Hello everyone-- long time, no brew. It's been since August, and even though BierMuncher's Oktoberfast Ale went really well, I've been out of homebrew for months.
Anyway, I've offered to make a batch for a Kentucky Derby party. I thought I would make a pretty easy-going amber, but they asked if I could work bourbon into the recipe. Being my second-favorite kind of boozahol, I know that bourbon/charred oak is a tricky flavor to balance, and can take over the whole damn bottle if I let it. But I run the risk of no one drinking the beer if I belly up with malt. The favorite beers of the two hosts, if this is an indication of the audience, are Leine's Canoe Paddler and Natural Ice .
My question to you all: what would be an interesting way to get a bourbon flavor into a beer that would be suitable for a Derby party? I mean, there's always the option of ditching the request entirely, but I feel like my excuse for doing that is "that's too hard", which is an excuse I'm not very fond of. Thanks in advance!
Anyway, I've offered to make a batch for a Kentucky Derby party. I thought I would make a pretty easy-going amber, but they asked if I could work bourbon into the recipe. Being my second-favorite kind of boozahol, I know that bourbon/charred oak is a tricky flavor to balance, and can take over the whole damn bottle if I let it. But I run the risk of no one drinking the beer if I belly up with malt. The favorite beers of the two hosts, if this is an indication of the audience, are Leine's Canoe Paddler and Natural Ice .
My question to you all: what would be an interesting way to get a bourbon flavor into a beer that would be suitable for a Derby party? I mean, there's always the option of ditching the request entirely, but I feel like my excuse for doing that is "that's too hard", which is an excuse I'm not very fond of. Thanks in advance!