Solo #2 - I'm a crazy fool...Brazen Ginger Rye!

[KaiBueno]

OK, this is what happens when I get to hold onto the beer equipment inbetween the normal group batches with my buddy Dave for months on end (since Jan). In Feb, I brewed a smoky pumpkin, which is tasty, but still needs another week or so conditioning to smooth out the end.

Yesterday (Happy Easter)!, I brewed my 2nd solo. I love Reed's Ginger Ale soda, which is the strongest I've ever had (makes Seagram's and Canada Dry seem like the swill that they are). Reed's has a whopping 26g of ginger per bottle, uses pineapple, cane sugar, honey, lemon/lime zest and the ginger to make their soda.

Using that as my inspiration, I took a pineapple, loads of ginger (to match ratio), lemon zest, honey, and threw it together with American 2-row (mash), Rye + Munich (steeping), Dry Light Extract (boil) and Saaz hops (and yeast and water of course)...

The result, hopefully a very spicy sweet brew...it's bubbling away furiously in the primary this morning...

Dave (piratedrunk) says I'm crazy, and so maybe I am...either way, I'm looking forward to my second a-traditional brew:

Brazen Ginger Rye!

[dparsons]

I like Reeds too. It needs more Ginger though. My brother gave me a couple Ginger Ales that makes Reeds taste very ordinary by comparison. I haven't found them locally.

My only thoughts on the brew is that if it isn't sweet enough it could be overly sour. Honey tends to make beer dryer, so that may be an issue if you added much of it. What yeast did you use?

Let us know how it turns out. I'd love to taste one.

[KaiBueno]

Thanks for the reply. I've never seen anything stronger than Reed's, would be interested what brand that would be, and if I could even find it here in the Atlanta area.

As for my recipe, a reminder that for my experimental brews that I'm doing half-batches. With that 2.5gal goal in mind, here's the list:

Ingredients:

2.00 lbs American 2-row
1.00 lb Rye Malt
0.25 lb Munich
1.50 lbs Dry Light Extract
0.75 lb (9 oz.) Honey
1.00 oz. Saaz (3% AA) hops pellets
1 packet Danstar Nottingham Dry Yeast
1 packet Irish Moss

1 Pineapple, sliced
20 oz. fresh grated Ginger
Fresh Zest from 3 Lemons

I'm using dry Nott yeast out of cost concerns, and that I don't see the need for full-on liquid vial for 2.5gal size. I know and like liquids, and would consider as replacement for a full-sized batch.

2-row was mashed for 45min, Rye/Munich steeped for 25-30min, extract added at boil. Pineapple/Honey added at 60 min left in boil, Ginger added at 3 different pts (40, 20, 10 left), Lemon last 15min. IBUs near 17-19, OG ended up at 1.058 (1.056 at 77F).

Maybe the timing of when things are added would make this less bitter, but it was fun to wing it anyway...let me know what suggestions you might have...

Thanks...

[dparsons]

I'd mash the Munich and Rye with the 2 row and let them sit for an hour.

I don't think the dry yeast is an issue. Its about the flavor profile created by the yeast. The issue with dry is the availability of the right yeast.

How did you add the Pineapple? There are some issues with sour/acidic fruits. There are discussions on adding lemon/lime and that may be applicable. I'm not experienced with doing this but I think it would be worth some investigation. I don't think its a simple as just adding the zest. ;)

Since you already brewed this you'll have results in the future to reference. Worst cases are you leave the Pineapple out or use a Pineapple extract.

[Mad Scientist]

I'l look forward to the tasting notes on this.....who knows, might be something my SWMBO might like....

[KaiBueno]

Thanks again for the comments/interest.

For the grains, I'm still a PM+DME brewer. I don't have the equipment (pots/tuns/whatever) yet to go all grain. A goal for 2008 (come on Christmas...). Thus, having read somewhere that it isn't advised to mash Rye with other grains, I steeped it instead, using the 2-row as one of my standards for the mash stage.

As for the pineapple, the top and bottom and outer skin were removed, then I sliced longways into strips and threw in the boil at 60 min. Maybe I should have done less time, or maybe gone with the syrup I debated making.

From time to time, my wife will take the edges of the pineapple, with whatever pineapple is naturally attached to it from the cuts made, and put those, water and (table) sugar into a pot to boil for 30 min or so. With the resulting syrup, she adds it to seltzer to make a pineapple soda-ish drink. I debated adding whole pineapple vs a syrup, but wasn't sure what to do with the sugar part of her recipe. Candi sugar clear? Something else? Surely not table sugar...and if so, I wasn't sure...so I didn't.

Anyway, that's what went through my head, and I went with whole slices. The lemon zest literally floated around for the last 15 minutes. What sip I got from the test of the gravity had the ginger kick, and I did taste pineapple too...this all pre-yeast pitch. I'll find out once I get to the end...

Question, I don't know what any of you use for recipes...I formulate using beertools.com, and I'm wondering if my lower than expected OG is due to my mash efficiency (high temps?), or if that site overvalues the honey's contribution to the OG. Just wondering from a trying to hit the OG mark standpoint, rather than caring if this brew is closer to 6 or 7%.

Thanks again!

[KaiBueno]

I was reading another topic involving cane vs corn sugar...and it seems priming sugar is corn sugar (pardon me, still learning some of these details).

My question now is, if I wanted to make my own pineapple syrup (like my wife does in the above post), but suitable for beer (not using cane/table sugar), would priming/corn sugar work? Take the pineapple like she does, with water and replace the cane with corn sugar and let it simmer down? Would it work the same? I've tried (not for brewing) her recipe but replacing the table sugar with honey and it was too watery. Just curious...

[BrewDog]

I think it would work. Give it a shot and see. Worst case is that it doesn't and you are only back here where you started.

[Vienna Lager]

Did I read that right '20 oz. fresh grated Ginger'?

[KaiBueno]

Originally posted by Vienna Lager
Did I read that right '20 oz. fresh grated Ginger'?

Yes, no numerical typos in my post... :D

Transferring to carboy in the next day or so...will see how strong the green beer is warm/flat/precarboy...

[Vienna Lager]

'Yikes'