I have recently become very interested in doing bold unique things while brewing. Just looking for convos from people about “odd” stuff they have used in brewing. For example I want to make a Belgian dub and steep black tea leafs after flame out then use a fruity yeast. I want to use wild rice in a brown ale or dark lager. A kumkwat wheat beer (Allagash brewery) just hold the brett. I’m going to make a Belgian dark strong and do a 5 min addition with raisins a cinnamon stick along with Candi Syrup. What have some of you guys done?
Umm, I added cocoa nibs and chocolate to a beer once…
I know, I’m pretty boring but I’m trying to refine my recipe writing skills right now so keeping it simple is where I’m at. Oh, well I guess I did do a pumpkin beer with roasted pumpkin in the mash and spices in the boil but that isn’t too far out of normal for this time of year.
I have a beer sitting on nibs now, it taste and smells just like chocolate! The beer is a American Brown but on the very low end of IBU and SRM with lactose powder! I can’t wait to get room to carb it up. I have a pumpkin beer in primary now. I went with toasted oatmeal and specialty grains/spice to try and achieve a pumpkin pie type flavor. Did the pumpkin flavor carry over into the beer? Or is it mostly all spices?
Chanterelle mushrooms in a wee heavy
Bourbon and vanilla in an imperial porter
Caramelized raisins in a BDSA
Mushrooms? Really? How’d that come out?
I’m excited to use raisins. I plan to do a second cider with raisins and 3lbs of DME most likely tomorrow. How much weight or count of raisins did you use? I have a Imperial Oatmeal stout in primary now that ill keg with a mixture of 2 whole vanilla beans, a oz of american oak and 6 shots of knob creek that’s been in a mason jar for just under two months. How was that mushroom beer? I have never heard of those but a google search makes them seem like a nice flavorful item I would like to try cooking with.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before Denny but thanks again for putting said bourbon and vanilla in an Imperial Porter. That recipes awesome! Maybe about time to do that again for a good winter beer.
Freakin’ fantastic! Based on an idea from Randy Mosher. He tried it at NHC and liked it well enough that he brought Mike McDole and Mitch Steele back to try it. Recipe is here…http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WeeShroomy
I added chopped dates to a Belgian Blonde but they never shown through as hoped.
What I do with raisins and dates for a Belgian style…when primary is done, super heat a wok over your brewing burner til it’s red hot. Toss in the raisins or dates and let them caramelize. Then deglaze the wok with some of the beer from primary. Put it all in a secondary and rack the rest of the beer onto it.
pureed raisins
dill
horehound candy
bourbon w/ vanilla bean
agave nectar
cracked pepper corns
coffee
molasses
From my yard: orange, orange peel, orange blossoms, other flower pedals, grapefruit, spruce tips, blackberries, mulberries, tropical storm rain water.
From around the kitchen: salt, pepper, allspice, licorice, licorice root, many different fruits, currant juice, polenta, flour, rice, wild rice, nutrasweet, coffee, tea, Malta, chocolate, Grape Nuts, apple cider, oatmeal, multi-grain hot cereal mix.
From the co-op: Pretty much every type of wheat and barley that they sell in the bulk bins, spelt, flax, dried fruits, lots of different kinds of honey, lots of different kinds of fruit.
From wherever: grains smoked over different kinds of wood, whiskey, rum, seeds [yes, those kind of seeds].
Near misses: Owl poop. Missed my brew kettle by a few inches.
Burnt honey in a stout. Still working on the recipe but one day it’s gonna make me rich.
A couple of the more odd additions I have done this year include a sweet woodruff stout and I replaced the bittering hop addition with dandelions in an ESB.
I am going to look for some specialty mushrooms today for lunch/dinner! I have used black pepper corns; they’re hard to pick out though my dark Belgian came out tasting a whole lot like a banana. Little to warm for that yeast’s liking I think.
I used coffee and chicory root in a Imperial stout before…Not my favorite to astringent which I believe is just a combination of to much stuff. Coffee, chicory, oak chips and a whole mess of roasted grains in a kitchen sink beer of left overs.
I have also wanted to do a beer similar to Duvel and add a package of hot tamales at the end of boil. In the hopes it would come out pink and slightly spicy for a Christmas beer.
Anyone brew with Guava? I had cigar city’s guava grove and liked it a lot. I could have swore it was a sour beer until I started reading about it.
How did dandelions work out?
How do you burn the honey? Does it take on a caramel type taste?
Took about a kg and put it into a big pot and burned it until it was black. Then cool it. It’ll stick to the pot so you’ll have to add some water-when it’s cooled! -and heat it back up to melt the honey. Yes, the idea is to create a toasted marshmallow flavor. Not quite there yet, but working on it.
Very cool. Just threw together my second cider. I added 3 lbs of pilsen DME to 2 gallons of water and boiled it down to 1 gallon. Added a 1/4 pound of dried tart cherries and a cinnamon stick the last five minutes of boil. Added to four gallons of sweet cider.
Interesting. Bittered differently than hops.
