I have been brewing for several years. While on deployment mid tour leave last year I went to Australia with the lady and she fell in love with this beer. As I am going to try and brew it, I have been hesitant because I dont want to completely botch it. I have done some research and I am going to post it here and see if you guys will contribute and see what we come up with.
Breweries Description:
Bacchus White Chocolate & Raspberry Pilsner. (4.8%) Spicy Czech Pilsner with flavour/aroma of Raspberries & white chocolate. Fruit & chocolate in the mouth with a lovely tart raspberry finish. A truly amazing taste sensation. Champion Beer GABS 2013
Image
I found this critique to be fairly accurate:
he name says it all except for omitting the "WTF?". This is a tweaked version of their "standard" (and I use the word loosely) white chocolate pilsener, with the addition of raspberries. Tried this beer on-tap at the 2013 GABS festival in Melbourne, where this beer took out the People's Choice award of the 89 beers available during the weekend.
Pours a pinkish rose colour, relatively clear, and light in the body. Head is a foamy ring of very faint pink-white. Lace forms in solid streaks as the beer goes down. Looks pretty good.
Rosewater characters are noticeable immediately on the nose, with white chocolate creaminess, some musk and a character like sweet baking. Strawberry candy comes through as well. It's all a bunch of wackiness. It's insane.
Fruit on the front palate, closer to cherry than raspberry although it's sweeter with a touch of bite from (probably more than anything) the carbonation. The white chocolate dominates the mid-palate, before the back falls into a slight trap of acidity. Most likely this is noticeable just because the rest of the beer is so sweet and creamy. There's also a touch of bitterness, perhaps a plaintive reminder that this is really meant to be a pils. Together the sweetness and the acidity forms an aftertaste of sour chocolate. It's, um, strange to say the least, and utterly unique.
Feel is very light.
Overall, it's weird, and oddly successful. In some ways I was surprised by this beer, despite the fact it almost exactly does what it says it's going to do. I guess I just never expected it to do that so well.
END OF DESCRIPTION
This is what the brewer posted on the Australian home brew forum in regards to the white chocolate:
Guys, the exact blend we use to get the chocolate flavour in our White choc Pilsner & the GABS winning White Choc & Raspberry pilsner is an in house secret at present. But what I can assure you is though, that we do not use any essences.
In the brewery we use a mix of real chocolate, cacao nibs, vanilla & pure chocolate extract. For the raspberry version we rack the white chocolate pilsner on to raspberry puree at a rate of 60gms/L
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/72743-raspberry-beer/page-2
He later amends his raspberry addition information to this
Maybe some purees have sugar added. but we buy lots of different purees & they are all 100% pure fruit. Puree is more expensive than whole fruit, but it gives us consistency when brewing commercially & also removes the hassle of breaking down the fruit.
Slight edit on my earlier post, just realised we buy our puree by the litre not kg, so we are using 3L of puree, not 3 kg.
I intend to brew a 10 gallon batch pilsner and then attempt this beer in only 5 gallons while making the flavor/Raspberry additions in secondary. This is what I have so far.
It says in the description that it is a Spicy Czech Pilsner
Name Pilsner (half white chocolate raspberry)
Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.44 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 11.44 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 9.25 gal
Fermentation: Lager, Three Stage
Date: 02 May 2014
Brewer: Adam
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Stainless Kegs (10 Gal/37.8 L) - All Grain
Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.2 %
Taste Rating: 30.0
17 lbs 8.3 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 87.6 %
1 lbs 7.1 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.2 %
1 lbs 0.6 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.2 %
2.39 oz Hallertau [5.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 22.2 IBUs
1.44 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 40.0 min Hop 5 9.6 IBUs
1.44 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 6.7 IBUs
2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
0.48 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 8 0.2 IBUs
2.0 pkg Czech Pilsner Lager (Wyeast Labs #2278) [124.21 ml] Yeast 9 -
Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color
Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.5 %
Bitterness: 38.7 IBUs
Est Color: 4.2 SRM
Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Then based on the brewers guidance
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/cacao-nibs-papua-new-guinea-4-oz.html 1oz aged on vodka
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDXROMS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
.5oz
http://www.nielsenmassey.com/culinary/products-pure-vanilla-extract.php
.5oz
The brewer stated he used "real chocolate", I wasnt really sure what to go with. I read this article on brewing with chocolate
http://byo.com/brown-ale/item/313-brewing-with-chocolate
If you look at the white chocolate ale they put white chocolate chips (WCC)in the boil, I read a lot of ingredients lists for WCC and most have a lot of BS in them and oils which I am not real enthused about adding to a beer with this many additions as it is, as each time you add something it gets more complicated to determine who is the culprit of an issue especially with attempt number one.
Do you think I can get the desired flavor with out that?
Then of course I will follow the brewers guidance for 3Liters of raspberry puree, If I can find fresh raspberrys in good condition around here I may puree my own but if not I am going to go with this.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Beer/Fruit-Base/Vintners-Harvest-Red-Raspberry-Puree.html#.U2Rroxyk9fc
Thoughts recomendations, Has anyone attempted anything like this?
Breweries Description:
Bacchus White Chocolate & Raspberry Pilsner. (4.8%) Spicy Czech Pilsner with flavour/aroma of Raspberries & white chocolate. Fruit & chocolate in the mouth with a lovely tart raspberry finish. A truly amazing taste sensation. Champion Beer GABS 2013
Image
I found this critique to be fairly accurate:
he name says it all except for omitting the "WTF?". This is a tweaked version of their "standard" (and I use the word loosely) white chocolate pilsener, with the addition of raspberries. Tried this beer on-tap at the 2013 GABS festival in Melbourne, where this beer took out the People's Choice award of the 89 beers available during the weekend.
Pours a pinkish rose colour, relatively clear, and light in the body. Head is a foamy ring of very faint pink-white. Lace forms in solid streaks as the beer goes down. Looks pretty good.
Rosewater characters are noticeable immediately on the nose, with white chocolate creaminess, some musk and a character like sweet baking. Strawberry candy comes through as well. It's all a bunch of wackiness. It's insane.
Fruit on the front palate, closer to cherry than raspberry although it's sweeter with a touch of bite from (probably more than anything) the carbonation. The white chocolate dominates the mid-palate, before the back falls into a slight trap of acidity. Most likely this is noticeable just because the rest of the beer is so sweet and creamy. There's also a touch of bitterness, perhaps a plaintive reminder that this is really meant to be a pils. Together the sweetness and the acidity forms an aftertaste of sour chocolate. It's, um, strange to say the least, and utterly unique.
Feel is very light.
Overall, it's weird, and oddly successful. In some ways I was surprised by this beer, despite the fact it almost exactly does what it says it's going to do. I guess I just never expected it to do that so well.
END OF DESCRIPTION
This is what the brewer posted on the Australian home brew forum in regards to the white chocolate:
Guys, the exact blend we use to get the chocolate flavour in our White choc Pilsner & the GABS winning White Choc & Raspberry pilsner is an in house secret at present. But what I can assure you is though, that we do not use any essences.
In the brewery we use a mix of real chocolate, cacao nibs, vanilla & pure chocolate extract. For the raspberry version we rack the white chocolate pilsner on to raspberry puree at a rate of 60gms/L
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/72743-raspberry-beer/page-2
He later amends his raspberry addition information to this
Maybe some purees have sugar added. but we buy lots of different purees & they are all 100% pure fruit. Puree is more expensive than whole fruit, but it gives us consistency when brewing commercially & also removes the hassle of breaking down the fruit.
Slight edit on my earlier post, just realised we buy our puree by the litre not kg, so we are using 3L of puree, not 3 kg.
I intend to brew a 10 gallon batch pilsner and then attempt this beer in only 5 gallons while making the flavor/Raspberry additions in secondary. This is what I have so far.
It says in the description that it is a Spicy Czech Pilsner
Name Pilsner (half white chocolate raspberry)
Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.44 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 11.44 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 9.25 gal
Fermentation: Lager, Three Stage
Date: 02 May 2014
Brewer: Adam
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Stainless Kegs (10 Gal/37.8 L) - All Grain
Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.2 %
Taste Rating: 30.0
17 lbs 8.3 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 87.6 %
1 lbs 7.1 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.2 %
1 lbs 0.6 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.2 %
2.39 oz Hallertau [5.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 22.2 IBUs
1.44 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 40.0 min Hop 5 9.6 IBUs
1.44 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 6.7 IBUs
2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
0.48 oz Saaz [4.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 8 0.2 IBUs
2.0 pkg Czech Pilsner Lager (Wyeast Labs #2278) [124.21 ml] Yeast 9 -
Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color
Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.5 %
Bitterness: 38.7 IBUs
Est Color: 4.2 SRM
Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Then based on the brewers guidance
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/cacao-nibs-papua-new-guinea-4-oz.html 1oz aged on vodka
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDXROMS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
.5oz
http://www.nielsenmassey.com/culinary/products-pure-vanilla-extract.php
.5oz
The brewer stated he used "real chocolate", I wasnt really sure what to go with. I read this article on brewing with chocolate
http://byo.com/brown-ale/item/313-brewing-with-chocolate
If you look at the white chocolate ale they put white chocolate chips (WCC)in the boil, I read a lot of ingredients lists for WCC and most have a lot of BS in them and oils which I am not real enthused about adding to a beer with this many additions as it is, as each time you add something it gets more complicated to determine who is the culprit of an issue especially with attempt number one.
Do you think I can get the desired flavor with out that?
Then of course I will follow the brewers guidance for 3Liters of raspberry puree, If I can find fresh raspberrys in good condition around here I may puree my own but if not I am going to go with this.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Beer/Fruit-Base/Vintners-Harvest-Red-Raspberry-Puree.html#.U2Rroxyk9fc
Thoughts recomendations, Has anyone attempted anything like this?
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