Holiday Candy Stouts: Choc. Covered Cherry, and Choc. Covered Caramel

[Hoof_Hearted]

Hello fellow brewers! I am new to the forum and I'm looking for some guidance on the following: I purchased a Chocolate Milk Stout from NB, and want to make two half-batches, one infused with cherry and one with caramel.

I work out of state and stay at a Bed and Breakfast so I only travel with an LBK. I usually buy ingredients kits and make two 2.5 gal. half-batches. I have brewed about 6 batches like this and only had one turn out bad (didn't carbonate.) I use cheesecloth bags for boiling grains, hops, and dry-hopping to reduce trub in the LBK. I can't lager because the fridge I have access to only achieves 40 deg. F at its coolest.

My last batch was a "Will Wheaton VandalEyes IPA" and it turned out wonderful. It fermented 3 weeks in the LBK, with dry hops during the 3rd week. I then bottled directly from the LBK and bottle primed & conditioned the batch for 3 weeks at 72 deg F. The final cold-conditioning of the bottles lasted 10 days at minimum at 40 deg F.

So the above has outlined what I have to work with. I would be appreciative of suggestions at getting a real good chocolate/cherry and chocolate/caramel flavor, balanced with the milk stout ingredients, bottled and aged in time for Christmas. (79 days from this posting.)

Thanks and I look forward to any pointers so I can get that LBK working!

Jake

Fermenting:

Bottled/Conditioning: VandalEyes IPA, 2nd half-batch (Northern Brewer)

Drinking: VandalEyes IPA, 1st half-batch (Northern Brewer)

 

[MBN]

Hello fellow brewers! I am new to the forum and I'm looking for some guidance on the following: I purchased a Chocolate Milk Stout from NB, and want to make two half-batches, one infused with cherry and one with caramel.

I work out of state and stay at a Bed and Breakfast so I only travel with an LBK. I usually buy ingredients kits and make two 2.5 gal. half-batches. I have brewed about 6 batches like this and only had one turn out bad (didn't carbonate.) I use cheesecloth bags for boiling grains, hops, and dry-hopping to reduce trub in the LBK. I can't lager because the fridge I have access to only achieves 40 deg. F at its coolest.

My last batch was a "Will Wheaton VandalEyes IPA" and it turned out wonderful. It fermented 3 weeks in the LBK, with dry hops during the 3rd week. I then bottled directly from the LBK and bottle primed & conditioned the batch for 3 weeks at 72 deg F. The final cold-conditioning of the bottles lasted 10 days at minimum at 40 deg F.

So the above has outlined what I have to work with. I would be appreciative of suggestions at getting a real good chocolate/cherry and chocolate/caramel flavor, balanced with the milk stout ingredients, bottled and aged in time for Christmas. (79 days from this posting.)

Thanks and I look forward to any pointers so I can get that LBK working!

Jake

Fermenting:

Bottled/Conditioning: VandalEyes IPA, 2nd half-batch (Northern Brewer)

Drinking: VandalEyes IPA, 1st half-batch (Northern Brewer)

I've been looking around for the same thing. There are a couple of good threads on here about it. Also if you google it you can find some more. They might give you some ideas on a way to go with what you want. Here is a chocolate cherry milk stout. Also look at making candy sugar for a caramel taste. There is a thread on here about a caramel amber ale.

 

[Cyclman]

+1 on using sour cherry juice for one, dark candi sugar for carmelly flavors. You are on the right track with those.