Strange is the word for it. I made an all-molasses beer once (Geroge Washington's Small Beer recipe) and it had a strong minerally taste to it. That was using regular molasses, which is more refined than blackstrap.
I would think that the Molasses Flavor would work a bit better in Cider than in Beer. I added a cup to my first batch, and at a month it still tastes a bit... weird. I don't hate the taste of it, it's just a very unique taste. It totally masks the hop flavors. Instead the bitterness and flavor comes from the molasses, which isn't sweet anymore. I've heard that the flavor mellows well over time, so I'm just letting that batch sit, but I wouldn't add more than a cup to a 5 Gallon batch. I'd probably use a half cup in the future. I also added the Molasses to a light mildly hopped ale, so the flavor of the Molasses came through strongest, those flavors might be more balanced in a darker beer like a porter, stout, barleywine etc.
So I found this thread using the search, I was thinking of adding a portion of molasses to a Coopers Dark Ale Kit. I've been getting excellent batches since I switched to using mostly Dry Malt in place of corn sugar and was about to do this Dark Ale. I was thinking about 1000 Grams of Malt and 1 cup of Molasses ( guess the light is best ) what ya all think?
I have good molasses, yeast, ferment vesel. What else do i need for home brew?
I found these "Old-Time" molasses recipes in book my mother-in-law gave me, then found the book online - http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Old-Time_Recipes_for_Home_Made_Wines_Cordials_and_Liqueurs
MOLASSES BEER
One ounce hops, one gallon water. Boil for ten minutes, strain, add one pound molasses, and when lukewarm, add one spoonful yeast. Ferment.
*** I have this beer fermenting now, 2 days. I assume Molasses is 100% fermentables, so Ill need to stop fermentation or back sweeten. I used a whole 16 fl oz bottle = 1.5lb of Golding Farms unsulfered Molasses. and stole some 05 yeast out of a ale batch. I used some old frozen Hersbrucker Hops
Other recipes from 1909 book:
Cheap and Agreeable Table Beer
Take four and one-half gallons of water and boil one half, putting the other into a barrel; add the boiling water to the cold with one quart of molasses and a little yeast. Keep the bung-hole open until fermentation ceases.
HOP BEER
Turn five quarts of water on six ounces of hops; boil three hours. Strain off the liquor; turn on four quarts more of water, and twelve spoonfuls of ginger, and boil the hops three hours longer. Strain and mix it with the other liquor, and stir in two quarts of molasses. Brown, very dry, one-half pound of bread, and put in, — rusked bread is best. Pound it fine, and brown it in a pot, like coffee. After cooling to be about luke-warm, add one pint of new yeast that is free from salt. Keep the beer covered, in a temperate situation, till fermentation has ceased, which is known by the settling of the froth; then turn it into a keg or bottles, and keep it in a cool place.
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