Does anyone have experience with a grape stout? What % of the batch size needs to be grape when added during secondary? I do plan on secondarying this beer and allowing it to age for a while.
For the love of God…
Hahahahahahaha!
I’ve seen a few of these popping up lately. I tried ska’s recently and have to say it creates a very interesting and complex brew. Not something I would openly seek out, but glad I tried. I think the amount needed would completely depend on grape variety and whether you will be using a concentrate.
Just buy Mogen David wine and you can just drink that.
Just go to Walmart, they have it, they call it kool aid.
That’s great…
I think I just barfed in my mouth a little bit…
To the OP…
I apologize for my comment, but it’s such an out there idea that it just slipped out. I honestly can’t imagine that such a combo would taste good, but I’ve never tried it and I’m not you. If you really want to do it, you’ll just need to experiment. Maybe split the batch into several different secondaries and add a different amount to each.
I’m shocked that no one has tried the ones available on the market. To the OP, have you tried Ska’s Hibernal Vinifera Stout? Unlike the above recommendations, its far from koolaid and I commend you for wanting to experiment. You might be able to contact them for their recipe.
I know, i was just being a ba$tard
Yes, I have and found most of them to be gimmicks IMO, although I haven’t tried the one you mention. But what I got from the OP was that he actually wanted grape flavor in the beer. I could easily be wrong.
I’m not a big fan of flavored stouts unless it’s coffee, or chocolate. We make a black cherry stout that I can’t stand. IMO a grape stout sounds better than that
Thanks BB. I am not looking for a grape flavored stout but trying to showcase the character of a certain grape. My plans are to use Norton to try to pick up some of the raspberry, plum, apricot character it also is known for bittersweet chocolate and coffee notes. I would like to have the flavors blended into the background of a quality stout and hoping for a gravity somewhere in the 1.080 range.
Sounds like you’ve got a clear idea of what you’re going for. Good luck!
FWIW, I would think those tastes would go better in a blond or pale ale. Again, IMHO, I would think that the roasty stout characteristics would not play well with the flavor profile you are looking for. But if you create something amazing, i’ll be the first person to want to test try it. But given my cheeky attitude i know i’ll be last on that list! 
If you have a goal you are shooting for, then just stay focused on the specific flavors you want to highlight and that will give you the best shot of hitting your goal. I recently brewed a beer that wasn’t really to any style (but closest to a dubbel), where I wanted to focus on ingredients that give a plum flavor/aroma. It ended up working out great. I’d say, start from a recipe that hits as many of the notes you are looking for, then start cutting out or swapping ingredients that don’t do anything to further the end result you want to achieve.
I’d pick a hop that has some stone fruit qualities, and roll back the roastiness from your typical stout recipe. Maybe start with a dry stout recipe, but cold steep most (or all) of the roasted grains. If there’s any crystal malt, keep it at a low quantity. You may even want to sub it for something like Special B which has a plum character to it.
I can guarantee my neighbors heard me laughing at this :lol:
Seriously, though, go for it if you really want to. I have had some excellent sours at Cascade Barrel House made with grapes… so you won’t be the first person to have gone there (obviously, from previous posts), but maybe the first person in this forum.
Aren’t nelson s hops supposed to have a bit of grapiness to them? That would be the way to go hop wise.
No, for God’s sake make it stop!
While this beer could potentially work out if managed carefully, despite my earlier words of encouragement to the OP this beer has train wreck written all over it if you aren’t careful.
Nelson Sauvin has a potent, distinct vinous flavor/aroma of white wine. If you’re already adding grapes to a stout, I don’t think you need to get this from hops. Plus, I really think it would be out of place in a stout of any style - let alone one that already has a lot of other stuff going on.
Now if you were making an IPA with Gewurztraminer grapes, then bombs away with the Nelson. Hmmm…
