Experimental Beer Slim's Graham Cracker Ale 2.0

[Setesh]

2 month update:

This beer has changed a LOT in the last month. It has mellowed, smoothed, and the flavors have melded. It also cleared a lot. At one month in the keg this beer was completely opaque, and that was after gelatin fining. Now after two months it is still hazy but I can make out the icons on my desktop through it and I could see nothing before. Now the smell and flavor of the graham crackers really comes forward. My brew partner tried it again today and was amazed at the change too. He really liked it and had 2 pints. I have to say I really like it too now. If you don't like this at first make sure and give this one some time as it has really changed for me. I'm interested to see how it tastes next month. Slim, what has your experience been on this one as far as aging goes?

 

[Setesh]

I forgot to add another huge change, it has head that lasts and even laces now:

after a few minutes


After ~10 minutes


Done!

 

[TheSmithsEra]

Was that two months in the fridge after getting carbbed or two months in the keg

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[Setesh]

Was that two months in the fridge after getting carbbed or two months in the keg

That was two months in the keg at 38 deg F. I want a lagering fridge so I can drop to 32 and really get things to drop, but for now I have to use the keezer, which is always at 38.

 

[TheSmithsEra]

That was two months in the keg at 38 deg F. I want a lagering fridge so I can drop to 32 and really get things to drop, but for now I have to use the keezer, which is always at 38.

Fantastic! yours look wonderful, mine still taste...not good. About to throw them in the fridge this weekend. Will report back in 2 months.

 

[dave2851]

Bottled my first batch of this last night. Snuck a sip and wow - very complex.
Now I wait a couple months and see ! Looking forward to it.

 

[pshakerc]

Legged this last night, it had a strong taste of alcohol. Didn't taste bad. Did anyone one else have a noticeable alcohol taste at bottle?

 

[pshakerc]

Kegged

 

[dave2851]

I bottled mine, since it has to age a couple months to taste "right". I took a sip and it did have a warm alcohol feel to it, and the vanilla was strong. Can't wait for this to age and try one !

 

[Setesh]

Legged this last night, it had a strong taste of alcohol. Didn't taste bad. Did anyone one else have a noticeable alcohol taste at bottle?

Yes, I did notice that.

 

[pshakerc]

Alright, after reading all the posts, I figured I'd need to let it sit in the keg for a little while for flavor to take shape. Just didn't see anyone any anything about the alcohol taste at bottle/keg. Thanks guys.

 

[Setesh]

Alright, after reading all the posts, I figured I'd need to let it sit in the keg for a little while for flavor to take shape. Just didn't see anyone any anything about the alcohol taste at bottle/keg. Thanks guys.

Sorry man, I wasn't trying to be short. Just busy time at work. That flavor will mellow with age. What was your estimated ABV?

 

[pshakerc]

When I Kegged it was was at 1. 010, but it was pretty high when I started. And no worries.

 

[TheSmithsEra]

When I Kegged it was was at 1. 010, but it was pretty high when I started. And no worries.

As noted by another poster, there is definitely a complex taste and I do get a nice alcohol bite (not unlikeable) but strong.

Been carbing for about 37 days so i stuck them in the fridge yesterday. I am not pleased with the way its come out yet especially with how expensive it was to make. I'll probably be removing my foot out of my mouth after the bottles have been in the fridge for awhile.

 

[SD-SLIM]

Sorry to hear this recipe didn't work for you!

 

[TheSmithsEra]

Its a great recipe. Decided I will try it again after ive nailed down my all grain process

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[jmg727]

I enjoyed making the recipe last year with excellent results. I added some Victory Malt and used an "English sparge" for the first time.

I just purchased a rum barrel (actually two of them) and will brew another 10 gallon batch and age for a month or so.

Anyone have any experience barrel aging this beer? I can't wait and would love to know if anyone else has tried it. Here's my grain bill, it's a bit complicated but I feel like I need to create a big sweet beer to stand up to the fresh rum barrel. I'm adding the 6 Row to make sure that all carbs in the crackers have the chance to convert, the honey to boost my ABV, and the Chocolate Rye Malt as I ran out of Pale Chocolate. I'm planning on sticking to SD-SLIM's goldings and fuggles hops.

24.4% 8.00 Vienna Malt
21.4% 7.00 Munich Malt
9.2% 3.00 6 Row
1.5% 0.50 Chocolate Rye
1.5% 0.50 Pale Chocolate
6.1% 2.00 Victory Malt
3.1% 1.00 C120
2.3% 0.75 C60
9.2% 3.00 2 lbs honey
15.3% 5.00 5 * 14.4oz bxs Graham Crackers
6.1% 2.00 10 oz Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate into boil

 

[Setesh]

Anyone have any experience barrel aging this beer?

I don't, but I do have a keg of it and some oak essence I use for testing beers for 'oakability', so I can give that a try and let you know what I think. I even have a quart jar full of oak cubes that have been soaking in bourbon for a month. I could put some of that in to get an idea of bourbon barrel flavor. I'm brewing my second batch of the day right now and I don't like drinking while I'm brewing, but I'll do it tonight.

 

[jmg727]

I don't, but I do have a keg of it and some oak essence I use for testing beers for 'oakability', so I can give that a try and let you know what I think. I even have a quart jar full of oak cubes that have been soaking in bourbon for a month. I could put some of that in to get an idea of bourbon barrel flavor. I'm brewing my second batch of the day right now and I don't like drinking while I'm brewing, but I'll do it tonight.

That would be really great. I would love to know what you think. Let me know. I'm planning on brewing this Sunday but won't be using the barrel for at least a few more weeks.

 

[Setesh]

I poured half a glass into identical glasses and added oak essence to one and heavily oaked (its as black as RIS) bourbon to the other.

Oak essence:
I was surprise to find that I really liked the oak flavor in this beer. It was very subtle, only1 2 drops of the essence to half an imperial pint. I added another drop and swirled it in. I liked it a little better, but the oak was perhaps a little too pronounced. Added another drop, now the oak was overpowering the rest of the flavors. 3 drops was too much. If there was such a thing as 1.75 that would be perfect I think.

6oz medium plus oak cubes covered in Jim Beam black label for 1 month:
This stuff isn't as concentrated as the oak essence, so I added two drops at a time. I could pick up the bourbon in the aroma, and in the finish right from the start. It's not bad, but I don't think it's better, just different. I added another two drops and now I pick up the bourbon right away. It fights with the graham cracker flavor. The flavors don't compliment each other at all. I add another 2 drops and it just gets worse. Lots of bourbon just doesn't belong in this beer, and least not this bourbon.

The Jim Beams Black isn't bad bourbon, but it isn't very sweet either, so just to make sure I added oak essence and some Fighting Cock to another half glass. This is quite different. Fighting Cock is very heavy on the caramel and is very sweet. It works much better with the vanilla and chocolate in this beer. This one I actually like quite a bit. The caramel from the bourbon and the vanilla from the beer and the oak play against each other very nicely. I really like this one.

Well crap. Now I feel like my testing wasn't worth much to you. To sum it up, this is what I found:

Oak alone is quite tasty in this beer
Jim Beam doesn't work with this beer at all
Fighting Cock married quite well with the beer if used in small quantities

So I guess it comes down to what your barrels had in them. It also depends on if they have been used for other beers. If they are fresh from the distillery then the type of bourbon that was in them is going to make all the difference with a beer like this. If we were talking about an RIS here then I would say go for it, but with this beer I think you need to take the character of the bourbon in those barrels into strong consideration before you go forward. I hope I was at least some help to you. My recommendation would be to pick up some of the bourbon that your barrels held (or use some of what is still in them) and try a bit mixed into the beer before you fill the barrels. If you like it then go for it, but if you don't you could save yourself some time and heartache.

Best of luck to you, and please let us know how it turns out. I will be very interested to hear your results!

*Footnote*
After brewing all day (I usually don't eat or drink anything at all so that I am now dehydrated and have an empty stomach) 1.5 pints of this beer did me right in. I think it's time for bed!

 

[jmg727]

I poured half a glass into identical glasses and added oak essence to one and heavily oaked (its as black as RIS) bourbon to the other.

Oak essence:
I was surprise to find that I really liked the oak flavor in this beer. It was very subtle, only1 2 drops of the essence to half an imperial pint. I added another drop and swirled it in. I liked it a little better, but the oak was perhaps a little too pronounced. Added another drop, now the oak was overpowering the rest of the flavors. 3 drops was too much. If there was such a thing as 1.75 that would be perfect I think.

6oz medium plus oak cubes covered in Jim Beam black label for 1 month:
This stuff isn't as concentrated as the oak essence, so I added two drops at a time. I could pick up the bourbon in the aroma, and in the finish right from the start. It's not bad, but I don't think it's better, just different. I added another two drops and now I pick up the bourbon right away. It fights with the graham cracker flavor. The flavors don't compliment each other at all. I add another 2 drops and it just gets worse. Lots of bourbon just doesn't belong in this beer, and least not this bourbon.

The Jim Beams Black isn't bad bourbon, but it isn't very sweet either, so just to make sure I added oak essence and some Fighting Cock to another half glass. This is quite different. Fighting Cock is very heavy on the caramel and is very sweet. It works much better with the vanilla and chocolate in this beer. This one I actually like quite a bit. The caramel from the bourbon and the vanilla from the beer and the oak play against each other very nicely. I really like this one.

Well crap. Now I feel like my testing wasn't worth much to you. To sum it up, this is what I found:

Oak alone is quite tasty in this beer
Jim Beam doesn't work with this beer at all
Fighting Cock married quite well with the beer if used in small quantities

So I guess it comes down to what your barrels had in them. It also depends on if they have been used for other beers. If they are fresh from the distillery then the type of bourbon that was in them is going to make all the difference with a beer like this. If we were talking about an RIS here then I would say go for it, but with this beer I think you need to take the character of the bourbon in those barrels into strong consideration before you go forward. I hope I was at least some help to you. My recommendation would be to pick up some of the bourbon that your barrels held (or use some of what is still in them) and try a bit mixed into the beer before you fill the barrels. If you like it then go for it, but if you don't you could save yourself some time and heartache.

Best of luck to you, and please let us know how it turns out. I will be very interested to hear your results!

*Footnote*
After brewing all day (I usually don't eat or drink anything at all so that I am now dehydrated and have an empty stomach) 1.5 pints of this beer did me right in. I think it's time for bed!

Setesh,

Thank you for posting the very interesting results of your testing. I never thought of balancing vanilla and oak but that makes sense. I also think that it's possible to over oak this beer and don't want to fight the chocolate or overwhelm the graham cracker quality. The last time I made the recipe, the graham cracker was not as strong tasting as I wanted. So I'll have to be careful about that.

My barrels are rum barrels so I think that might create a simpler more boozy oakiness. I guess I won't know until I try. I'm aiming for an ABV of about 8-9, and am hoping that the strong chocolate and crystal malts provide an adequate balance for the added rum/oak flavors. To enhance that, I separated about three quarts of wort, boiled it down to less than a quart, and then added it back into the main wort before I pitched my yeast.

Thanks again.

As an aside, I used the third runnings to make a lager.

I'll remember to post my results!

 

[Setesh]

Setesh,

Thank you for posting the very interesting results of your testing. I never thought of balancing vanilla and oak but that makes sense. I also think that it's possible to over oak this beer and don't want to fight the chocolate or overwhelm the graham cracker quality. The last time I made the recipe, the graham cracker was not as strong tasting as I wanted. So I'll have to be careful about that.

My barrels are rum barrels so I think that might create a simpler more boozy oakiness. I guess I won't know until I try. I'm aiming for an ABV of about 8-9, and am hoping that the strong chocolate and crystal malts provide an adequate balance for the added rum/oak flavors. To enhance that, I separated about three quarts of wort, boiled it down to less than a quart, and then added it back into the main wort before I pitched my yeast.

Thanks again.

As an aside, I used the third runnings to make a lager.

I'll remember to post my results!

I'm excited to know your results! I agree with you that your rum barrels should be a much better fit, somehow I completely missed the 'rum' part the first time I don't have any rum on hand to try, but I agree that it will be a more mellow and boozy flavor addition that I would think would fit right in with this beer.

What yeast are you using for your lager?

 

[Zigzag]

I plan on making this in the next couple weeks. A group of friends are getting together for a brew day, and the plan is to make some bigger beers for Christmas/ a Christmas party. I plan on following the posted recipe with the exception of adding 2# of Marris Otter to compensate for my lower BIAB efficiency, and get closer to Slim's posted OG.

My concern is how well the beer will taste after ~9 months. I'm pretty new to brewing in general (this will be my 4th AG batch), and have never let a beer age that long. I know it is encouraged in some styles, but would it be alright for this recipe? Am I better off making another batch in 3 or 4 months? Does anyone who has brewed this beer have any input?

I appreciate any replies to my first post here. Thanks!

 

[SD-SLIM]

This beer does well with aging


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[gbarron]

Is anyone familiar with Biscoff cookies? If you've ever flown Delta airlines, you've probably had them. They are similar in flavor to graham crackers, but with a little more sweetness and complexity of spices. I really enjoy them and have designs on making a beer with those flavors in it. That is what led me to this recipe as I thought swapping graham crackers out for Biscoffs might work. Any thoughts on that? I'm not sure of the preservative content of Biscoffs offhand.

 

[jimmy-blue-eyes]

New-ish to brewing....saw the first post with ingredients...did that amount of crystal malt add a sweetness to the beer, like a carmel toffee like sweetness?

 

[Setesh]

New-ish to brewing....saw the first post with ingredients...did that amount of crystal malt add a sweetness to the beer, like a carmel toffee like sweetness?

Yes, that is exactly what it should do.

 

[SD-SLIM]

Biscoff is an all natural cookie with no preservatives...so you should be fine.


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[millie]

Is there a way to do this beer extract? I want to brew this it sounds amazing!!! If anyone could post a extact recipe for this id brew it asap. Thanks for the help ya ll.

 

[Setesh]

Is there a way to do this beer extract? I want to brew this it sounds amazing!!! If anyone could post a extact recipe for this id brew it asap. Thanks for the help ya ll.

Yes, there is a partial mash option down in the thread a bit so it's not easy to see at first. Here is that post from the OP/OB (Original Brewer )

You could do a partial mash with 7lbs of pale liquid extract, and use a grain bag for the malts and graham crackers.

You will need to do a partial mash as the Graham crackers will add tons of starches otherwise. You will want to add 1lb of crushed Maris Otter, the 8oz of Crystal 80, and the 4oz Chocolate Malt to a grain bag along with the graham crackers and steep at 155 till you get a negative iodine test. After a negative test let it go another 10 minutes and then remove the bag. Let it drip through a colander for a few minutes, but don't squeeze the bag. Then just carry on as you would for a normal extract batch. Partial mashes are very easy and a great step to add a lot of character (and options) to your extract batches. Get ready for the most terrific smell you have ever had in your brewhouse on this one! I wanted to get a spoon and dig into the mash on this one. Let us know how it goes.