akthor
Well-Known Member
Anyone come up with a working recipe yet?
Harry Potter Butterbeer
- Thread starter ChimayLover
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frailn
Well-Known Member
Okay, I decided to brew up a Harry Potter Butterbeer, because my 22 year old step daughter asked me to. She said that she wants to drink it with her best friend over at her house while having a Potter dvd marathon. How could I say no?
So, I took a look at Cap'n Jewbeard's recipe and I looked at some screenshots from the potter movies. Decided to tweak Jewbeard's recipe so that the color is more close to the brew served in the movie. The brew in the movie is kind of a light colored beer and really hazy, so I went with a lot of wheat malt.
This was my first all-grain ever and only my fourth batch of brew ever. I went with BIAB using my turkey fryer set up with an aluminum kettle for the mash and boil.
11 lbs Wheat Malt
1 lb American 2-row Pale Malt
0.5 lb Crystal 40L
Steeped the grains in a jumbo mesh bag in five gallons of water at 152 for an hour an 15 minutes. I let the bag drain, then took some 140 degree water and poured it through the grain bag until it ran clear. I think it should be 170, but this was my first all-grain, so I forgive myself.
Will go hotter next time...
At this point as I started to bring the wort up to boil, I scooped out 2 quarts of wort and put it on a pot on the stove in the kitchen and boiled that down from 2 quarts to 2 pints and added a pint of this concentrated wort back into the main kettle later on. Kept one pint back to save in the fridge for a concentrated yeast starter for future brews. The point of this little exercise was to try to get some caramely taste into the brew. I couldn't find butterscotch extract, so decided to do this technique in conjunction with some vanilla extract addition to get the butterscotch flavor into the brew.
Hop Schedule:
0.5 oz Brewer's Gold for 60 minutes
0.25 oz Saaz for 20 minutes
0.25 oz Saax for 5 minutes
(all hops were in pellet form)
At flame out, I added:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 oz sarsaparilla
lactose - 8 oz
¼ tsp imitation butter flavor
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Pitched a large starter of Pacman that I harvested from a Rogue Mocha Porter.
Fermentation kicked off super fast, within just a few hours.
OG is 1.066
Should have seen the look on my LHBS guy's face when I showed him my ingredient list. He was nice and didn't say WTF. Just asked me if I forgot rice hulls. But, I told him I didn't need any since I was going BIAB.
I have a feeling this will be nasty beer, but the fact that it is a novelty based on a wizard movie makes this experiment very forgiving. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
So, I took a look at Cap'n Jewbeard's recipe and I looked at some screenshots from the potter movies. Decided to tweak Jewbeard's recipe so that the color is more close to the brew served in the movie. The brew in the movie is kind of a light colored beer and really hazy, so I went with a lot of wheat malt.
This was my first all-grain ever and only my fourth batch of brew ever. I went with BIAB using my turkey fryer set up with an aluminum kettle for the mash and boil.
11 lbs Wheat Malt
1 lb American 2-row Pale Malt
0.5 lb Crystal 40L
Steeped the grains in a jumbo mesh bag in five gallons of water at 152 for an hour an 15 minutes. I let the bag drain, then took some 140 degree water and poured it through the grain bag until it ran clear. I think it should be 170, but this was my first all-grain, so I forgive myself.
Will go hotter next time...At this point as I started to bring the wort up to boil, I scooped out 2 quarts of wort and put it on a pot on the stove in the kitchen and boiled that down from 2 quarts to 2 pints and added a pint of this concentrated wort back into the main kettle later on. Kept one pint back to save in the fridge for a concentrated yeast starter for future brews. The point of this little exercise was to try to get some caramely taste into the brew. I couldn't find butterscotch extract, so decided to do this technique in conjunction with some vanilla extract addition to get the butterscotch flavor into the brew.
Hop Schedule:
0.5 oz Brewer's Gold for 60 minutes
0.25 oz Saaz for 20 minutes
0.25 oz Saax for 5 minutes
(all hops were in pellet form)
At flame out, I added:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 oz sarsaparilla
lactose - 8 oz
¼ tsp imitation butter flavor
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Pitched a large starter of Pacman that I harvested from a Rogue Mocha Porter.
Fermentation kicked off super fast, within just a few hours.
OG is 1.066
Should have seen the look on my LHBS guy's face when I showed him my ingredient list.
He was nice and didn't say WTF. Just asked me if I forgot rice hulls. But, I told him I didn't need any since I was going BIAB.I have a feeling this will be nasty beer, but the fact that it is a novelty based on a wizard movie makes this experiment very forgiving. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
ChristianAce
Member
I am curious as to how this comes out. Let me know.
I finished and drank my version and it was NOTHING like HP ButterBeer.. it was like a reallly sparkly amber.. not bad by any means.. but had no sweet taste to it.. I even added a TON of butterscotch shnapps during fermentation and 1st rack.. hmmm let me know if you guys get something close.
I finished and drank my version and it was NOTHING like HP ButterBeer.. it was like a reallly sparkly amber.. not bad by any means.. but had no sweet taste to it.. I even added a TON of butterscotch shnapps during fermentation and 1st rack.. hmmm let me know if you guys get something close.
frailn
Well-Known Member
I will post back on this thread when I check the FG in a few weeks, let you know how it is tasting at that point.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
I'm curious that your wheat malt was able to convert itself. I didn't know that it did that... I thought it required barley.
frailn
Well-Known Member
I'm curious that your wheat malt was able to convert itself. I didn't know that it did that... I thought it required barley.
That's why I like to experiment - just like in the kitchen when I'm cooking something new. You will be surprised what you discover. It definately was super sweet wort.
Just for kicks, I tried a gravity reading of the wort that I boiled down from 1/2 gallon to 2 pints. Couldn't even get a reading, the hydrometer was off the chart.
It's been in the fermenter one week with lots of activity, so I think I might take a gravity reading in a few days and a taste to see how it is coming along.
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Boerderij_Kabouter
Well-Known Member
Wheat malt does have enough diastatic power to convert itself, but it won't be as quick as a straight barley mash.
frailn
Well-Known Member
Update on my version of Treble Strength Butterbeer:
Original recipe listed on this post.
Took a gravity reading today, after 10 days fermenting.
Original Target Gravity - 1.072
Actual Original Gravity - 1.064
Gravity reading after 10 days - 1.015
So, it looks like my ABV at this point is fairly close to 6.5%
I plan on checking the gravity daily for the next 3-5 days to see if it drops more. I'm hoping to get this puppy up to 7% ABV.
Tasting notes from the fermenting bucket after 10 days:
Sweet, low bitterness just enough to offset the sweet a little, the spice blend with the butter extract and vanilla extract has blended together into a flavor that reminds me of a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a gingerbread cookie. More towards the oatmeal cookie side. The butter is evident in the flavor, but not overpowering. There is a bit of alcohol "hot" but not too much. I'm sure this will dissipate with time in the fermenter. Plan on leaving this in the primary for four weeks, and if that "hot" is still there, I will leave it in another two weeks.
The color is light yellow - close enough to the HP movie stills I have seen of butterbeer.
Surprisingly, this seems to be coming along nicely. I'm impressed by the pacman yeast, the activity was fast and furious for the first week and gravity has dropped considerably. I wish I had taken a gravity reading earlier just to see how fast Pacman was chomping at this wort!
I think the key to getting this a lighter color with sweeter notes was the use of 8 oz lactose and the process of boiling down 2 quarts of the wort to two pints in a separate boil kettle and adding it back into the main boil.
Man, I had a lot going on for this brew. First all-grain, first BIAB, first time using spice additions and extract additions, first time using a special technique of boiling down some wort, first time doing a yeast starter and first time harvesting yeast from a commercial brew. It was a crazy brew day. More to come as this beer matures.
Original recipe listed on this post.
Took a gravity reading today, after 10 days fermenting.
Original Target Gravity - 1.072
Actual Original Gravity - 1.064
Gravity reading after 10 days - 1.015
So, it looks like my ABV at this point is fairly close to 6.5%
I plan on checking the gravity daily for the next 3-5 days to see if it drops more. I'm hoping to get this puppy up to 7% ABV.
Tasting notes from the fermenting bucket after 10 days:
Sweet, low bitterness just enough to offset the sweet a little, the spice blend with the butter extract and vanilla extract has blended together into a flavor that reminds me of a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a gingerbread cookie. More towards the oatmeal cookie side. The butter is evident in the flavor, but not overpowering. There is a bit of alcohol "hot" but not too much. I'm sure this will dissipate with time in the fermenter. Plan on leaving this in the primary for four weeks, and if that "hot" is still there, I will leave it in another two weeks.
The color is light yellow - close enough to the HP movie stills I have seen of butterbeer.
Surprisingly, this seems to be coming along nicely. I'm impressed by the pacman yeast, the activity was fast and furious for the first week and gravity has dropped considerably. I wish I had taken a gravity reading earlier just to see how fast Pacman was chomping at this wort!
I think the key to getting this a lighter color with sweeter notes was the use of 8 oz lactose and the process of boiling down 2 quarts of the wort to two pints in a separate boil kettle and adding it back into the main boil.
Man, I had a lot going on for this brew. First all-grain, first BIAB, first time using spice additions and extract additions, first time using a special technique of boiling down some wort, first time doing a yeast starter and first time harvesting yeast from a commercial brew. It was a crazy brew day. More to come as this beer matures.
frailn
Well-Known Member
Here is the movie still I used to base my recipe on in regards to color.
Here is a pic of my brew for a comparison. This is from a hydrometer sample after 11 days of fermentation.
Here is a pic of my brew for a comparison. This is from a hydrometer sample after 11 days of fermentation.
I'm late to this party, but just read the whole thread.
The buttery taste in Chardonnay is mostly from malolactic fermentation. The grapes' malic acid becomes lactic acid from ML Bacteria. Oak aging will lend vanilla flavors and perhaps contribute to this, but Chardonnays that don't undergo MLF have more of a green apple flavor.
That's as I understand it... I could be wrong.
I prefer red wine.
I WILL be making one of these concoctions when the 7th's movies come out on DVD. I'd prefer a brewed version rather than a mulled drink, but the cream soda based drink for the kids sounds great!
frailn
Well-Known Member
I was in my LHBS a few weeks ago talking about this butterbeer recipe and the store owner and some customers overheard me. The owner shouts out "DIACETYL!!!" and they all start laughing.
frailn
Well-Known Member
Tasted my second hydrometer sample this morning and I still think it has a flavor that reminds me of a warm oatmeal cookie. This time, I noticed a hint of banana on the front end, like you would taste in a hefeweizen. I think my stick-on thermometer on my fermenting bucket is reading lower than actual. I have been keeping it consistent at 63 using frozen 1 liter water bottles in a swamp cooler. But, when I gauge the temperature of my hydrometer sample, it is reading 68-70 degrees. I think the higher ferm temp has brought out some esters...
I'm not getting any butterscotch flavors, which I was trying to get by
1. boiling down 2 quarts of wort to a pint and adding back into the boil
2. adding butter extract and vanilla extract.
But, that may change as this puppy ages. Without adding butterscotch extract, it may be tough to get the flavor with such a light grain bill (mostly wheat). Hoping that will change after a few more weeks in the fermentor and bottle aging.
I'm not getting any butterscotch flavors, which I was trying to get by
1. boiling down 2 quarts of wort to a pint and adding back into the boil
2. adding butter extract and vanilla extract.
But, that may change as this puppy ages. Without adding butterscotch extract, it may be tough to get the flavor with such a light grain bill (mostly wheat). Hoping that will change after a few more weeks in the fermentor and bottle aging.
PanzerBanana
Well-Known Member
This is an interesting idea. In regards to butterscotch. I don't know how they do it, but Southern Tier's Creme Brule Stout tastes like butterscotch. It's darned good. Definitely a dessert beer. Hopefully this project has much luck!
PanzerBanana
Well-Known Member
Lol totally didn't notice how old this thready was....guess that explains how it got so many pages.
ChristianAce
Member
I think it is time for me to go at it again, since you guys are having some general luck with better recipes. If we all keep tweaking we will get it!...
LHBS here I come!
LHBS here I come!
frailn
Well-Known Member
Update on my recipe - has been in the bottle for 2 weeks. I cracked open a couple to enjoy during my brew day this weekend. The "alcohol hot" has diminished, and the creaminess of the lactose is coming out. I had SWMBO try it and she said that she thought it was liking having a "treat" or desert. I think this will just get better with age. I have finally entered my recipe into beersmith. I used BIAB, you may get different results with a different method.
I am bummed that I did not get any butterscotch flavor, but this is still a good stab at butterbeer. Butterscotch seems to be a bit elusive unless you can find the extract flavoring to add to a batch. Next time I try this, I will add more 2-row and less wheat malt. And try to locate the butterscotch extract.
I am bummed that I did not get any butterscotch flavor, but this is still a good stab at butterbeer. Butterscotch seems to be a bit elusive unless you can find the extract flavoring to add to a batch. Next time I try this, I will add more 2-row and less wheat malt. And try to locate the butterscotch extract.
corwin6654
Well-Known Member
I admit, I haven't read all of this thread, but I did come across an authentic, historical "buttered beer" recipe that I thought might be interesting to try sometime. Check it out http://historicalfoods.com/butter-beer-recipe
johnnychicago
Active Member
With the last Harry Potter movie coming out, I thought I'd give this thread a bump. I'll be brewing a "Butterbeer" next week and I hope it'll be drinking good by July 15. I based my recipe of a hodgepodge of recipes including several in this thread and Cheese's caramel cream ale:
Butterbeer (Specialty Beer)
Original Gravity (OG): 1.069 (°P): 16.8
Final Gravity (FG): 1.017 (°P): 4.3
Alcohol (ABV): 6.78 %
Colour (SRM): 7.7 (EBC): 15.2
Bitterness (IBU): 32.0 (Average)
8lb. American 2-Row
4lb. Wheat Malt
0.5lb Crystal 40
0.5lb. Honey Malt
1oz Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
.5oz Saaz (3% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
2 Cinnamon Sticks @ Flameout (Boil)
1 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 Minutes (Boil) [debating losing this]
4oz Lactose @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
2 crushed Nutmeg @ Flameout (Boil)
3 vanilla beans; sliced and soaked in Everclear (Secondary)
Natural Butterscotch Extract to taste. (Bottling)
Single step Infusion at 155°F for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes
Fermented at 68°F with Danstar Nottingham
I was able to find natural butterscotch extract here: http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/extracts/extrbut.html
I'm also mashing high and losing the aroma hops so that the sweetness can really shine through.
What do you guys think? Anyone else brewing up some butterbeer?
Butterbeer (Specialty Beer)
Original Gravity (OG): 1.069 (°P): 16.8
Final Gravity (FG): 1.017 (°P): 4.3
Alcohol (ABV): 6.78 %
Colour (SRM): 7.7 (EBC): 15.2
Bitterness (IBU): 32.0 (Average)
8lb. American 2-Row
4lb. Wheat Malt
0.5lb Crystal 40
0.5lb. Honey Malt
1oz Cascade (7.8% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
.5oz Saaz (3% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
2 Cinnamon Sticks @ Flameout (Boil)
1 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 Minutes (Boil) [debating losing this]
4oz Lactose @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
2 crushed Nutmeg @ Flameout (Boil)
3 vanilla beans; sliced and soaked in Everclear (Secondary)
Natural Butterscotch Extract to taste. (Bottling)
Single step Infusion at 155°F for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes
Fermented at 68°F with Danstar Nottingham
I was able to find natural butterscotch extract here: http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/extracts/extrbut.html
I'm also mashing high and losing the aroma hops so that the sweetness can really shine through.
What do you guys think? Anyone else brewing up some butterbeer?
Sounds good, I might have to give this a shot.
frailn
Well-Known Member
This looks great! I highly recommend taking about a quart of wort and boiling it down on the stove top by at least half, then returning it to the boil kettle. It definitely added some additional sweetness to my batch and was worth the trouble. Also, I used 8 oz of lactose, and felt it was worth it - the result is a much "creamier" feel to the beer.
johnnychicago
Active Member
That's is a great suggestion. I did exactly the same thing on my "Imperial Irish Red last week. Trying to sweeten up that beer to counter the 130 IBUS. :rockin:
Does this little trick make that much of a difference?
Also, I will definitely be upping the lactose. I'm a bit of a lactose fanatic (use it in everything), so I always try to tone it down. Come to thing of it, however, this is exactly the right beer to load up with milk sugar!
frailn
Well-Known Member
Absolutely! I was going for butterscotch by using this trick in concert with the vanilla addition. I didn't quite get butterscotch, but definately got some sweet - just enough for my wife to give this tasting note: "wow, this tastes like a beer and a treat (desert)".
johnnychicago
Active Member
That's what I wanted to hear. Sometimes I just have a major sweet tooth for beers. I feel like there are times when you should through balance to the wind and brew up a real dessert in a glass. I'm debating using 3-4 vanilla beans in the secondary instead of extract and I'm almost definitely going to axe the Irish moss to prevent clearing...this is going to be a fun little experiment.
well guys after reading this post ive got to say very intersting and now i got to try it .. want to try to brew something up before the last harry potter movies come outs...
so after looking threw ive came up wiht a base idea but will need some help on fine tuning it or any other input
for yeast was looking at these but not sure
WLP080 cream ale
WLP007 dry english ale
wyeast sottish ale
want to look for a yeast that wil work with a smooth creamy buttery falvor
-for grains- any input here woudl be great
Crystal 60l
caramel wheat
honey malt
caramunich
and some lactose
hops no clue what to go with want something that will work wiht the sweetness
and going to defently throw in some form of butterscotch flavoring. and maybe a little bit of pure vinilla
i knwo this is far from being anything close to a recipie but any help to get the ball rolling would be great
this will only be my 2nd batch of making beer but i figure what the heck im her try new things so why not have some fun..it what is all about anyways right.. well besideds getting loaded after making it
so after looking threw ive came up wiht a base idea but will need some help on fine tuning it or any other input
for yeast was looking at these but not sure
WLP080 cream ale
WLP007 dry english ale
wyeast sottish ale
want to look for a yeast that wil work with a smooth creamy buttery falvor
-for grains- any input here woudl be great
Crystal 60l
caramel wheat
honey malt
caramunich
and some lactose
hops no clue what to go with want something that will work wiht the sweetness
and going to defently throw in some form of butterscotch flavoring. and maybe a little bit of pure vinilla
i knwo this is far from being anything close to a recipie but any help to get the ball rolling would be great
this will only be my 2nd batch of making beer but i figure what the heck im her try new things so why not have some fun..it what is all about anyways right.. well besideds getting loaded after making it
mcbethenstein
Well-Known Member
Good luck finding butterscotch flavor. Local grocery stores do not carry it. I found some at a local Cake/baking supply store. LorAnn oils makes a butterscotch flavor. I called the company and it is oil free which should not impact head retention.
My butterbeer is currently in primary, and I had hoped to bottle this weekend, but life got in the way. I made a 3.5 gal batch, here's my recipe if you are interested.
3 lbs Maris otter
1 lb caramel 10L
.5 lb flaked wheat
9.5 oz lactose (60 min)
.25 oz goldings (60 min)
.25 oz goldings (30 min)
Pitched wyeast neoBritannia 1945 harvested from a sweet stout. (I know I broke a repitching rule and went dark to light)
Plan on adding Penzey's Vanilla extract and lorAnn butterscotch flavoring when bottling. However I'm not sure of amounts yet... Might try 2 oz of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of butterscotch and go from there. Add as needed.
My butterbeer is currently in primary, and I had hoped to bottle this weekend, but life got in the way. I made a 3.5 gal batch, here's my recipe if you are interested.
3 lbs Maris otter
1 lb caramel 10L
.5 lb flaked wheat
9.5 oz lactose (60 min)
.25 oz goldings (60 min)
.25 oz goldings (30 min)
Pitched wyeast neoBritannia 1945 harvested from a sweet stout. (I know I broke a repitching rule and went dark to light)
Plan on adding Penzey's Vanilla extract and lorAnn butterscotch flavoring when bottling. However I'm not sure of amounts yet... Might try 2 oz of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of butterscotch and go from there. Add as needed.
mcbethenstein
Well-Known Member
mcbethenstein said:
Edit: since I fermented in a Carboy I couldn't tell the volume. Once I got it in the bottling bucket I saw it was right at 4 gal. I bottled after 3 1/2 weeks in primary. No secondary.
Added 2 oz. of pure vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp of LorAnn butterscotch flavoring, and 1/4 tsp LorAnn Caramel flavoring. The tastings wern't as sweet as I hoped, so I mixed up an additional 6.5 oz lactose to bring the batch amount to an even pound. After the tastings came out to my liking I added in 5 1/8 oz of priming sugar and bottled. I got 41 bottles. OG 1.042 Finishing gravity 1.018 (before additional lactose and priming sugar) 3.1% abv.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Excellent!
mcbethenstein
Well-Known Member
Can someone who has made this with the flavoring extracts answer a question for me? I just cracked open my first bottle after a week carbing and it really does taste like a butterscotchy cream soda. Which is exactly what I was going for. My only concern is a hint of bitterness from the flavorings....If you have ever tried vanilla extract pure, you know what I'm referring to.... Will this age out? How long will it take for the flavors to subside a bit?
frailn
Well-Known Member
Let it age longer. Mine was a tad bitter at first but is getting better with time. Give it another month and taste one. If still bitter, wait another month and try again, etc...
mcbethenstein
Well-Known Member
Ok, I'll drink one next Friday for the movie, then wait on it.... That is if I can get a babysitter. My viewing of the movie might have to wait as well. Don't want to overwhelm my family with babysitting requests.
