IvyMike

Homebrew experiments to try

I'm probably going to start to brew some beer again, and I've been mulling over ideas for new recipes. I'll probably start with a straightforward IPA just to get back in the swing of things, but the real fun of homebrew is making off-the-wall beers that you can't just go out and buy.

Here are my current ideas for homebrew experiments. It's hard to come up with something original, since homebrewers are a pretty creative bunch, so I lay no claim to be the first inventor of any of these:

1. Orange IPA: I think a very, very mild orange hint could make a very interesting IPA. I said mild!
   
2. Cherry Chocolate Stout: I think I can be pretty bold and go big on both the cherry and chocolate flavors. If this doesn't sound like a good idea to you, I don't even want to be your friend.
   
3. Vanilla Gorilla: A vanilla-banana stout. I'm not a big stout fan, but a beer with "gorilla" in the name simply has to be a stout. It will be key to keep the vanilla and banana flavors very subtle.
   
4. Banana Split Stout: That's right, combine the last two into a cherry Chocolate Vanilla Banana Stout. Is this too gimmicks?
   
5. Five-Grain Beer: Barley, wheat, rye, buckwheat, and oats. I have never brewed anything but a barley beer, so this is definitely an advanced project.
   

posted by IvyMike @ 7/26/2004 10:11:00 PM