Chocolate Milk Stout with miracle berries

[Bauerbrewery1989]

So awhile back I bought a packet of miracle berry tablets off thinkgeek. It basically coats your tougue and blocks the the bitter and sour receptors. You can bite into a lemon and it tastes like the best lemonade you've ever had. So my buddy was telling me about how he tried one, and drank a Guiness. He said it tasted like a chocolate milkshake. This got me thinking, could you brew a Milk Stout, add a few tablets in the secondary or at bottling, and would it work? I've got a Chocolate Milk Stout in the primary right now and figured I'd take a gallon off and give this a shot. Has anyone ever heard of someone trying this? I'm not sure how many tablets or if its even possible.

 

[basilchef]

So awhile back I bought a packet of miracle berry tablets off thinkgeek. It basically coats your tougue and blocks the the bitter and sour receptors. You can bite into a lemon and it tastes like the best lemonade you've ever had. So my buddy was telling me about how he tried one, and drank a Guiness. He said it tasted like a chocolate milkshake. This got me thinking, could you brew a Milk Stout, add a few tablets in the secondary or at bottling, and would it work? I've got a Chocolate Milk Stout in the primary right now and figured I'd take a gallon off and give this a shot. Has anyone ever heard of someone trying this? I'm not sure how many tablets or if its even possible.

Keep us posted.

 

[GuldTuborg]

What, and deprive yourself of two of the best flavors mother nature has provided us with? For shame!

Since this is an experiment, why not try dosing some bottles, say a sixer or so, at bottling time? If it goes wrong for some reason, I'd hate to see the whole batch go to waste.

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

Good point GuldTuborg, I've got a 32oz bottle ill use for the experiment. The point really isn't to mask any flavors, its more so to see the reaction with the berry and the beer. I want to use just enough to mellow the flavors, not hide them. If its successful, the thought process is you could brew say, a lemon beer, and have it taste like the best summer shandy ever. I'm working on a Key Lime Pie Ale recipe too, can you imagine the flavor this berry could give to it?

 

[sfrisby]

Science!!!!

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

Bottled one 12oz up with half a tablet, gonna let it carb and chill. Will report results when I taste it.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Keep us posted. I'm kinda curious to see how this turns out.

 

[Pratzie]

Should be interesting to see how it works out. Apparently this is commonly used in various places in Africa to sweeten drinks.

Looks like its a glycoprotein and can be easily denatured using heat, but for what ur using it for that shouldn't be a problem. Def post back with ur thoughts though.

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

Gave the stout a taste tonight. I'm so glad I only tested this on a 12oz bottle. Now grant it, the stout was green, but I had bottled 2 just so I had a control. The stout without the miracle berry was ok, still needs time to age. The stout with the miracle berry tasted exactly the same but with a weird chalky "can't put my finger on what kind" of berry flavor to it. My guess is that the chemical in the berry just wasn't strong enough to coat you're tongue when its "watered down" from the stout. I still have more tablets so ill just use as directed, and go eat some lemons.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Huh, I guess they do better as tablets. Well, thanks for the updates. I'm glad you only dosed a few bottles.