Roasted Crickets

[benfarhner]

Alright, I know this is a bit out there, but it's been done. There's a local nanobrewery that does a lot of experimental batches, and they did a small 5 gallon batch of "Cricket Stout" for their anniversary party last year. Unfortunately, I got there late and the keg was already kicked... But I talked to the brewer, and he said the crickets just gave a general roasted quality to the beer. So, I'm not going for any super weird flavors here, but I'd like to give this a try and just want to see, on the off chance that anyone else have tried this, if there are any recommended courses of action.

My plan would be to order some live crickets and have them arrive the day before brewing, then roast them the next morning. I'm trying to decide whether to include them in the mash, or the boil, or maybe possibly "dry-hop" them I'm not really looking to get any color from them, just a subtle flavor. I also have no idea how many crickets that would take... It looks like ordering live crickets would get me 100-200 at minimum.

Anyways, I'd love to hear any thoughts. The beer itself will be a braggot, probably 50% honey, and otherwise pretty simple. I'm planning on brewing it at the end of June, so I'm just getting a head start on the research, but I'll try to keep this thread updated as things move along.

 

[IslandLizard]

Crickets, the universal food.
Most pet stores sell live crickets, in 3 sizes usually. You can get or order through them.

Now whether you should is a whole different issue...

 

[foltster]

Not sure I would make 5 gallons of this...its one thing to drink 1 pint a brewery and call it interesting, another to drink that much...


That being said:
Here is some info that my help with ideas on how to handle live crickets.
http://www.insectsarefood.com/recipes.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Insects-for-Food-Prep-101/#step1

Also, I see freeze dried crickets intended for pet consumption, they are really cheap that way...Not sure I would recommend it either tho.

 

[Psylocide]

My crested gecko would probably love this recipe.

You can get as few as 1 cricket at most big pet stores. They'll have a huge tub of the chirping, stinky bastards.

 

[Gavin C]

Not a huge fan of wierd adjucts in beer. (I don't even enjoy chocolate stout). i am doubtful of the tastiness of the ensuing beverage. What do I know though.

Crickets when cooked correctly can however, be absolutely delicious when prepared by someone you knows how to do it. I've had them multiple times at various locales around the world. Not sure what type or species they were. Once you get over the visual hurdles to eating them, you will be glad you tried.

Crickets and other insects and arachnids are a cheap and plentiful nutritious source of protein the world over. (Edit: I do indeed sound like a jackass)

 

[drlars]

"Very environmentally-conscious of you, as insects are an under-utilized protein souce, given that global populations are continuing to rise."

Now that that's out of the way.... crickets in your beer? Sounds like more of a gimmick than anything else. (... but I'll admit it IS pretty cool.)

Whelp.... I don't think I would 'dry-hop' them. I think I'd rather pasteurize these guys at minimum; who knows what sort of microorganisms are hitching rides. If we're assuming that we're after their 'roasty' quality, I guess I'd treat them like a grain and boil 'em up.

Another interesting thing to consider.... is there any part of these fellas that are fermentable/carbohydrates? If you're going to publically admit to people that your beer is "brewed with the freshest, high-quality, locally-sourced crickets available" anyway, then I'd consider going whole-hog and mashing them as well. (that's what I'd do, anyway) Also, its nearly guaranteed to be way better than that pedestrian "Cockroach Beer," right?

Please follow up on this and post results.

 

[Gavin C]

Jimminey Cricket” Stout (brewed with roasted crickets) 5 gallons only !!

Looks like these guys have tried it. You could email them for advice.

 

[drlars]

@ Gavin : actually I posted mine before reading yours. So I actually had similar sentiments as you (though I quoted them because it sounds like something one of my undergrad profs might have said).

[I admit... if no one had left any replies to this thread yet... I was simply going to write *chirp* *chirp* (like the 'dead quiet' sound effect you get after someone tells a lame joke). But its better this way anyway.]

 

[PlexVector]

Alright, I know this is a bit out there, but it's been done. There's a local nanobrewery that does a lot of experimental batches, and they did a small 5 gallon batch of "Cricket Stout" for their anniversary party last year. Unfortunately, I got there late and the keg was already kicked... But I talked to the brewer, and he said the crickets just gave a general roasted quality to the beer. So, I'm not going for any super weird flavors here, but I'd like to give this a try and just want to see, on the off chance that anyone else have tried this, if there are any recommended courses of action.

My plan would be to order some live crickets and have them arrive the day before brewing, then roast them the next morning. I'm trying to decide whether to include them in the mash, or the boil, or maybe possibly "dry-hop" them I'm not really looking to get any color from them, just a subtle flavor. I also have no idea how many crickets that would take... It looks like ordering live crickets would get me 100-200 at minimum.

Anyways, I'd love to hear any thoughts. The beer itself will be a braggot, probably 50% honey, and otherwise pretty simple. I'm planning on brewing it at the end of June, so I'm just getting a head start on the research, but I'll try to keep this thread updated as things move along.

Are these special food grade crickets you order from some foodie shop or the garden variety fish bait type? "Inquiring minds need to know"

 

[benfarhner]

Not a huge fan of wierd adjucts in beer. (I don't even enjoy chocolate stout).

I'm alternating "normal" brews and experimental ones this year, and this is one of the experimental ones I'm a fan of thinking outside the box, though.

Whelp.... I don't think I would 'dry-hop' them. I think I'd rather pasteurize these guys at minimum; who knows what sort of microorganisms are hitching rides. If we're assuming that we're after their 'roasty' quality, I guess I'd treat them like a grain and boil 'em up.

Another interesting thing to consider.... is there any part of these fellas that are fermentable/carbohydrates? If you're going to publically admit to people that your beer is "brewed with the freshest, high-quality, locally-sourced crickets available" anyway, then I'd consider going whole-hog and mashing them as well. (that's what I'd do, anyway) Also, its nearly guaranteed to be way better than that pedestrian "Cockroach Beer," right?

If I did dry-hop, it would be after roasting, which would effectively pasteurize/sanitize them. I am leaning towards mashing, though. I'm not sure how well crickets hold up to 90 minutes at a rolling boil...

But that cockroach swill couldn't hold a candle this either way!

Jimminey Cricket” Stout (brewed with roasted crickets) 5 gallons only !!

Looks like these guys have tried it. You could email them for advice.

This is the nanobrewery I was talking about! As you can see from their beer list, they're big on experimental brews too. I'll probably have to go back and talk to the brewer again. I figured if anyone else has dabbled with crickets in beer, though, more data points are better than one.

 

[benfarhner]

Are these special food grade crickets you order from some foodie shop or the garden variety fish bait type? "Inquiring minds need to know"

I was leaning towards food grade (i.e. suitable for human consumption, not just pet consumption), just to make sure I'm getting a good quality product. That's why I was looking online. But if I can find a local pet store with good quality live crickets, that's also an option.

 

[max384]

I did something similar... Except I used a mosquito... and only found it after transferring from primary to secondary...

I renamed this brew "Mosquito Ale."

Beyond the funny name and story behind it, I didn't notice any difference in taste. I'd guess the same would be said of your experiment.

 

[benfarhner]

Beyond the funny name and story behind it, I didn't notice any difference in taste. I'd guess the same would be said of your experiment.

Yeah, I'm honestly not expecting any flavor contribution other than roastiness. I suppose it is more of a gimmick, but I figure, what's the fun in homebrewing if you can't brew a weird batch for kicks at least once?

 

[marcownz747]

Not a huge fan of wierd adjucts in beer. (I don't even enjoy chocolate stout).

Wait... you know that chocolate stout mostly gets its name from chocolate malt and not the candy called chocolate, right?

I mean... there's a few places that do a stout and add chocolate flavour (Which legitimately does lead to confusion), but this isn't done to style. Chocolate Stouts made to style shouldn't contain chocolate or chocolate flavoring. The accented specialty grain should be chocolate malt (Again, a type of malted barley).

Coffee stout's have a similar, but different story. Coffee stouts are given to stouts which have the aroma of coffee (Like many Rieslings have the aroma of green apple). There is no coffee added, but the style nonetheless gets its name from the coffee aroma it is purported to have.

The only real specialty stout that contains its namesake as an ingredient is Oyster stout (And arguably the milk stout. Technically, milk isn't contained, but lactose, the sugar in milk, is.)

 

[foltster]

Coffee stout's have a similar, but different story. Coffee stouts are given to stouts which have the aroma of coffee (Like many Rieslings have the aroma of green apple). There is no coffee added, but the style nonetheless gets its name from the coffee aroma it is purported to have.

Every coffee stout I've bought or homebrewed had actual coffee of some sort coffee be it grounds, cold brewed, hot brewed, espresso or other wise in it.

There is a "Coffee" malt out there but it is rarely used.

 

[max384]

Yeah, I'm honestly not expecting any flavor contribution other than roastiness. I suppose it is more of a gimmick, but I figure, what's the fun in homebrewing if you can't brew a weird batch for kicks at least once?

Definitely!

 

[marcownz747]

Every coffee stout I've bought or homebrewed had actual coffee of some sort coffee be it grounds, cold brewed, hot brewed, espresso or other wise in it.

There is a "Coffee" malt out there but it is rarely used.

Many chocolate stouts I've had have had actual chocolate or chocolate flavoring. That doesn't mean it's to style.

The style of "coffee stout" is specifically a stout with a high coffee aroma. Adding coffee to a stout does increase this aroma and flavor, but at the expense of now being a "Stout using coffee".

There's no legal definition for coffee or chocolate stout, but generally, it moves you out of the style by using actual coffee or actual chocolate. But if I open a brewery and decide to add coffee to my beer, I can legally call it a coffee stout, whether I use coffee malt, coffee beans, brewed coffee, coffee flavor, or even if it's a stout that I brew using a coffee-cup shaped mash paddle.


That said, using anything but malt to achieve a coffee or chocolate flavor will knock you out of the technical classification.

It's the same with Rauchbier and using liquid smoke. You can do it legally, you can sell it named as that legally, but it's not to style. (Nothing wrong with not being to style. But when somebody says something like "I don't like X adjunct because of X style, and that style doesn't call for that adjunct, it's not the style's fault. It's the combined fault of the brewers for advertising as that style, and of drinkers for not knowing the style)

 

[Gavin C]

Wait... you know that chocolate stout mostly gets its name from chocolate malt and not the candy called chocolate, right?

I was meaning the ones with chocolate flavor. I should have specified. I have used chocolate malt. Doesn't taste like chocolate as you rightly point out.

 

[benfarhner]

That said, using anything but malt to achieve a coffee or chocolate flavor will knock you out of the technical classification.

Which technical classifications are you referring to? I don't see "Chocolate Stout" or "Coffee Stout" listed as distinct styles in either the BJCP or GABF style guidelines, but maybe I'm missing something.

In any case, this beer will defy classification

 

[kenoglass]

I get crickets by the hundreds from Ghanns. They are the wingless variety and make less noise.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I get crickets by the hundreds from Ghanns. They are the wingless variety and make less noise.

Ha.

I always found the single chirping cricket to be MUCH more disturbing than a group. I used to buy them in the thousands from Ghanns.

 

[max384]

I get crickets by the hundreds from Ghanns. They are the wingless variety and make less noise.

Ha.

I always found the single chirping cricket to be MUCH more disturbing than a group. I used to buy them in the thousands from Ghanns.

Oh yeah. Well I used to buy them in the millions from Ghanns...