Used this recipe.. Kegged it and after a month in keg did a side by side with the real thing blonde taste test could not tell the difference... One of my proudest moments
NAME AMOUNT USE
Pilsner 15.0 lb 72 % Mash
Munich Malt 2.0 lb 9 % Mash
Maltodextrine 8.0 oz 2 % Mash
Chocolate Malt 2.0 oz 0 % Mash
2-Row Brewers Malt 3.0 lb 14 %
At 152 60 mins
NAME AMOUNT TIME USE
Saaz 1.0 oz 60 min Boil
Hallertau 1.0 oz 30 min Boil
Hallertau 1.0 oz 10 min Boil
Yeasts
NAME LAB TEMP
Trappist Ale Yeast WLP500 White Labs 65°F – 72°F
Extras
NAME AMOUNT TIME USE
Cherries 3.0 lb 7.0 days Secondary
Cherries, sour 2.0 lb 7.0 days Secondary
seckert said:No honey? Troegs has specifically said they use honey in MEA.
And sour cherries can be tough to find.. I brewed a batch with 2 lbs of canned Oregon tart cherries as a substitute once... They are available just about any grocery store and the difference wasn't noticeable.. Just strain them put of the syrup they come in or buy them in water
seckert said:I couldnt find them so i used the canned ones. I didnt see the need to strain them out of the water they came in...I poured them in bottom of secondary. sanatized a potatoe masher and mashed them all up, then racked the beer over them. seems to work, of course it is still in secondary so i guess i will see...haha[/QUOTE
I'm sure it will turn out great... The ones in water are good.. I know some come in syrup and that would probably effect the taste.. If it turns out nice it'll be a good feeling because you won't have to buy the 14 dollar 6 packs of mad elf (at least in DE) you have your own!
seckert said:Well i am from PA, but live in FL right now so i cant even pay 14 bucks for a 6 pack. I cant get it at all! So i sure hope it comes out!
I'm sure it'll turn out great, but even so you'll need the real McCoy for a side-by-side comparison. PM me if you'd like me to send you some.
I was at Giant (food store) on Saturday,and they had six packs for $15.99, and 22 oz at $6.40. I just saw today that local bars are now starting to tap kegs of Mad Elf. A three bottle wine box converted to carry a 22 oz bottle and a glass with the Mad Elf guy on the side was going for $17.99. The art work on the glass, and box is really cool, but a little over priced for me.
No, here in the Harrisburg area, it's Giant, you go west towards Pittsburgh it is Giant Eagle which I am told was the same company, but they were forced to split due to becoming so large and creating a monopoly. There is only one Giant in our area that sells beer in the Harrisburg area. Wegmans in Mechanicsburg (suburb of Harrisburg) sells beer also. It appears to be trial thing. They are trying to get Pa out of the Stone Age ways of selling alcohol.
seckert said:Ok i only know of Giant Eagle as i was born and rasied on the East side of Pittsburgh. I was so happy to see some of the stores selling beer at GE last time i was up there! It is about time PA gets with the times. besides if want some good stuff you either had to go to a 6 pack shop and pay out the ass or go to a distibitor and get a case...better hope you like it after buying a case! haha!
The state has NOT gotten with the times. New supermarkets are exploiting loopholes by putting "bar/bottle shops" inside the supermarket with separate, dedicated checkouts. Whole Foods and Wegmans opened new stores near me doing this and its awesome. The laws are outdated and need to be changed.
I bottled the mad elf. It did taste a little strong. I hope it smooths out during the two weeks of bottle conditioning
I used frozen sweet which I crushed between my pinkies as i dropped them in and dried sour cherries, still bubbling on the cherry sugars.
How much dried and where.did you pick them up? Use less dry than frozen right?
Thanks guys. I was reading and must people said for cherry stouts they added 6-8 pounds. I don't want a heavy cherry taste.and think the original is perfect but 2.5 sounded a little low. I'll pop in 3-4lb.
Just realized too when talking to the wife that I put it into the bucket with a blow off stuffed in the grommet hole not the carboy with the 1" tube, what's the chances of having the top blow off?
I put mine in a bucket and had a blow off tube stuck in top as well...the top of bucket didn't blow off, but the blow off tube was getting a workout for a good 3 days! the big mason jar I run my blow off tube into filled up and overflowed the first of those three days...was a mess, but better than if I hadn't had a blow off on.
As far as cherries I used 2 cans of tart cherries and 2 cans of sweet. I hit the taste pretty much right on. just missed the red color.
1 pound, found them at my local Wegman's, a bit pricy though.
theck said:Love wegmans... When in Ithaca we shop there. Thanks gives me some good options if I can't fine frozen or canned. For all that use can, people are reporting a metallic taste, you get the same or none?
Mine is running right now, the action is pretty consistent like the ciders I've been doing but, knock on wood, nothing in the tube yet. Did you hit your final gravity after 3 days? Or did you let it sit longer? I'm in no hurry since all my kegs are filled but would like to have it on tap at xmas.
even with a big starter it was still bubbling like crazy on day 3. tip for this beer though..dont rush it. since the ABV is so high it will be hot if you do. I just kegged mine yesterday after 3 weeks primary then 3 weeks secondary and it was still a bit hot. not bad, but it was there.
i like to rush a lot with beers as well,(i just get so excited to drink them!)but i have been told not to with this one, and even not rushing at 6 weeks it still isnt quite ready.
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