After months of tweaking and improving consistency with the Purple Pils and Cedar Logger brews, we decided to try something completely different to bring some variety to the lighter recipes we’ve been offering lately (Apricot Ale, a Mexican Cerveza clone, and the previously mentioned recipes). Using Charles Pappazian’s Toad Spit as our launching point, we modified with abandon, and came up with the following concoction…which is bubbling away merrily even now.
Genius Stout for Chocoholics (5 Gal)
Beginning with about 1.5 gallons of cold water, add
4tsp Gypsum then a grain sock containing
.5 lbs flaked rye
1 lb crystal malt
.5 lb chocolate malt
Bring to a boil and maintain for 5 minutes. Remove grains and add
1/4 C cocoa powder
3.3 lbs amber malt
3 lbs dark spray malt (DME)
Bring back up to a full boil and add 1.5 oz Saaz hops. Boil for 60 minutes
At 15 minutes add another 1/4C cocoa powder
At 10 minutes add .5 oz Fuggles hops for a light aroma
Sparge into fermenter containing the other 3.5 gallons of cold water. Pitch 1-2 packets of ale yeast.
Add the usual 3/4C of Dextrose for priming when bottling and wait 3-4 weeks (you can do it) before sampling.
It smelled so good while sparging, we almost considered skipping fermentation altogether, just adding milk and some cinnamon or cardamom…almost.
UPDATE: After a mere six weeks in the bottle, this brew is just coming into it’s own. Too bad there are only a couple left. We will most definitely repeat this particular experiment on a regular basis.
