Hi All,
I want to make my Christmas beer this weekend so it's ready for the upcoming holidays; I'm going for the subject brew, it's one of my favorites.
I have a hop and grain bill finished, I used the information shown on the SA website and I think I have something that will get me close- dark, mahogany color, medium-high gravity and malty.
My problem is the adjuncts- ginger, orange, and cinnamon. I'm trying to determine how much of each, what form to use (i.e., fresh vs dried ginger, stick vs ground cinnamon, etc.), and when to add them. I've even gone as far as emailing Sam Adams for help/advice on this (no response, what a surprise).
I don't want to take the chance of ruining what would otherwise be a delicious batch of beer by overdoing it on the adjuncts; here's something I've been kicking around, please share if you have any opinions or alternate methods:
1- I plan on making separate "extract" versions of the ginger, orange zest, and cinnamon using 100 proof vodka and each adjunct.
2- I'll blend each adjunct extract until I get the mix I'm looking for.
3- Once I get the proper extract blend, I'll start adding it to the beer until I get the overall flavor/aroma I'm looking for.
4- Once that's done, I'll scale up to a 5-gallon batch and add the extract blend to the keg. I'm thinking it would likely be no more than a cup of the extract so it should only bump up the alcohol slightly.
So- what do you think? Thanks for any and all responses.
CK
I want to make my Christmas beer this weekend so it's ready for the upcoming holidays; I'm going for the subject brew, it's one of my favorites.
I have a hop and grain bill finished, I used the information shown on the SA website and I think I have something that will get me close- dark, mahogany color, medium-high gravity and malty.
My problem is the adjuncts- ginger, orange, and cinnamon. I'm trying to determine how much of each, what form to use (i.e., fresh vs dried ginger, stick vs ground cinnamon, etc.), and when to add them. I've even gone as far as emailing Sam Adams for help/advice on this (no response, what a surprise).
I don't want to take the chance of ruining what would otherwise be a delicious batch of beer by overdoing it on the adjuncts; here's something I've been kicking around, please share if you have any opinions or alternate methods:
1- I plan on making separate "extract" versions of the ginger, orange zest, and cinnamon using 100 proof vodka and each adjunct.
2- I'll blend each adjunct extract until I get the mix I'm looking for.
3- Once I get the proper extract blend, I'll start adding it to the beer until I get the overall flavor/aroma I'm looking for.
4- Once that's done, I'll scale up to a 5-gallon batch and add the extract blend to the keg. I'm thinking it would likely be no more than a cup of the extract so it should only bump up the alcohol slightly.
So- what do you think? Thanks for any and all responses.
CK