Whoa. Will age help?

Wine thief'd my 2nd ever brew today, peppermint chocolate stout, and whoa is it bitter, chocolatey, and pepperminty. Haha. First off I love a good stout, this kit started off a Midwests Irish Stout and I added 8oz pure unsweetened nestle cocoa and 10 peppermint tea bags at 10min to flameout. Boy did it smell good. At 2 weeks in primary I took a sample, very bitter but hardly any peppermint, added 1 tbsp of pure peppermint extract, gently swirled Carboy and let sit another week. Today, 3 weeks in primary, I pulled a sample, (OG of 1.060) and final gravity was 1.010. It looks like pretty well settled in the Carboy so I took a sniff, holy crap peppermint. Took a sip, bitter chocolate and hella mint. Taste similar to a York pattie lol.

Let it chill in the fridge over nigh and it seemed a little better chilled, but will this meld over time? Maybe calm down a little? It drinkable but definitely a sipping* beer.

Edit: also, i will be the first to admit to being a newb, but don't feel like I should be burned for it, not that anyone has, but I know a thread has been started talking about adding things to kits, am I butthurt? Not at all, I'm willing to learn anything. I did however do my research, and actually followed a recipe here on the forum, on my phone or I would link it, that the op stated 8oz of cocoa and 2tbsp of pure peppermint extract. Instead unused 1tbsp and 10 pep tea bags. So, it's not like I blindly went throwing additives in my beer expecting it to come out tasting like candy, I wanted a winter beer with a little Christmas spirit.

Thanks for all replies.

Your beer's not even carbed yet....you can't tell ANYTHING about a beer until it's been carbed and bottle conditioned. Your beer still has a long journey to go. Relax and see it through.

8 oz of cocoa powder seems like a ton to me. And so does 10 peppermint tea bags.

I just did a double chocolate stout and used 2 oz of cocoa powder and it has a little bitterness to it. The bitterness might not be from the cocoa powder but with 8 oz my guess is that's what made it bitter.

It will definitely mellow out a little with bottle conditioning. It might take some time so be patient.

Go for broke -- start another carboy WITHOUT the added flavors, then mix prior to secondary fermentation.

While I'm sure some of the flavors will mellow greatly with age, my guess is you're stuck with too much chocolate and peppermint.

And for future reference, when trying experiments, think smaller -- invest in some 1 gallon bottles, then resize the recipe after you've worked out all the kinks.

I'm definitely learning the patience trait as I go. And yeah, I thought 8oz was quite a bit as well. I was following a recipe thread here on HBT, but I'm on phone or I would link it...

I'm definitely going to see it through, as I wanted something strong and stout for winter, I saw peppermint chocolate as the perfect fireside brew for me and my wife. We both agree it's drinkable as is, but would definitely change the recipe next time around.

Thanks for the advice, but what is your opinion on letting it age in secondary vs going ahead and bottling it, conditioning and letting it age there?

I think you went a little overboard on the peppermint... the tea bags were fine but peppermint extract is crazy potent stuff, and I don't think that will tone down much.

Btw a session beer is something you would drink pint after pint of. This sounds more like something you'd have a little snifter of.

bottlebomber said:

I think you went a little overboard on the peppermint... the tea bags were fine but peppermint extract is crazy potent stuff, and I don't think that will tone down much.

Btw a session beer is something you would drink pint after pint of. This sounds more like something you'd have a little snifter of.

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Oh thanks, I was explained a session beer would be something you sipped over a period of time.

Thanks for clarifying that!

If you're looking for a fireside beer, and not a "drink with meal or while watching football" beer, it may be fine as is. And the comments that it will mellow with age are mostly right -- age works wonders on a beer.

That said, in my experience, the more total volume, and the less restricted the gasses are, the more a beer will mellow. What I'd do is work the timeline backwards and leave it in the secondary as long as possible. Then bottle when you've decided is the "last possible moment" so you have something bottled by whenever you want to start drinking.

bottlebomber said:

I think you went a little overboard on the peppermint... the tea bags were fine but peppermint extract is crazy potent stuff, and I don't think that will tone down much.

Btw a session beer is something you would drink pint after pint of. This sounds more like something you'd have a little snifter of.

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If I were faced with too much Peppermint flavor, I'd try to get fermentation going again in the hopes some of it would be off-gassed. In his case, it's a winter season beer and we're not that far from winter.

But yeah, peppermint extract is VERY potent, as are most anything else in extract form.

tallgirl said:

If you're looking for a fireside beer, and not a "drink with meal or while watching football" beer, it may be fine as is. And the comments that it will mellow with age are mostly right -- age works wonders on a beer.

That said, in my experience, the more total volume, and the less restricted the gasses are, the more a beer will mellow. What I'd do is work the timeline backwards and leave it in the secondary as long as possible. Then bottle when you've decided is the "last possible moment" so you have something bottled by whenever you want to start drinking.

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I appreciate this, I know I've gone overboard with this one, and it is for the most part a fireside sipper, but I'm still learning. I moat definitely plan on still drinking it, would never thinkbit dumping it. That just about answers all concerns I had, if you can even call it that. Batch aging it is, and here's to learning hands on! Cheers!

Put that one in secondary for batch aging (as others said), and forget about it for a month or two, or 6.

Now go brew a quick turnaround beer so you get your pipeline going.

Haha thanks, I plan on getting a porter brewed this weekend, already have my DIPA bottled and expect it to be done conditioning by end of next week.

WortIfied said:

Oh thanks, I was explained a session beer would be something you sipped over a period of time.

Thanks for clarifying that!

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It sounds like a session beer would be sipped over a session- but the reverse is true. A "session beer" is a beer you can pound over an evening (a session) and not be unable to function! A "sessionable beer" is about 4% or under and easy drinking. You've got yourself a sipper there!

WortIfied said:

Haha thanks, I plan on getting a porter brewed this weekend

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Why do I get the feeling you are going to add 750ml of rum AND 1/2# coffee, and wth, some oatmeal!
oh well, lol, it is your beer. I was thinking something like BM's Centennial Blonde that can be done in 2-3 weeks if you keg.

midfielder5 said:

Why do I get the feeling you are going to add 750ml of rum AND 1/2# coffee, and wth, some oatmeal!
oh well, lol, it is your beer. I was thinking something like BM's Centennial Blonde that can be done in 2-3 weeks if you keg.

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Haha, nope, just a good ol porter, from kit. Midwest power pack porter. No additives this time! Hah. And I don't keg yet, I'm trying to slowly bring the wife on my side with my new hobby, so eventually! At least that double IPA is almost ready to drink.

WortIfied said:

Haha, nope, just a good ol porter, from kit. Midwest power pack porter. No additives this time! Hah. And I don't keg yet, I'm trying to slowly bring the wife on my side with my new hobby, so eventually! At least that double IPA is almost ready to drink.

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Oh, swoon. Never made an IPA. I wanna make me one, except most of my friends think hops are yucky and too much hops is even yuckier.

I need new friends ...

Tallgirl you need new friends for sure.

If anyone is into DIPA's I suggest you travel to new England and hit up some heady topper from a brewery called The Alchemist. To die for DIPA.

I'm a hop head but looking to do something more dark for my next brew. I tend to stick with ambers/apa/ipa but want to do something outside the norm. Just can't decide what.

Hops4life said:

Tallgirl you need new friends for sure.

If anyone is into DIPA's I suggest you travel to new England and hit up some heady topper from a brewery called The Alchemist. To die for DIPA.

I'm a hop head but looking to do something more dark for my next brew. I tend to stick with ambers/apa/ipa but want to do something outside the norm. Just can't decide what.

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I have on order the Movember Hopstache Black IPA but am going to use 1oz Warrior for bittering hops and then continuesly hop for the full 60 using the provided hops in the kit, right after I brew the porter!

hey, I appreciate your efforts to make a special brew. I too have that urge to tinker with my kits. I have a java stout and superior strong ale coming tomorrow and I am debating adding some chocolate to the java. I was thinking of almost making a bottling batch (sugar or honey and water) and add choc powder to this then adding to the boil the last 10-15 minutes.

I used to tamper with my kits until I noticed that I was making some pretty overwhelming beers that mostly just sat around aging while I spent good money on more moderate commercial beers. I still love brewing up some freak juice, but at least 3 of 4 beers I make now are 1.060 or less and at least roughly based on a traditional style.