Resinated Beer?

[BARBrewer]

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: wlp001
Batch Size (Gallons): 35
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.010
IBU: 40
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 24 srm
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1 week 70f
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1 week 70f
Tasting Notes: In progress. Tasty and roasty so far




Hey guys,

I have 35 gal. of a roasty, citrysy brown in secondary and have an idea for some of it.

Lately I have been experimenting with aging with different native woods. Coast live oak amber ale, for instance, and I'm working on a way to age california walnut in a stout. For a while though, I've been wanting to make a brown with torrey pine wood, however, in preliminary tests, extended soaking the wood caused mold.

So I was about to pressure cook some pine when i ran across something called retsina, a greek wine flavored with pine resin, which produces a sharp dry flavor that sounds similar to a piney dry hop, but deeper and with a slight hint of turpentine.

Sounds like it's worth a try to me, anyone ever heard of anything like this?

Brett

 

[Priemus]

Ever actually tried retsina?

I'm not sure if you have "green soap" in the states, its a common cheap all purpose house detergent, but thats what it tastes like. In norway there is a urban myth that one of the early kings of Norway died from drinking retsina that had been over preserved with pine sap

Taste some resonated wine before you decide to try that in a beer, it aint my cup of tea

 

[broadbill]

+1 to trying retsina before adding pine resin. Keep in mind that retsina was first made when the ancient Greeks were being invaded and they wanted to contaminate their wine so the invaders would not drink it. Cutting off your nose to spite your face, but I guess that is how they rolled.

Personally, I've had retsina and its awful....there is the piney note you get from some hops, and then there is the over-whelming "pine-sol cleaner" flavor of Retsina!

 

[Shooter]

Agree with previous posts, a "slight hint of turpentine" doesn't even begin to describe the flavor. Actually, there's a mediterranean restaurant we eat at in San Francisco occasionally and I always order the retsina, even thought I'm not really a huge fan.

 

[BARBrewer]

I thought it was used to seal earthenware amphoras?

The way I was planning to use was in small amounts, as in a substantial hint. I take it retsina uses a lot? Most of the things I could find said that the stuff available in the US is crap, but then again, thats the excuse for everything.

 

[Priemus]

"I thought it was used to seal earthenware amphoras?"

Now we have crown caps making it an unnessercary evil

Perhaps if your really interested in it, make a batch, split 1 gallon off into a smaller vessel and skunk it up with the pine resin. Shame to do that to an entire brew, and hey maybe you'll like it? I couldnt give away retsina to my friends.

 

[BARBrewer]

wow, it's that bad?

Its a 35 gal. batch, so i can spare a little.

My prelim. tests seem to have a mild, fragrant character, not pine-sol like. The aroma is stronger than the flavor, and the torrey pine sap seems sweeter than usual sap.

Just a little shouldn't kill anyone...

 

[broadbill]

Most of the things I could find said that the stuff available in the US is crap, but then again, thats the excuse for everything.

I've been to Greece and had the retsina there. Rest assured, the stuff in Greece is also crap!!!

 

[BARBrewer]

I've been to Greece and had the retsina there. Rest assured, the stuff in Greece is also crap!!!

Have you had it's red counterpart? Might be more relivant, but probably not.