Troeg's Mad Elf

[seckert]

How much cherry did you use?

I used 2 cans of sweet and 2 cans of the tart cherries. It seems it is the right amount, but the beer just needed a little more time to mellow. I was thinking of maybe adding 1.5 of each next time, but then if the flavor mellows i would be afraid it wouldnt be enough...

 

[seckert]

Ok thanks. I'll let it go out to 1.01 and pop it into the secondary.

dont forget you are going to get a little more fermentation from the cherries. that reading i gave you was what it is now, not prior to secondary. Sorry but i didnt take FG reading then so i dont know how much if any it really changed.

 

[theck]

I used 2 cans of sweet and 2 cans of the tart cherries. It seems it is the right amount, but the beer just needed a little more time to mellow. I was thinking of maybe adding 1.5 of each next time, but then if the flavor mellows i would be afraid it wouldnt be enough...

I'll be adding 2 cans of tart and 2 bags (12oz) of sweet. I'm worried as well if I dial it back a bit if I'll lose that flavor. Give it a try I guess and next time I do it I'll know ha...

 

[theck]

dont forget you are going to get a little more fermentation from the cherries. that reading i gave you was what it is now, not prior to secondary. Sorry but i didnt take FG reading then so i dont know how much if any it really changed.

Ah ya I keep forgetting that... maybe I'll pull it just above 1.015 and just let it sit another 2-3 weeks in the secondary.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

dont forget you are going to get a little more fermentation from the cherries. that reading i gave you was what it is now, not prior to secondary. Sorry but i didnt take FG reading then so i dont know how much if any it really changed.

Also something to keep in mind: The cherries will also add gravity points as they are adding sugar. It was right to take your FG before adding cherries because once you add more sugar late in the game you have a little more work to do to figure out your ABV.

 

[theck]

Also something to keep in mind: The cherries will also add gravity points as they are adding sugar. It was right to take your FG before adding cherries because once you add more sugar late in the game you have a little more work to do to figure out your ABV.

Ah ya good point. I always rack to the secondary when adding things into the beer (used to do it every time in the past), but wouldn't it be better to add to the primary to take advantage of the extra sugars added and yeast that's there already? Just curious really.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

Ah ya good point. I always rack to the secondary when adding things into the beer (used to do it every time in the past), but wouldn't it be better to add to the primary to take advantage of the extra sugars added and yeast that's there already? Just curious really.

You could absolutely do this. I don't see an issue with not moving the beer to secondary to add the cherries. I would probably do it out of habit like you, but this particular habit isn't based in science.

 

[Madsciontst]

I gotta brew it again . Everyone loves it. And now a friend of mine wants two cases.

 

[seckert]

I took mine to my work thing and it was gone...I was hoping to be able to have some left over, but its gone. Since it takes so long for it to be ready this will be gone until next year I suppose.

 

[theck]

2+ weeks in and only at 1.022... give it another week and check.

 

[seckert]

2+ weeks in and only at 1.022... give it another week and check.

That is about where the calculator said it would go to not having the cherries in the equation. I only told you where my finishing FG was after the cherries were added. you might need to add the cherries in order for it to drop the rest of the way...Damn i wish i had taken a reading before i put cherries in. I would have been able to help you a lot more.

 

[theck]

That is about where the calculator said it would go to not having the cherries in the equation. I only told you where my finishing FG was after the cherries were added. you might need to add the cherries in order for it to drop the rest of the way...Damn i wish i had taken a reading before i put cherries in. I would have been able to help you a lot more.

No worries. I popped in the cherries in a secondary, it's bubbling but not super active. Either way it's beer ha, just might not be high in abv which is kinda ok the orig elf really can do a number on you after 2 or 3.

 

[theck]

1.016 after cherries and a week in the secondary, getting there, super hot but the color is pretty good. Barely taste the cherries. Going to snag some Mad Elf this week to compare once I get it into the keg and carb'd.

 

[wobrien]

There was an article in men's journal on the best holiday beers. Mad Elf was one of them and they did a little writeup on it. They said "a sugar" is used to make it surprisingly dry in addition to honey and sweet and sour cherries.

Makes me think that they probably use Belgian candy sugar.

What do you all think?

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

Its possible but I have no real idea. Why would they even need candi if they put honey in? they are both extremely fermentable... I had the good fortune of trying Seckert's ME clone (delicious! :rockin and I did notice that the real thing was drier. Candi could be a start.

 

[wobrien]

Its possible but I have no real idea. Why would they even need candi if they put honey in? they are both extremely fermentable... I had the good fortune of trying Seckert's ME clone (delicious! :rockin and I did notice that the real thing was drier. Candi could be a start.

Is it possible they add the honey after fermentation for flavor only(and pasteurize before bottling) and use candi sugar to dry it out earlier (like end of boil/whirlpool)? I'm just brainstorming here, sorry if I'm muddying up the cloning process.

 

[seckert]

Thanks WissaBrewGuy!
Maybe next year I will add some candi to see what happens. of course it was good the way it is so I am hesitant to change something major as I would be sad to mess it up...especially when it is so expensive to make and takes so long to mellow...maybe some 1 gal batches over the summer to see what happens...

 

[theck]

Finished at 1.016 myself (8.14%+ is enough for me anyhow). Couldn't hold off anymore, 2 weeks in secondary is a long wait ha... In the Keg now and waiting, going to be another long couple weeks. Have a bottle of Elf saved to compare.

 

[seckert]

Finished at 1.016 myself (8.14%+ is enough for me anyhow). Couldn't hold off anymore, 2 weeks in secondary is a long wait ha... In the Keg now and waiting, going to be another long couple weeks. Have a bottle of Elf saved to compare.

it finished at 1.016 which would be 8.14% but how are you accounting for the sugar added and then fermented off by with the cherries? I am not sure how you would do that...that's why I think the estimates might be off when adding any fruit...if I was to guess I would think it is probably higher than 8.14%...anyone else have an opinion?

 

[theck]

it finished at 1.016 which would be 8.14% but how are you accounting for the sugar added and then fermented off by with the cherries? I am not sure how you would do that...that's why I think the estimates might be off when adding any fruit...if I was to guess I would think it is probably higher than 8.14%...anyone else have an opinion?

Ha that's why I have the +. The proper way I think is to take a reading before you add then after, the difference you need to add into the calculation. I didn't bother because I know my start and finish and the cherries just add a little more to it, so it will be about 8.14ish. Honestly I don't get too caught up on % I am mostly interested in when the yeast are done. I think when I moved it it was about the end of it, plus I was getting anxious to drink it maybe on new years. Ha.

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[ChefRex]

Had my first Carbed taste yesterday, still needs to age but was darn tasty! Finished at 1.008 for 11.25% before the cherries.
Going to let it sit in the keg for a while then bottle most of it just too dangerous having it on tap!

 

[ChefRex]

.

 

[seckert]

Ha that's why I have the +. The proper way I think is to take a reading before you add then after, the difference you need to add into the calculation. I didn't bother because I know my start and finish and the cherries just add a little more to it, so it will be about 8.14ish. Honestly I don't get too caught up on % I am mostly interested in when the yeast are done. I think when I moved it it was about the end of it, plus I was getting anxious to drink it maybe on new years. Ha.

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I don't normally care so much about ABV either, but I am curious as to how you would figure it out...I wonder if they cherries would add .5 % or would it be more? I am already wanting to brew another batch of this, but it wouldn't be ready until the spring so I think I am going to hold off, unless I do some 1 gallon batches to play around with the recipe.

 

[seckert]

Looks great ChefRex! yes it is dangerous! with great ABV comes great responsibility! haha!

 

[theck]

I don't normally care so much about ABV either, but I am curious as to how you would figure it out...I wonder if they cherries would add .5 % or would it be more? I am already wanting to brew another batch of this, but it wouldn't be ready until the spring so I think I am going to hold off, unless I do some 1 gallon batches to play around with the recipe.

I would bet it would add a %, maybe two. Think when you get that difference from before and after you add the cherries you then add that to your OG?

I might try and brew another soon and let it sit longer in the primary. We are having a Friday the 13th party in June that I'll serve it at. This is one of the reasons I'd like to step up to 10 gallons so I can have the other 5 gallins sit longer and mellow out while I keg the first.

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[theck]

Been carbing for a week and grabbed a sample, wow... Love it. Think mine is more mellow, maybe because less %, but it's very good. I can't wait to compare it but think I might like it more. Does anyone else think this year's mad elf is a bit hot on the alcoholic? I don't remember last year's batch but think I could drink it much easier than this year's. I have another week before it's good and carbed though.

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[seckert]

I cant really say. Since i dont live in PA and only get some here and there if i come home for the holidays. I know i had some from this years batch and mine side by side and mine seemed hotter than theirs did. I know theirs had way more time to mellow than mine did though...

 

[Madsciontst]

Mine was pretty hot after I carbonated. It's been about a month and now it's really smooth. So let it sit and it will get better.

 

[theck]

Well just like the orig mad elf, easy to drink too many... Throbbing headache this morn like the real stuff. Mine must be pretty well on ha...

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[theck]

Wife and I did blind taste tests and both considered mine better ha... color and smell is pretty well on too.