Chocolate Peppermint Stout (With Liquor)

Cavebrewer

New Member
Trial Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I want to do an experiment with a chocolate peppermint stout by using Rumplemintz for the peppermint. I've seen a few beer recipes that use whiskey or brandy in the secondary for flavor, but not much else. Any ideas on if it would work, and how much to use? I'd probably start with a 1 gallon batch just in case it turns out to be awful, but I'd really like to try it.
 
What about soaking the Rumplemintz in some oak cubes? Soak them for a few days before adding them to the primary/secondary. I haven't done it yet but you may have to replace the liquor they are soaking in every so often to get the most flavor from the Rumplemintz. I think I'm going to be trying this soon with wine. If you want more flavor from the Rumplemintz then maybe just blending to taste after fermentation is the option.

Do a small batch and go for it! :D
 
You might get good results with a peppermint extract or leaves. Adding the Rumplemintz may add too much alcohol to get the flavor you want but an extract/leaves could be a good option. I just don't know how the peppermint extract oil will affect the beer. Some oils can hurt the head retention. Dry hopping with peppermint leaves could be interesting.
 
I like the idea of soaking it in the oak chips. Might work best in the secondary. I'm hesitant to just pour the liquor straight in cause it's some strong stuff. Maybe I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip!
 
I've found if I can use a real herb, spice or fruit, the result is always better than with an extract or flavoring. Just my experience.... Were I doing it, I'd buy some of the cheapest vodka I could find and steep some peppermint tea bags in it then, by adding small amounts and testing, determine how much to put in. The Rumpelminze has sugars, too, that will ferment out, leaving you with additional gravity, lower body and peppermint oil as the flavoring. Another option, "dry hop" with the peppermint tea bags (or dried peppermint leaves in a spice bag). But hey, it's your beer, if you go for it, let us know how the Rumpelminze turns out.
 
I recently did a batch (5 gallons) of Mint Chocolate Stout with a couple of home brewing friends. What we did (which I thought really worked well) was two fold. In the boil, we added 1 oz of peppermint flakes for the full boil (60 minutes). In secondary, we threw in a bunch of leaves from a chocolate mint plant; prior to throwing them in, we soaked them in vodka (just enough to cover the leaves/sanitize them) and tossed the leaves and vodka in.

The mint flavor/taste was initially very strong and after about a month in the bottle it fell off to a really good level. It'll depend on your tolerance for mint, but when we make it again, I don't see really changing anything. Good luck!
 

Back
Top