Almond Joy

[mjrtom]

Hallo everybody!

I'm pretty new to brewing, and have only brewed a few extract ales. I've done them all from recipe, changing just a few things here and there. Now I plan to continue extract brewing until I find the time and the money to embark on the wonders of all grain.

I was wondering if anybody has a good extract recipe for an "Almond Joy" porter. I've seen a few recipes for coconut beers, and it seems like these flavors are all added during the secondary. Mostly done through store bought extracts or homemade extracts (soaking vanilla/coconut/coffee in vodka). I would like to stay away from store bought extracts, but any ideas are more than welcome.

So yea, if anyone has a recipe, or has the know how and want to just share with me an off the cuff recipe (I think I used that saying correctly?), please do. It will be greatly appreciated (and if you live in the San Diego area I'll bring you a six pack).

Hopefully I can get a good Almond Joy brew ready just in time for Christmas!

Thanks

 

[powerfreak]

I took a bronze with my Toasted Coconut Macadamia Porter using an extract recipe and a pound of toasted coconut in the secondary fermenter. The judges sheets said not enough of the base porter flavors come through, but the coconut certainly does. I have a couple of friends who love that beer and have it as a desert beer, when I have any to share.

Taking the judges notes as a consideration, I did an all-grain version which I bottled about two weeks ago. Same pound of toasted coconut. I've had one bottle that was 8 days out from bottling (I like to sample early to gauge how the beer matures) and the coconut is there, but the porter does indeed come through more. I'm stoked.

The coconut flakes are toasted for 20-25 minutes or so at 275-300 depending on your oven. Mine was golden to medium brown when done. You need to stir the coconut every 5-10 minutes to get it to brown evenly.

For the almond flavor, I've had a lot of success with extracts on other beers, so that's the route I'd go. I used a macadamia extract from Fairie's Finest (http://www.faeriesfinest.com/extracts.html) in mine. I don't see why a store bought almond extract wouldn't do just as well.

 

[mjrtom]

dang that sounds great. did you put the toasted coconut in one of those hop bags? as for the extract, do you add that in the bottling bucket with your priming sugars?

thanks for the ideas.

 

[powerfreak]

No, I racked the beer over it in the secondary.

First time, I used a 5 gallon carboy and it was WAY full, as the coconut took all leftover headspace and expands with the added moisture of the beer. It was also a ***** to get the coconut out when cleaning up after bottling.

Second time, I decided to make it easier on myself and racked the beer over the coconut in another primary plastic bucket.

As for bottling, yes, I added the extract in the bucket with the priming sugars.

 

[ashort33]

Genius - I am always amazed at the creativity of the home-brew hobbyists!

 

[petetheo]

No, I racked the beer over it in the secondary.

First time, I used a 5 gallon carboy and it was WAY full, as the coconut took all leftover headspace and expands with the added moisture of the beer. It was also a ***** to get the coconut out when cleaning up after bottling.

Second time, I decided to make it easier on myself and racked the beer over the coconut in another primary plastic bucket.

As for bottling, yes, I added the extract in the bucket with the priming sugars.

I apologize if I seem ignorant but I'm a new to homebrewing. When you say "racked over," what exaclty does that mean?

 

[6fiddyv]

I apologize if I seem ignorant but I'm a new to homebrewing. When you say "racked over," what exaclty does that mean?

Place the coconut on the bottom of an empty bucket, then transfer the beer/fermenting wort on top of the coconut. easy peasy.

 

[petetheo]

Makes sense. I guess I over complicated it in my head.

 

[powerfreak]

Place the coconut on the bottom of an empty bucket, then transfer the beer/fermenting wort on top of the coconut. easy peasy.

This! :rockin:

You're new to it dude! No worries about "dumb" questions because there is ALWAYS something to learn around these parts!

 

[mjrtom]

@petetheo,
racking basically means transferring. we all had to start somewhere. i still have a lot to learn, including some terminology.

@powerfreak,
thanks for the ideas. i can't wait to try it out. here's one for you:
i read somewhere that putting the coconut in a hop bag and then racking the beer over it into the secondary keeps it less messy. and apparently it also holds back some of the oils which are bad for head retention.

 

[petetheo]

Yeah, I knew what racking was but for some reason when I heard "I racked it over the coconut" I had this elaborate setup concocted in my mind. Haha.

 

[jbrookeiv]

How much extract did you use? This sounds great.

 

[powerfreak]

@powerfreak,
thanks for the ideas. i can't wait to try it out. here's one for you:
i read somewhere that putting the coconut in a hop bag and then racking the beer over it into the secondary keeps it less messy. and apparently it also holds back some of the oils which are bad for head retention.

I toyed with that idea, but I haven't had any problems with head retention yet.

I used unsweetened dry coconut flakes from Sprouts here in AZ. When I toasted it, it becomes golden/brown and drier, so I wasn't too concerned about the oils.

I also wanted as much contact with the beer as possible, so the bag idea was out for me. It would make clean-up a lot easier, but you'd still need to do it in a wide mouth vessel like a bucket. The skinny neck of a carboy + a 1 lb bag of toasted coconut that's going to absorb liquid = still a ***** to get out of a carboy!

My buddy had his first bottle of the new batch and he is wicked happy, so I'm sticking with the recipe and the methods I've used so far.

 

[powerfreak]

Yeah, I knew what racking was but for some reason when I heard "I racked it over the coconut" I had this elaborate setup concocted in my mind. Haha.

Better that thought than being racked in the coconuts!

 

[powerfreak]

How much extract did you use? This sounds great.

Not sure if this was meant for me or not, so... here's the recipe!

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Toasted Coconut Macadamia Porter
Brewer: SeanZilla
Asst Brewer:
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: Extract
Taste: (34.5 according to ASH Oktobertfest score sheets)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 4.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.059 SG
Estimated Color: 34.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - ??? %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU

7 lbs Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 65.06 %
1 lbs Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 9.29 %
12.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 6.97 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 5.86 %
8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.65 %
1.00 oz Brewer's Gold [9.30 %] (60 min) Hops 28.4 IBU
0.50 oz Kent Golding [7.20 %] (15 min) Hops 5.5 IBU
1.00 lb Coconut, Toasted (Secondary 10.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) Yeast-Ale

Mash Schedule: None
Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
----------------------------
Steep grains (30 minutes) @ 155

Notes:
------
Primary 10 days
Secondary 10 days
2 fluid oz of Fairie's Finest Macadamia Nut Extract added at bottling.
Bottled with 4.5 oz of corn sugar

FYI... used Danstar Dry Nottingham on the all-grain. Windsor would work nicely too.

 

[mjrtom]

Sweet man, thanks so much. Got a biochem exam on Tuesday, and I'm strongly considering brewing myself this beauty afterwards as a reward (even if i do poorly).

My roommates/brewing partners aren't too keen to brew a Christmas beer, and since it's not my turn to be brew master, we are most likely brewing a Bear Racer 5 clone. So I might just go ahead and buy a second primary . You can never have too much beer!

 

[mjrtom]

brewing on tuesday!

i want to get a distinctive "almond joy" taste, but still retain the original porter base.

do you guys think that i should add cocoa powder at the end of my boil? if so, when and how much?
or will the basic porter taste (using powerfreak's recipe as a guideline) be sufficiently chocolaty?