The Beer Nerd - what are you drinking / brewing thread

Cheers
Candle night

And Dessert

 

Hey

Pretty good, not the best
Hope everyone is well!!

 

I have an Old Rasputin chilling in the fridge, can’t wait to try it and hope it lives up to the hype.

 

Depends… if you want a holy grail, it isn’t. If you think it’s a benchmark by which to judge others - it is. It’s a consistently brewed standard that gives you an excellent point of reference to judge others by. It’s also a great choice for a go-to that you know you will enjoy (if you’re into these types).

 

I think i may have asked before but can't find the answer. So if I am currently fermenting a chocolate porter and want to make it a Mint chocolate porter, when should i add the mint and how much?
We are in the second fermentation of 5-gallon batch.

 

So, the beer is currently in secondary?
What are you using for the mint flavor? Actual mint leaves, liquid extract, something else? Will you be bottling or kegging?

 

The perfect pour of Pliny at the pub.

 

I have extract and will be bottling. For some reason I want to say the plan was to add a few drops right before bottling.

 

Just prior to bottling would be the time to add it.

Maybe try adding one drop at a time to a glass of a commercial porter and see how many drops it takes to get the flavor where you want it. Once you figure out how many drops it takes for a glass (say 8 or 12 ounces), you can do the math and add the same ratio to your beer in the bottling bucket (or secondary if you bottle straight from there).

I've never brewed with mint extract (or mint of any kind), but I have used other flavor extracts and I've found it generally takes about 1-2 tablespoons of extract added to 5 gallons of beer (I always add to the keg prior to transfer) to get the desired level of flavor. I wouldn't assume that to be the case with the mint extract without first doing some experimentation, though.

 

smart!

 

Never used extract either, but I'd definitely do it after it's cold and fermentation is over. Some of those extracts are overpowering and very "artificial" tasting, so start out with very little. You can always add more.

I've put cocoa nibs into a fine mesh strainer in secondary, elderberries, orange peel, habenero peppers..... You could probably do the same with some mint leaves that have been dunked in vodka and muddled.

 

i actually did the cocoa nibs in vodka and poured that in. Get a nice boozy chocolate flavor going.

 

I use these for secondary additions/dry hopping with a piece of 20lb fishing line on them.