if you love black licorice so much you might what to try 2.

Hey, look:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/ground-star-anise-how-much-139310/

I was down at my local hippie food store the other day buying hibiscus and I noticed they sold dried licorice roots. I don't particularly care for the taste of it, but those roots REEKED of licorice - might try soaking some roots in hot water and adding that to secondary.

Edit: Didn't realize u already tried this.

I have some black licorice candies that are 97% pure licorice compressed into pellets. They give a very, very strong licorice taste (like a kick in the mouth).

You could try dissolving some into your wort, always being able to add more flavour than removing...

They go by different names: Italian Licorice, Spezzatina, Cachou licorice

5 tins would be overkill but this is what they look like.
http://www.amazon.com/Cachou-Lajaunie-Licorice-5-tins/dp/B0008JEZ18

Id go with the extract flavoring at bottling time. More control over the final project.


He said fat dime bag Ha Ha!!!

+1 on the anise. Its what they make Ouzo out of. I put some in my flask and had to throw away the gasket in the cap because I couldn't get the smell out. Its strong stuff.

If you have never had Ouzo you should try it its a 100 proof black licorice bomb!

sub-zero said:

If you have never had Ouzo you should try it its a 100 proof black licorice bomb!

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Is it similar to Sambuca? Greek vs. Italian?

Just dump a bottle of Sambuca in a bottling time. Flavor and boost of ABV!

I still maintain what I suggested in the other thread...If you want to make a Jelly Bean beer, then melt down real jellybeans.

Revvy said:

My nephew who was the vitner of a large homebrew club used to make some really awesome schnapps by melting in a double boiler Jolly rancher candies, and adding that to a liquor base.

You could try something similar, melt down some jelly beans (whatever your favorite brand is..don't go cheap) with some water in a double boiler....I don't know where I would add it though, in the boil, in primary after fermentation slows down, or add it in secondary (probably not, 'cause you don't really use a secondary for a wit, since you want some cloudiness.)

I guess I would add it to my primary after the krausen fell.

Now I don't know how much to use though....it depends on how liccorice like you want it....I would boil/dissolve whatever amount in about two cups of water.

Hmmm...I wonder if you could use it as your priming solution at bottling time?!?!

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All a jellybean is is flavored sugar so melt it down into an "extract" with water and add it to the beer, in either the boil, after krausen fall in primary, in secondary, or at bottling time....


I mean if you are going to call it a jelly bean beer, then use the real thing. Just like a Real pumpkin ale has pumpkin in it....anything else is just a "pumpkin spiced ale."

Just to make sure were all on the right page, Licorice IS NOT star anise.

Licorice comes from the root of a woody legume (Glycyrrhiza sp.) I've used the root in a stout and it came through pretty well. I believe it was 2 oz or root. You can find large bags of this in larger Asian markets. It's kind of fun to chew on the root. I has kind of a saccharine-like taste (from the glycyrrhizin).

I'll second dauntless on the licorice extract - potent stuff, easy to work with. Any health/natural food/herbal shop will probably have something similar. I got mine at a place called "natures pantry" It is reputed to be a natural cough suppressant.

I'd actually go against tradition and not use it in a stout, the roasted grains would cover up the licorice too much - maybe some debittered black malt for color - or go with Sinimar. I think a Scotch ale might be a good base style. A licorice bock - or doppelbock might be quite interesting

I'm diggin' these suggestions.

I suppose, a beer made with actual factual black jelly beans would be a black jelly bean beer. One made with the ingredients of black jelly beans would be a black jelly bean flavored beer. A notable exception would be that a beer made with black jelly beans would contain corn syrup from the jelly beans and one made with the ingredients would not. Unless corn syrup was added as an ingredient, and I wouldn't do that. To split the hair further, we can examine what's in the black jelly beans used; real licorice root, anise or artificial flavoring. Ockham would say use black jelly beans and get on with it.

I'll try an extract witbieren of sorts, complete with home grown coriander. Black jelly beans will be added to the boiling wort which will be tasted as it cooks. After that, I may add melted black jelly beans to the primary or secondary (if used) and maybe at bottling. It depends on how things taste along the way. This'll happen next Friday or the Friday after.

I'd like to try licorice root again and anise sounds like a flavor I'd like too. It's in Jagermeister, so it must be good.

What say ye?

This link has absinthe recipes they are very licorice like in flavor and have ingredients in decent proportions to each other, you just have to scale back the whole recipe. Also you might want to omit the wormwood and leave the bitterness to the hops.
Licorice contains a chemical that not only tastes like licorice but is an artificial sweetener (Glycyrrhizin) so if you want a drier beer you should rely more heavily on anise/fennel for flavor.

http://www.feeverte.net/recipes.html

Get licorice root and slice it up into several small pieces and soak them in vodka for a month or more. Then use a 1/4-1 cup of this when you bottle. I'd taste it first though. Just add it to the bottling bucket with your priming solution.

I'd do this in a lighter beer like a wit as Revvy suggested. This might also be good in a porter once you know how strong it will be.

I once had a barleywine that had a definite licorice taste. I believe it was New Mexican or a Santa Fe brew called Chicken Killer.

I think coriander + black jelly beans sounds like a great combo! I'd be tempted to try the combo itelf as a snack to get the ratio right. Pop a jelly bean and 1 coriander seed in your mouth and chew. If the coriander is too strong, try it again with two jelly beans to 1 coriander. Keep going until you find a ratio you like. Then use that to figure out how many Jelly beans to add. There's lots of info on how much coriander to put in a wit, but not Black Jelly beans. I'd go for a wit that was on the heavy side of coriander use.

The other spice/snack that might be intersting to use is the little "mix" one can often find at Indian restaurants. It often has fennel seed and some little mini licorice candies that are like miniature Good and Plentys. Mmmmm...... Good and Plenty beer.

I've got a NB extra pale ale kit that I did about two months ago and the longer it sits the more it starts to taste like black licorice to me. I think it is just the cascade mellowing out and possibly the fruitiness of the wyeast nw yeast.
I like the idea of addding sambuca or jäger to a beer. It could be like a winter warmer.

pjj2ba said:

I think coriander + black jelly beans sounds like a great combo! I'd be tempted to try the combo itelf as a snack to get the ratio right. Pop a jelly bean and 1 coriander seed in your mouth and chew. If the coriander is too strong, try it again with two jelly beans to 1 coriander. Keep going until you find a ratio you like. Then use that to figure out how many Jelly beans to add. There's lots of info on how much coriander to put in a wit, but not Black Jelly beans. I'd go for a wit that was on the heavy side of coriander use.

The other spice/snack that might be intersting to use is the little "mix" one can often find at Indian restaurants. It often has fennel seed and some little mini licorice candies that are like miniature Good and Plentys. Mmmmm...... Good and Plenty beer.

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Good & Plenty Beer!!!! How Fricken Awesome. That just sounds wonderful. I think the fennel and corriander might be good late addition in a wit.

Killian_77 said:

I've got a NB extra pale ale kit that I did about two months ago and the longer it sits the more it starts to taste like black licorice to me. I think it is just the cascade mellowing out and possibly the fruitiness of the wyeast nw yeast.
I like the idea of addding sambuca or jäger to a beer. It could be like a winter warmer.

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Another good trial balloon. Sambuca or Jägerboiler makers in an American wheat. Might make urban-312 taste better. Nice match with BLVD

My LHBS sells "brewers licorice". I'm surprised nobody brought this stuff up already in the thread.

Here it is at AHS: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=494

Couple comments here...first off, there are a few other ingredients in jelly beans that may or may not make them easy to melt for flavoring.

And if you go the flavoring route, I'd do it like most other flavorings. Make a tea of sorts with the item, black jelly bean, licorice from the brew store, licorice flavoring, whatever .. make a strong tea with it. Then at bottling add a little bit and mix it, until you like the flavor.

Licorice is a strong flavor that can quickly overcome your beer if you don't watch out.

Seems to me like it would go best with a porter, stout or possibly a barley wine.

cheers
~r~

OK, so, like most of my plans this one did not go according to. Couldn't find bags of all black jelly beans. Almost went with Good N Plenty. Found Special Reserve black licorice candy at Kroger. It's imported from Australia. Whatever. At least it's not Twizzler. It's pretty tasty. I got 21 oz. This is now black licorice beer.

Recipe for 2 gallons in case it sucks.

Wort
2 pounds cracked wheat for steeping
1 pound Muntons light DME
7 oz Special Reserve black licorice candy
1 oz (thereabout) Hersbrucker hops. No reason. It's what I had and it smelled good- for hops, anyway. Me no hop-head.

Yeast
Safeale US-05 yeast made into a starter last night using water and some of the DME. This is my go to yeast if I don't know what else to use.

I boiled all that up, cooled it, added the yeast and put it in primary.

After primary I'll taste to see if it needs some more licorice at secondary and then taste again before bottling.

To melt the licorice, I decided to boil it down in water. Easier said than done. After 30 minutes on medium, I still had chunks of candy. To heck with. In the boil you go. 60 minutes later, I had cat crap. Actually, if my cat crapped like this, I'd take it to the vet. I put the soft gooey chunks in the primary.

Initial tastes. Grassy licorice.

I expect this will be around 3% ABV.

Damn the Sambuca idea was taken...lol

Still in primary. Tasted yesterday. Still grassy licorice.

2.9% abv going into secondary.

Don't microwave licorice candy. Actually. Go ahead. Do it. Your smoke detectors need testing anyway.

I did a double boiler type thing to melt it this time. It still took forever. Over an hour and a half at least and it's still not all melted.

Still think that if anyone wants to try this, just get some brewers licorice from the LHBS...

I'd have consulted some Root Beer recipes to see how they do it. Melted black jelly beans?

I put it in the Coors plastic jug party pig not really a keg thing tonight. The grasy taste is gone. It now tastes like beer and bitter licorice. Maybe too much hops.

Still 2.9% abv even after sitting in secondary with the other 7oz of licorice. I ate the third 7oz.

oh god i don't like licorice and just reading this thread is making my mouth salivate in an attempt to get the non-existent flavor out of my mouth.

but i love your adventurous spirit!

Well, looks like you brewed this already. A member of my club made a licorice porter. Jesus that thing tasted like you were sucking on 20 black jelly beans. I'll ask him what he did.

On a side note, another member of my club made a Jolly Rancher beer. Actually, both of these were for a "strange brew" competition we had. He threw the Jolly Ranchers into a secondary and racked on top without melting them. He said they dissolved fine.

This crap is nasty. It tastes like black licorice, ok. But not like black licorice candy. No sweetness. Quite bitter, really. Too hoppy too. The only redeeming quality to it is that it tastes like nothing you'll find in a store. Maybe it will age well. Ha!

Oh, and using candy, it turns out, is a legitimate idea. There is a recipe in the book Radical Brewing that uses Life Savers.

I used some "glass candy" that my bride made a few weeks ago in a holiday beer. This "glass candy" is actually akin to Belgian Candi Sugar, and she had added anise oil to it. The anise/licorice flavor was prominent in the brew, though I haven't tasted it yet (except for a sip of the last hydro sample). I am interested to see if it remains in the finished brew.

I working on a baltic porter that I've added anise and licorice root too. yes the brewer's licorice root from my lhbs. it tastes good so far everytime i've tried it. it is appraching the end of week three in primary. going to try to keg/bottle it soon i think