I’ve been exploring AI technologies with homebrewing for several months now and I thought I’d use ChatGPT to help design a recipe for a Milkshake IPA, inspired by the recent Grimace marketing campaign from McDonalds. This is a style I’ve researched but have yet to brew and so I wanted to marry it with this campaign for a bit of fun in my learning journey.
While Milkshake IPAs aren’t exactly my go-to style, I believe brewing one would be an interesting experience. I’m leaning towards incorporating blackberries for the fruit component, given their potential to impart a more distinct purple color than blueberries and my preference to steer clear from artificial coloring. Any thoughts or alternative suggestions on this?
I am absolutely no help in the design of a Purple Milkshake IPA, but I wish you all the best. It’s experiments like this that keep the hobby fresh, keep it fun. Please see this thing through and post here as you go.
This is my nightmare but I think you’re right on the blackberry front. They are definitely more purple than blue. Oxygen is your enemy because blackberries will oxidize over time and develop a brownish tint. I’m usually an advocate for whole fruit over puree but puree may be your friend here to get the flavor and color into the beer quicker and move it into a package as soon as you can.
If this was something you intended to make regularly, it might take experimenting to nail the right purple color. I wonder if a portion of red raspberry would give you more of a true purple but I would try blackberries alone for the first shot.
Thanks for your insightful input! The potential issue with oxidation and the subsequent browning is something I hadn’t considered, so I appreciate the heads-up. Using puree could indeed expedite the process, helping to avoid undue oxidation while retaining the flavor and color essence of the blackberries. I mostly use purees when adding fruit but have done a number of batches with frozen fruit which is why I was considering it.
I also think I’m going to reduce the Honey Malt. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I think your recipe looks about right as a first shot at it. Blackberries are a royal pain to work with, so I’d definitely consider going with puree. Let us know how it turns out!
looks awesome, i am somewhat conservative in style terms i think, but not by-the-book historical/regional/traditional recipe person, but the concept of a milkshake beer always intrigued me a lot. i just never messed with it because im lightly lactose intolerant in my old age, but the idea was genius and there must be wiggle room within the concept.
You and me both. This wouldn’t be something I normally (or ever) drink. But designing and brewing is a different activity than drinking It could be our friend Grimace leading the charge in catapulting Milkshake IPAs into the mainstream.
Today I moved to the secondary and added blueberry puree (no blackberry in sight!), Madagascar vanilla beans, and 1/4 pound of Mosaic, Galaxy, and Citra combo. I expect to keg it on 7/13 depending on how the samples are turning out. I worry that the blueberry isn’t going to provide that purple shine I want, but that’s OK. Early taste test is “sweet” and promising.
Just tapped the Grimace Shake-inspired Milkshake IPA. Wow. Creamy, smooth, indulgent, and purple! There are sweet-tart blueberry flavors upfront, balanced by the fruity bitterness of Citra and Mosaic hops. And then, there’s the hints of vanilla weaving its way through the bold IPA character. Not sure I could drink more than one at a time, but this project was fun.
It could be our friend Grimace leading the charge in catapulting Milkshake IPAs into the mainstream.
Not sure I could drink more than one at a time, but this project was fun.