Nerds Candy Cream Ale

[BeerLoverHere]

Anyone have any thoughts on how to use Nerds Candy in a cream ale? After kegging, I'll have 1 gallon or so left to bottle in an experimental batch. Here is what I'm thinking:

1. When bottling, substitute nerds candy instead of sugar to prime. Won't be an exact science, but should work since the candy is pretty much all sugar anyways. I'd have to boil, make a syrup to sanitize, and estimate how much to use to prime with.

2. Let a box of nerds sit in rum/vodka to sanitize for a day, then throw in secondary/bottling bucket and let sit for a week, then bottle with priming sugar.

Thoughts?

 

[Double_D]

Considering the candy is basically all sugar you'd just have to prime by weight rather than volume. And maybe crush them so they'll dissolve readily. But why? Why not just add the bottle of flavor from the LHBS and some lactic acid? I'm guessing you're after that sweet/sour profile?

 

[Zuljin]

I like it! Try priming with them. Either crush them into powder or make a simple syrup. If you go the syrup route, taste it along the way to be sure the flavor isn't cooking out.

In my experience, bottled flavoring sucks for beer. If it's working for some folks, power to them.

 

[TallDan]

Pop rocks would probably carb up faster than nerds.

 

[Zuljin]

I'm feeling the spirit of the 16%!

 

[Double_D]

In my experience, bottled flavoring sucks for beer. If it's working for some folks, power to them.

My point is that they would both be artificial flavor.

 

[Talgrath]

I'd go with a secondary fermentation, personally, using the candy to bottle will have...unexpected results I suspect. But honestly, you're unlikely to get much flavor out of it, Nerds are pretty much pure sugar.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

I ended up making a Nerds Candy syrup in secondary fermentation. I used a big box of Nerds, about the same size as movie theater candy. Not sure how many ounces. The syrup was paste green/baby **** sorta color. I let it rest for 1 week and then bottled 10 X 16oz swing tops. Turned out about the same color as my cream ale from the same batch that I kegged. Most of the crud settled and I didn't bottle that/was careful to not disturb. I had a taste at bottling and it was sour as expected. Going to drink my first one tomorrow; just put them in the fridge earlier tonight. I'll report back.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

Not bad; definitely drinkable and has a hint of sour; color turned out normal for the cream ale style; it is hard to tell what the aroma is from as I used Mosaic pretty extensively throughout.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

Friends love it; LHBS thought it was definitely a unique experience that they never had before; they loved it too; said the "sour" flavor would go well in a red and also a belgian style too; i think a wheat would be good too