Old Fashioned Ale

[BeerIsDelicious]

So last night, I'm about 3 Old Fashioned cocktails deep and decide that I want to make a beer to mimic the taste.

Now, my old fashioned cocktail consists of:

2oz bourbon (I use Bulliet)
3/4oz simply syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 orange slice, muddled with bitters

So converting this to a beer, I know I need a recipe with a good amount of residual sweetness, some of the same aromatics that go into angostura, some orange zest, and some citrusy hops.

Angostura is made with Gentian root and vegetable spices, so I think just adding some gentian root to the mash should give me the underlying flavor and some bitterness, leaving the hops to do the rest.

So my recipe that I threw together is:

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.015
IBU: 28.6
SRM: 10.2

15# Pale 2-row US
3.5# Crystal 40L
3.5# Vienna
??# Gentian root
3lb Lactose
1oz Citra @ 60 min
1oz Citra @ 10 min
2oz Sweet Orange Peel @ 5 min

Add 12oz bourbon at kegging.

Any thoughts on this? Any reason why this would just be disgusting?

 

[acidrain23]

You could make your own bitters to add!
Here is one of many recipes on the ol net:

Regan's Orange Bitters Recipe No. 5
Allow four weeks to prepare this bitters recipe.

•8oz Dried Orange Peel, Chopped Very Fine
•1 Teaspoon Cardamom Seeds (taken out of their pods)
•1/2 Teaspoon Caraway Seeds
•1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
•1 Teaspoon Quassia Chips
•1/2 Teaspoon Powdered Cinchona Bark
•1/4 Teaspoon Gentian
•2 Cups Grain Alcohol
•4 1/2 Cups Water, Divided Into 1/2 Cup, 3 1/2 Cups, and 1/2 Cup
•1 Cup Granulated Sugar

Place the peel, cardamom seeds, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, quassia, cinchona bark, gentian, grain alcohol, and 1/2 cup water into a half-gallon mason jar and push the ingredients down so that they are covered by the alcohol and water. Seal the jar.

Shake the jar vigorously once a day for fourteen days.

Strain the alcohol from the dry ingredients through a cheesecloth. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth to form a pouch and squeese tightly to extract as much alcohol as possible. Place the dry ingredients in a strong bowl or mortar; reserve the alcohol in a clean mason jar and seal tightly.

Muddle the dry ingredients with a pestle or strong spoon until the seeds are broken.

Place the dry ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and cover with 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, cover, turn the heat down, and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, still covered (about 1 hour).

Return the dry ingredients and water to the original mason jar that contained the alcohol, seal, and leave for seven days, shaking vigorously once a day.

Strain the water from the dry ingredients through a cheesecloth. Discard the dry ingredients and add the water to the alcohol.

Put sugar in a small nonstick saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar becomes liquid and turns dark brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for two minutes.

Pour the sugar into the alcohol-and-water mixture. At this point the sugar may solidify, but it will quickly dissolve.

Allow the mixture to stand for seven days. Skim off any bits that float to the surface and carefully decant the clear liquid to separate it from any sediment resting on the bottom.

Measure the bitters; thee should be about 12 fluid ounces. Add 6 ounces of water, and shake thoroughly. Pour the bitters into a bitters bottle. Store for up to twelve months.

Source: Make Bitters Recipe

Then you could add the bitters to taste to your batch before bottling so you can get the flavor dialed in. I would be reluctant to add straight gentian to your brew because the bitterness can get out of hand quickly. Then you could save the remaining bitters for cocktails. Or if that is too much work, how about adding commercial bitters out of the bottle to taste?

 

[BeerIsDelicious]

You could make your own bitters to add!
Here is one of many recipes on the ol net:



Source: Make Bitters Recipe

Then you could add the bitters to taste to your batch before bottling so you can get the flavor dialed in. I would be reluctant to add straight gentian to your brew because the bitterness can get out of hand quickly. Then you could save the remaining bitters for cocktails. Or if that is too much work, how about adding commercial bitters out of the bottle to taste?

Adding commercial Angostura was my original idea, but then the thought of using the raw ingredients was appealing. I think I will just go with using the same bitters I use in the cocktail. Thanks.

 

[Pdeezy]

That poor, poor bourbon.

 

[BeerIsDelicious]

That poor, poor bourbon.

I am actually thinking about saving my good bourbon for something I'll really be able to taste it in and adding some rye to this instead. Ole Overholt makes a very good rye that's only like $15/750ml.

 

[Pdeezy]

I am actually thinking about saving my good bourbon for something I'll really be able to taste it in and adding some rye to this instead. Ole Overholt makes a very good rye that's only like $15/750ml.

Lol, I was just being a D--K. I was actually talking about your drink of choice, not the beer.

I have read that a little bit goes a long way as far as adding bourbon to beer so you may want to research the amount that goes in.

Bourbon is different than vodka in that it will inpart a lot more flavor as it is not nearly as neutral.