I found the 'like' button, but did not see the 'groan' button...
Dried Montmorency Cherries anyone?
- Thread starter Box of Rocks
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Another one for you to listen to Dry hopped today ready for your listening on Traditional Sour beer brewing a wealth of brewing information a tasty refreshing podcast.
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@Box of Rocks
How'd this beer ever turn out? When did you add the cherries and how did the cherry flavor come through in the end? I'm brewing a Stout this weekend that I will (likely) add cherries and/or raspberries to in some form, at some point...though I may yet talk myself out of it.
How'd this beer ever turn out? When did you add the cherries and how did the cherry flavor come through in the end? I'm brewing a Stout this weekend that I will (likely) add cherries and/or raspberries to in some form, at some point...though I may yet talk myself out of it.
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@Megary :
Uncle Gene's Chocolate Cherry Smoked Stout turned out great. Still conditioning and coming along nicely.
Cherries were in a tincture for a week, along with the first 4 oz of cocoa nibs. Added the tincture and cherries directly into the fermenter early on. No screen or hop sock.
The cherry was a bit much in the initial weeks, but has mellowed. Wasn't getting much chocolate, and added 4 oz more cocoa nibs and a vanilla bean a few weeks in (closed transfer to a purged keg). Balance is good now, but no real head.
My tips: consider adding a bit of wheat to counteract the oils from the nibs. Maybe split with half nibs, half Hershey's cocoa powder. Use some vanilla. Chop the montmorency cherries into fine bits and you can use less (1 or 1.25 pounds instead of 2). Put them in a stainless hop tube or a hop sock so the smaller bits don't clog your system.
I would do a tincture with all the cocoa nibs, cherries and vanilla bean at the onset, and not worry about a second tincture. Then let it go...
Uncle Gene's Chocolate Cherry Smoked Stout turned out great. Still conditioning and coming along nicely.
Cherries were in a tincture for a week, along with the first 4 oz of cocoa nibs. Added the tincture and cherries directly into the fermenter early on. No screen or hop sock.
The cherry was a bit much in the initial weeks, but has mellowed. Wasn't getting much chocolate, and added 4 oz more cocoa nibs and a vanilla bean a few weeks in (closed transfer to a purged keg). Balance is good now, but no real head.
My tips: consider adding a bit of wheat to counteract the oils from the nibs. Maybe split with half nibs, half Hershey's cocoa powder. Use some vanilla. Chop the montmorency cherries into fine bits and you can use less (1 or 1.25 pounds instead of 2). Put them in a stainless hop tube or a hop sock so the smaller bits don't clog your system.
I would do a tincture with all the cocoa nibs, cherries and vanilla bean at the onset, and not worry about a second tincture. Then let it go...
I would def use a bag for any solids that you add. Blend up your fruit with some vodka and dump it in through a nylon bag to catch the fruit chunks and then tie it off and drop it on in!
Flaked Oats and dextrin malt are my go tos for head retention.
I just got my stout on draft this week and It has a ton of chocolate flavor with no cacao nibs. Given the choice, I would lean away from adding the nibs or powder and just lean on chocolate malts. More heavily. The nibs and powder can be very bitter imo.
You can layer dark malts(flavor-wise) and get a very chocolaty beer! I like a combination of C120, brown malt, chocolate malt, and black prinz or midnight wheat for color.
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dextrose will ferment, the lactose wont. it will just add some mouthfeel and sweetness.
I use cacao nibs in my chocolate milk stout all the time. 4oz for a 5 gal batch in the fermenter "dry hop" style. roasting them does add a nice toasty/roasty kick
Exactly counter intuitive my friend.
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I'm in agreement on the nibs. I've used them 3 times and 3 different ways...all to little effect. Certainly, this is due to my inability to correctly use the nibs, but I have since relied on a layering of malts for my chocolate flavor. I'll start with a Pale Chocolate (≈250L) and build around that.
However, I've never found Flaked Oats to be a benefit to head retention.
Wheat malt and Flaked Barley, however, seem to prop up the foam for me. YMMV.interesting. I use them in damn near every recipe that i make, to the point where after 2R, Flaked Oats are my highest use items. I buy 5 bags of Oats for every 20 bags of 2R. Dextrin i am less sure on. All of my beers have Extremely good head retention(except for my sours as they will never have great head retention). I rarely ever use wheat and never flaked barley. That being said, it could be something random or odd about my process that im not taking into account?I'm in agreement on the nibs. I've used them 3 times and 3 different ways...all to little effect. Certainly, this is due to my inability to correctly use the nibs, but I have since relied on a layering of malts for my chocolate flavor. I'll start with a Pale Chocolate (≈250L) and build around that.
However, I've never found Flaked Oats to be a benefit to head retention.
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I'm not saying Oats definitely cannot help with head retention, I'm just saying they have never done that for me. Since I read that idea a lot around the different homebrewing boards, I always wondered if I'm using them incorrectly. Sure wouldn't surprise me. I will say that Oats certainly provide me with a hard-to-describe, soft, creamy, almost slick mouthfeel. But that doesn't really do it justice...let's just say that the body of a beer I brew with Oats is definitely different than one without.
Quite possible that you'd get the same great head retention without the Oats?? But if they are working for you, keep using them!
Honestly i just knee jerk add them to everything. I like the mouthfeel/body that it adds a lot. I will never claim that I am an expert in anything!
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I dont think flaked aots does anything for head retention. More for mouthfeel if I remember correctlyI'm in agreement on the nibs. I've used them 3 times and 3 different ways...all to little effect. Certainly, this is due to my inability to correctly use the nibs, but I have since relied on a layering of malts for my chocolate flavor. I'll start with a Pale Chocolate (≈250L) and build around that.
However, I've never found Flaked Oats to be a benefit to head retention.
Welp after doing some reading, you are mostly correct(@Minbari and @Megary). It can help until it gets over a certain percentage and then it can hurt. Im not sure why the beers have such good head. From my quick reading, it could be process or hops? Dextrin malt does help as well. Maybe ill start adding some flaked wheat/malted wheat in small precents into the beers and see if it helps.
Yeah I added Wheat malt in my beers for head retention it's the higher protine content that helps build the head you gotta be carefully high protine can also bring some haze.
Now I'm using buckwheat
Hey if it's working for ya then why not.
I bet if you took the flaked oats out your customers would be like hey man what did you do to your beers somethings missing!
Ya im gonna try that. I added 4#s to my next batch which is like 2 or 3%. We shall see!Yeah I added Wheat malt in my beers for head retention it's the higher protine content that helps build the head you gotta be carefully high protine can also bring some haze.
Now I'm using buckwheat
Hey if it's working for ya then why not.
I bet if you took the flaked oats out your customers would be like hey man what did you do to your beers somethings missing!
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When I was bottling, I always added a little white wheat. I have talked to someone that brews for a living that suggested a little Carapils, and that seemed to work as well. I always used under 10% Flaked Oats in my dark beers, but that did give a really nice head.
Ya im trying the wheat malt in my next batch along with some flaked oats. no dextrin(carapils) this round.
