Tart of Darkness

[wbuffness]

The kit does not include the yeast, but does include a 2oz package of oak "bourbon chunks."

Grain:
10 lbs American Pale
1 lb Crystal 60L
1 lb Flaked Oats
8 oz Black Roasted
6 oz Chocolate

Hops:
.5 oz Czech Saaz (60 minutes)

Also includes:
1 Whirfloc tablet
4 oz corn sugar

***edit****
The paperwork also includes the extract information which replaces the 10 lbs American Pale with 8 lbs Ultralight LME.

If I use the extract recipe, would I still steep the other grains like I would any other extract recipe? I was just thinking that I've never steeped flaked oats before. Is this correct?

 

[mors]

If I use the extract recipe, would I still steep the other grains like I would any other extract recipe? I was just thinking that I've never steeped flaked oats before. Is this correct?

yes.

 

[lbco318]

So I brewed this on the ninth of this month and have had strong fermentation since. The krausen completely filled the head space in my 6 gallon better bottle, even flowing through the blow tube. My question is if and or when the krausen falls, or does not, will it affect the pellicle growth? Just curios to hear what others have seen with TOD clone.

 

[mors]

So I brewed this on the ninth of this month and have had strong fermentation since. The krausen completely filled the head space in my 6 gallon better bottle, even flowing through the blow tube. My question is if and or when the krausen falls, or does not, will it affect the pellicle growth? Just curios to hear what others have seen with TOD clone.

It will be fine.

 

[jmcm_brew]

Mine is 2 weeks in... Commeeee onnnn pellicle!!!

 

[grze]

guys...post some pictures of the process if you can. I want to brew it within the next few weeks so I keep checking this thread all the time

 

[SavoryChef]

This is on the short list for one of my next brews. Prob a month out or so, but I will post pics

 

[lbco318]

I've been snapping pictures since brew day so I'll try to get some up tonight.

 

[jmcm_brew]

2 weeks in..

 

[lbco318]

Ill try to post pictures along the way. That is if there is anything interesting going on with it.

 

[Scutrbrau]

I just scored some ECY Bug County. I'm thinking of brewing another batch of ToD to use it in. What do you think?

 

[smokinghole]

Do it. Add some more black malt too and or some English C150/165. I made, essentially a very underhopped imperial stout heavy on crystal and a decent amount of midnight wheat. Its tasting great at six months.

 

[hexangel013]

just wanted to share this...my tod clone 6 days in.

its fementing with only bottle dregs

 

[blanco]

I just scored some ECY Bug County. I'm thinking of brewing another batch of ToD to use it in. What do you think?

The guy I brew with and I are doing the exact same thing. I'm assuming it will work out fine.

 

[dwntwnbwn]

The guy I brew with and I are doing the exact same thing. I'm assuming it will work out fine.

Same idea here. You guys pitching the full ecy20 vile into 5 gallons?

To me ToD isn't too funky and ecy20 sounds like that's what it is going to make, funk. But the hope is for a funky stout that could go over some tart black cherries or cacao nibs and oak. We'll see what happens in a year.

 

[FredTheNuke]

Beer Geek Nation just put up a video with what looks to be the MoreBeer Tart of Darkness clone recipe using Roeselare.



I'll be working up a 15 gallon batch very very soon!

 

[lbco318]

View attachment 1721252 weeks in..

Wondering what your ferm temperature has been. Been almost three weeks for me at 63-65 and I still have activity although it has slowed to a bubble every few minutes. I know Brett likes higher temps in the 70s but with a lack of ferm chamber I rely on ambient temps.

 

[jmcm_brew]

I'm around 68 after a month...no airlock action here.. From what I've read after the month mark it starts getting more active.. Pitched roselare and TOD dregs in mine.. This is my first batch with any bugs so I don't know what to expect

 

[Jazman]

I brewed the ToD clone from Morebeer in Jan 2013. Fermented with Roselaer. 4 weeks in primary and then racked to secondary until the first week of Jan 2014. I skipped the oak step as I'm not a huge fan of oak. Bottled with corn sugar and a small amount of dry champagne yeast and conditioned for a couple weeks.

Turned out great albeit a little thin. This was my first sour and mashed at around 151. Their instructions at the time didn't mention mashing high which I've since learned that you either need to do with a sour or be prepared to blend to get some body.

So, I do really like it straight but I've been blending it at pour time with about 15-25% of another beer (usually using Sand Creek's chocolate oatmeal stout but a nut brown is good as well).

Now I really need to get another batch going...

Jaz

 

[dantheman13]

Yeah, souring bugs and Brett really strip the higher chain sugars. Mashing high probably wouldn't have helped. Blending is the key here, I believe.

 

[Cadrian]

I brewed this on new years day, it was my 2nd brew for the day and I had a pretty good buzz going by the time plus it was starting to rain so I was rushing a little.

At the end of the brew, I took a refract reading.... Came out to 1.074 suppose to be 1.058 sg. I started thinking I am pretty sure I put 9lbs of LME instead of the 6lbs it called for I didnt look at the size of package I thought it was the measured correctly aready. Will this effect the taste greatly or how long it has to ferment out? Id prefer a higher gravity beer anyways but worried this will throw off the beer flavor completely.

As it began fermenting I only put in one package of Roeselare no starter *heard its better to under pitch this* a day later it came close to blowing the top off carboy before I put a blow off on it.

 

[The_Nid_Hog]

I brewed a batch of ToD on Nov 9th. I swapped out my orange carboy cap for a stopper today, so I though I'd use my thief to do a taste test too. Wow! The Roselaire is really doing its stuff. After three months, it lives up to its namesake--very tart. My nose says leather and coffee, and my daughter added "outhouse." Maybe so, but I'm loving it. The flavor is spot on. I'm going to give it another three months or so, then add some dried sour cherries and oak cubes.

 

[Jazman]

You should be fine. The bugs in Roselaer are pretty alcohol tolerant. But, I suspect it will be incredibly sour since there is so much more sugar for the bugs to chew on. Make sure you give it 9-12 months minimum.

Let us know how it turns out!
Jaz

I brewed this on new years day, it was my 2nd brew for the day and I had a pretty good buzz going by the time plus it was starting to rain so I was rushing a little.

At the end of the brew, I took a refract reading.... Came out to 1.074 suppose to be 1.058 sg. I started thinking I am pretty sure I put 9lbs of LME instead of the 6lbs it called for I didnt look at the size of package I thought it was the measured correctly aready. Will this effect the taste greatly or how long it has to ferment out? Id prefer a higher gravity beer anyways but worried this will throw off the beer flavor completely.

As it began fermenting I only put in one package of Roeselare no starter *heard its better to under pitch this* a day later it came close to blowing the top off carboy before I put a blow off on it.

 

[cattailsforlunch]

I may just be an overprotective mother, but my ToD does not have the mold film on the top like I have seen in you guy's pictures. Should I be worried?

It is in my basement which has been pretty cold this winter.

 

[mors]

I may just be an overprotective mother, but my ToD does not have the mold film on the top like I have seen in you guy's pictures. Should I be worried?

It is in my basement which has been pretty cold this winter.

No need to worry. It will only form a pellicle if there is oxygen present. My sours often don't form a pellicle. I do like my sours to be kind of on the warm side while aging.

 

[fxdude]

Mine didn't have the film either, probably fermented too cold, might be why it wasn't as sour as I'd like but it was still really good. You may just have to add lactic acid if you want more sourness out of it.

 

[jmcm_brew]

So it's been about 2 months since brew day and my airlock is starting to get very active again.. Guess the bugs are going to town!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Paradigm]

First off, I love sours. Love them. However, I had a tasting with this and Oude Tart and I can't remember which (I think it was tart of darkness) literally tasted like vomit. We had to dump the whole thing. I know to someone un-familiar with sours the "vomit smell" is there but this was awful. Remember, I love sours generally. Whichever one that wasn't that one was heavenly.

I assume I just got a bad bottle. Had to share. Still gives me shivers.

 

[fxdude]

You definitely had a bad bottle

 

[blanco]

Same idea here. You guys pitching the full ecy20 vile into 5 gallons?

To me ToD isn't too funky and ecy20 sounds like that's what it is going to make, funk. But the hope is for a funky stout that could go over some tart black cherries or cacao nibs and oak. We'll see what happens in a year.

Yeah we aren't exactly shooting for a direct ToD clone, just a funky sour stout. from what I understand Bug County and Bug Farm are both very sour so I fully expect it to be tart along with funky. We are pitching the whole vial (brewing this tomorrow) along with some Saf 05. We have generally tried to use a bit of sacch with our primary fermentations based on the advice of Mad Fermentationist.