Didn't get to cracking that beer open... got distracted by carving pumpkins and Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale. Tonight should be good though
Im also very curious about your taste test. Just finished brewing this up and pitching yeast like 20 mins ago...bring it on hurricane sandy! didn't taste much chocolate after wort was cooled and the Carrington peppermint tea I used tasted more "tea-y" than minty, but will see how it finishes on bottling day. was slightly concerned about extracting tannins by adding tea to last 5 mins of boil but went along with everyone else's method anyway- all the instructions for making the tea said boil water then take off heat and add to bags so considered steeping 5 mins after flameout (i dont think 3 tea bags will be too big of a deal though).
might consider adding an Altoids/vodka infusion or peppermint extract if the mint is too far gone on bottling day. it had a slight cooling sensation at the end of the taste. did a 1 gallon batch hitting 1.064, had .8 oz of unsweetened cocoa powder but upped the tea bags from 2 to 3. cant wait to try! thanks for the recipe.
Didn't get to cracking that beer open... got distracted by carving pumpkins and Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale. Tonight should be good though
i sat in the primary for 2 weeks, racked onto .5 oz spearmint. Gonna let it sit for about 5 days, then bottle with about 60% of the recommended peppermint extract. I may do 75%. I really want this beer to warm your mouth up. We'll see how it turns out
Jeez it's about freakin time I drank the year old version of this.
I used 6 bags of Raley's Full Circle Organic Peppermint Tea (100% peppermint) in 3.5 gallons. After a year the bitterness of the cocoa has severely subdued and, you'll never believe this, the mint had a very strong presence. Not overpowering but definitely there.
I'm thinking about giving this a shot, seems like it would definitely be a good wintertime/dessert brew. I did have a question though. When I load the recipe into my software, I get an OG of 1.040. This seems low to me and would allow for a ~4%ABV. Although with only 8 lbs of 2-row it does make sense. What OG are people typically getting with this recipe?
I've only done a couple of all grain batches at this point. My efficiency is somewhere around 70% right now. Obviously I need to get this up, I'm working with some pretty basic equipment at this time. I don't really mind having a lower ABV, but I do want to make sure the taste isn't altered.
Thinking about going ahead and brewing this recipe. Would you stick to your recommendation of 4 oz cocoa powder + 6-8 Peppermint tea bags in last 10 of brew?
Reno_eNVy said:Worked for me
If I had used extract, the mint would have been overwhelming
I agree, but I found that the extract at kegging time was really just aroma.
would mint tea bags or fresh mint to the keg give it more mint flavor?
Thinking about brewing something along these lines. Has anyone had any issues with the cocoa powder clogging plate chillers? Also my LHBS carries wyeast Irish ale yeast have people brewed with this strain? And at what temp? I'm worried about too much fruity esters. Maybe use Denny's fav 50?
@brewbeery: Thanks for the review and pic! Sounds like a nice recipe indeed. You mention the yeast strain being a bit inappropriate - what strain would you consider trying out next, and why? (noob brewer here)
Brewed this yesterday with 4oz powder and 10 tea bags. Should I leave the bags in the primary or take them out?
I usually take them out/leave them behind in the kettle when draining.
This. I'd be concerned about tannin extraction (are there tannins in peppermint?... maybe...) and severe over-flavoring.
Quick question regarding fermentation temps: I brewed a mini-batch of this on the 28th, and I was able to get it down to 68 pretty quickly. But over the past two days or so it's climbed to 70 and won't budge. I've had it in a water bath since it was pitched, and I'm not sure I can hook up a fan or anything like that to help drop it again.
Long story short - how far out of the ideal fermentation temp can I be without risking off-flavors?
Fermentation temp. I'm reasonably sure it'll be ok. Just wasn't sure what to expect (if anything) from the slight elevation.
I will say, for my first brew I'm kinda unimpressed with the fermentation action. It was lively as hell for the first day and a half or so, but now it's virtually still. There is still fermentation going on, but it's much more subdued than I was expecting.
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