Thundercookie Gingerbread Stout

[CBecksOSU1]

Krausen was almost at the top of the fermenter this morning

 

[WildernessBrewing]

I used S-33...rehydrated

How was your attenuation? Did you take an FG reading?

 

[dreaded_rust]

S-33 two packs re-hydrated.

I rehydrated two packs as well and it took off like crazy. Hopefully i can bottle this weekend.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Just cracked my first bottle...spent 2 weeks in the bottle in the closet and a day in the fridge..I couldn't wait any longer. Beer was smooth with a chocolaty taste then some gingerbread flavor on the end. I'll post pics of the next I crack...gonna be soo good in a few more weeks!

 

[CBecksOSU1]

Nice! After an extremely vigorous 48 hours of fermentation the Krausen is gone and no bubbling. Did you have the same experience?

 

[dreaded_rust]

Nice! After an extremely vigorous 48 hours of fermentation the Krausen is gone and no bubbling. Did you have the same experience?

Mine was crazy vigorous for about 48-72 hours then slowed down to nearly nothing.
This is day 9 and i just checked the gravity and its at 1.029...started at 1.084. Not nearly as low as i want it but we'll see as we get closer to the weekend. Taste delicious though.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

Mine was crazy vigorous for about 48-72 hours then slowed down to nearly nothing.

This is day 9 and i just checked the gravity and its at 1.029...started at 1.084. Not nearly as low as i want it but we'll see as we get closer to the weekend. Taste delicious though.

Thanks for feedback. This is my 3rd 5 gallon batch and I bug out all the time. They've all gone well so not sure why i do. I'll do my first gravity reading on day 10.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

Dupe

 

[WildernessBrewing]

About three weeks ago I bottled the Switchblade Jack Pumpkin Ale.. Tried one last week and it was spicy and sweet, definitely needs some time to meld. I also added an extra 1/2lb of brown sugar and 1lb of light DME and pitched two rehydrated packs of S-04 instead of one. It's coming along nicely and should be just right around Halloween.

Anyone here done any other kits from Jasper's? I'm looking at some of their Brown Ale kits to have something darker kegged for late autumn/winter.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Cracked my first one. Very tasty, smells like chocolate with a light taste of the spice potion. I'm really pleased how this one turned out. It's actually better when it's not ice cold, and it wasn't over carbonated. My brew yet!

View attachment 1445668953421.jpg

 

[dreaded_rust]

Cracked my first one. Very tasty, smells like chocolate with a light taste of the spice potion. I'm really pleased how this one turned out. It's actually better when it's not ice cold, and it wasn't over carbonated. My brew yet!

Looks delicious
How long since you bottled?

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

I bottled 2.5 weeks ago...each one I've had tastes better. Cracked one today and it's the best by far

 

[dreaded_rust]

Cool.
My son and I bottled ours today. We're having a bunch of family here for Christmas and we want it drinkable by then

 

[CBecksOSU1]

I couldn't wait. Took my first gravity reading 9 days into fermentation. The beer was more brown than black but it was delicious! Taking my next gravity reading Sunday.

 

[Requiemm]

Just ordered my kit. Can't wait to start this one!

 

[CBecksOSU1]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1446260193.840296.jpg the fruits of my labor!

 

[CBecksOSU1]

I bottled 2.5 weeks ago...each one I've had tastes better. Cracked one today and it's the best by far

Did you taste during bottling? The spice potion was very overwhelming. Hope it mellows with age. It was still pretty good though.

 

[Requiemm]

Holy crap these guys ship fast!! Ordered it on Wednesday and it was on my doorstep yesterday. I know what in brewing tomorrow!

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Just wanted to say, this beer has been chilling in the closet for a couple months now in the bottle and it has really hit its peak. Everyone that has had it really enjoys it, if you drink it cold the gingerbread sweetness isn't as strong, but if you let it warm up a bit in the glass it really has some sweetness.

I'm a huge fan of this beer, but I really can only drink 1 or 2 at a sitting..not a bad thing though. I've gotta make a huge shout out to Jasper's Homebrew...they make some real quality stuff, shipping is super fast and ingredients are the freshest ive seen. I live in Texas and my order got here faster than Amazon prime shipments usually get here.

I even emailed them a few times and got direct responses from the owner. Great place, tons of beer recipes. Try them out!

 

[Likefully]

I had a gingerbread milkshake the other day. It rocked my world so much I decided I have to make a gingebread beer.

What is the best beer to make as a gingerbread beer? A stout or a plainer ale?

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

If you look at the start of this thread you can see what I used. It was a stout, with a bunch of added spices and grain alcohol. Got it from Jaspers Homebrew

 

[Likefully]

If you look at the start of this thread you can see what I used. It was a stout, with a bunch of added spices and grain alcohol. Got it from Jaspers Homebrew

Thanks, I have followed this thread with interested the day you started it.

My question is: is a stout (with a strong roast flavour) the best beer to use for a gingerbread beer?

I really want that gingerbread flavour to come through and am wondering whether it may be better to cut out the roasted barley, chocolate and carifa - perhaps replace those with Special B?

...or maybe not...maybe the roasted flavour is a good balance?

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

@likefully that's the beauty of homebrew! I'd say give it a shot! Maybe you'll create something out of this world that no one has had before. If not, I doubt you'll have a hard time drinking it down and making a different batch. If you do move forward post in this thread or make a new one so we can all see what your creation ends up like.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

That's the beauty of homebrew! I'd say go for it and maybe you'll create something new and awesome. If you do, create a thread so we can all see this creation.

 

[Likefully]

That's the beauty of homebrew! I'd say go for it and maybe you'll create something new and awesome. If you do, create a thread so we can all see this creation.

Will do. I need to make a batch of easy drinking beer first and then will make the gingerbread beer.

My plan is to make something 9%+ (so it ages well), lots of crystal malt - some light and some dark and 500g special B. I may increase the ginger and cinnamon quantities too....I want it to be like crunching down on a fresh stiffly baked gingerbread cookie!

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Good plan. The one I made had a good gingerbread note, but wasn't overpowering. You could probably look at thay recipe and maybe double/triple the spice amounts. Another great part of this recipe was 1 lb of brown sugar as well as dark molasses. The spices are kept in 1 cup of vodka which is added at bottling to also help give it a kick.

 

[Likefully]

Ok, I have done the research and think i will do something with a very similar grain bill to your original recipe except I will replace the roasted barely with special B. I will use Carifa (I think that's in your recipe too).

One question I have is - is it best to use crushed cinnamon or cinnamon sticks and break them?

I will let this beer sit for at least 3 weeks before I bottle it and I will make the potion on brew day, which gives plenty of time for the flavours from the cinnamon to draw.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

I'm not sure on that I used ground cinnamon. I also made the potion on brew day and it provided a lot of great flavor in the end.

 

[Likefully]

Ok, I have started my yeast starter (WLP 001) for this brew an hour agoe and its already bubbling!

I need to complete the shopping list still - the recipe says a Vanilla Bean - i presume you take one bean and scrape out all the seeds in it into the potion (and put the skin of the bean in too)

A bean being of these sticks

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Yeah when I brewed mine I just chopped up the bean into smaller pieces. Can definitely scrape out, you might get more intense vanilla but more sediment as well