Hi all,
I realized I hadn't posted an update on the recipe I brewed around this time last year. The recipe I followed can be found on page 2.
Here are some thoughts I had about the beer:
- If I had to do this all over again, I would probably mash a bit higher than 150 F or add some lactose to the boil. The body was a bit thin for my taste. However, I was still very pleased with the finished product and I brought some to my family Christmas party where it received rave reviews. They might be a bit biased but, hey, I will take it.
- For the tincture I made, I would personally do 3 vanilla beans instead of 2 and up the cacao nibs to 4-6 oz. I like the idea of roasting them first as I can concur that raw nibs add a little chocolate flavor, but not much. 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 chopped habanero peppers were right on the money for me, though. The heat from the peppers was there, but not harsh. It was a nice rise and fall of the heat and it really complemented the other flavors.
- Next time, I will sub bourbon for vodka to soak everything in as I think that will add some nice flavors to the beer. Also, soaking everything for two weeks seemed to yield good extraction of all the spices, so I think that is probably the minimum time I would let it sit. And on my original thread, I said I was soaking in 1 qt. of vodka, but it was actually 1 pint.
Anyway, this beer was fun to make (if a bit expensive) and delicious. I hope these comments helped in some way. I will try to remain more active on this thread, as I am very interested to see what people come up with.
Cheers!