slantedbolt
Well-Known Member
Anyone think this is possible? My brother just suggested that as an idea
Molasses Brown ale?
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mc_eric
Well-Known Member
Possible? Yes, absolutely
How to do it, I don't know. But I'm sure it's been done. Any ideas? I have some molasses and I like brown ale...I actually have some brown ale in primary right now. molasses brown sounds nice.
How to do it, I don't know. But I'm sure it's been done. Any ideas? I have some molasses and I like brown ale...I actually have some brown ale in primary right now. molasses brown sounds nice.
I've been looking at brewing up a batch of this beer for a long time. I'm going to tweak it into a 5gal batch and brew it next weekend most likely.
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article06170001.shtml
It's 100% molasses as your fermentables.
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article06170001.shtml
It's 100% molasses as your fermentables.
Sean
Well-Known Member
Well, Molasses is what makes brown sugar brown, and I have made a few brews with brown sugar. What are your thoughts?
All molasses is a bad idea.
All molasses is a bad idea.
You tried it? This guy had pretty good results.
ghpeel
Well-Known Member
I'd definitely make a 1-2 gallon test batch if you're going 100% molasses. I've heard its flavor profile is similar to Satan's Taint, but don't let that stop you.
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Captain Damage
Well-Known Member
I've put molasses in beers before. It's not an uncommon ingredient. My first kit way back when was a nut brown that included lb of brown sugar. I made an excellent oatmeal stout last year with 1/2lb of molasses; last week I made a nut brown that included 4oz of molasses. Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter has a very noticeable molasses flavor.
Sean
Well-Known Member
No, I haven't tried it. I mis read your intention. I thought you were just planning to add molasses. Probably wouldn't be too expensive to try. Do you have a recipe, or thought on how you are going to put it together?
I basically pulled my recipe from this article.
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article06170001.shtml
I am going for a 5gal batch, and I'd like the ABV to be higher than 3%, so here's what I came up with.
For a 5gal batch:
48oz of molasses
4oz of mild hops, Saaz or EKG, added at 60 min for bittering
Zest from one lemon, added at 60 min
2 oz. of Cream of Tartar, added at 15 min
1 tsp of ground ginger, added at 15 min
1 tsp ground cloves, added at 15 min
Basically, I'm going to bring 6 gallons of water to boil, pour in the molasses, lemon zest and hops, boil for 45 minutes, add the Tartar, ginger and cloves, boil another 15 minutes, cool and ferment with Safale US-05. I already have all the spices, and I'm going to price out the molasses today. If it's too expensive, then I won't brew it, but I think it's worth a shot. Check the link for the guys taste test. Sounded pretty cool.
Here's page 2 of the article w/ the taste test
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article06240001.html
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article06240001.html
I def wouldn't make that big of a batch. From reading that tasting column, it barely beat out MGD. I understand wanting to try it, but when the ratings range from awful to palatable, I'm not sure I'd want 2 cases worth. Plus it's not even cheaper than brewing with barley.
I've adjusted the recipe to make it almost double the original, which should make it much more flavorful. Also, 48oz of molasses cost me a whooping $6. I already have the spices, and the hops and yeast won't be much. I still might try a smaller batch, but I figure I only have about $12 to lose including hops and Safale yeast.
I just brewed this. Recipe is below. It smells really good, similar to a ginger snap cookie.
For a ~3 gallon final batch size:
16oz of molasses, added at 60 min
32oz of molasses, added at 15 min
2oz of Willamette, added at 60 min for bittering
1oz of Willamette, added at 15 min for flavor
1 oz. of Cream of Tartar, added at 15 min
1 tsp of ground ginger, added at 15 min
1 tsp ground cloves, added at 15 min
1 vial of WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast (leftover, expires in a few weeks)
All in, this beer cost me around $13. $6 for the molasses, $6 for the yeast (but I already had it sitting around), and $1 for the hops. I already had the spices around the house. We'll see how it turns out.
For a ~3 gallon final batch size:
16oz of molasses, added at 60 min
32oz of molasses, added at 15 min
2oz of Willamette, added at 60 min for bittering
1oz of Willamette, added at 15 min for flavor
1 oz. of Cream of Tartar, added at 15 min
1 tsp of ground ginger, added at 15 min
1 tsp ground cloves, added at 15 min
1 vial of WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast (leftover, expires in a few weeks)
All in, this beer cost me around $13. $6 for the molasses, $6 for the yeast (but I already had it sitting around), and $1 for the hops. I already had the spices around the house. We'll see how it turns out.
Let us know how it turns out!
I personally hate molasses, so I don't even use brown sugar in anything (since when it ferments out it tastes like molasses but without sweetness), but many people like it and it'd be very interesting to hear your report!
I personally hate molasses, so I don't even use brown sugar in anything (since when it ferments out it tastes like molasses but without sweetness), but many people like it and it'd be very interesting to hear your report!
Yea, I figured why not? I'll only know it's terrible if I try it, right? :cross:
Also, if this is good, I'm totally calling it my Ginger Snap Brown Ale.
