I was thinking about putting a cigar in the secondary of a RIS, or some other 10-14% ABV ale. I don’t want a nicotine beer, just the flavor from some mellow tobacco. good idea? Bad idea? Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Chris in Estes Park, CO
Personally, I’d say disgusting…sorry, but you asked!
+1
Try a fair amount (maybe 5%) of extra dark English crystal malt, it’s usually ~160°L. In addition to all the dark fruitiness it has a definite leather/tobacco flavor, IMHO.
Nicotine is toxic when ingested. Bad idea.
Toxic, eh? okay… no tobacco in the brew. Dark crystal it is!
Thanks!
I’d set aside a gallon and add just a little unflavored loose pipe tobacco. Sample every few days for a few weeks, then add more once it stabilizes.
I imagine too much won’t be good but a little might add a nice raisin/spice/leather. My experiences would suggest more dirt, earth and an unpleasant sharpness.
Also, don’t be afraid to make a little tea. I learned a lot about oaking making hot water teas then cold diluted vodka teas left for longer periods of time.
So is nutmeg at the right dose…
Well, so is water…
Indeed. Point being that a small amount of tobacco as a spice isn’t going to be bad. Three cartons of Newport 100’s dissolved in a gallon of beer might not be so good.
I’ve heard of some chef’s experimenting with tobacco spicing (both fresh and cured), I’d imagine if it had much promise it would have caught on.
+1 Cigar filler tobacco isn’t very nice.
Maybe an aged Virginia like McClelland’s No 27. If you go that route, let it air out a bit first. It smells like ketchup when you first open the tin.
Have you ever had a beer brewed with tobacco? I have, and was woozy for a while. No thanks to this idea.
The voice of experience!
I judged one at a homebrew competition - it wasn’t my cup of tea.
Just take a big ol’ chaw and spit in the secondary for a half hour.
In some Arab countries there are some rare food recipes that include tobacco.
I was at the Chinese grocery store when I saw a bag of “cooking” tobacco. Always wondered if it was for adding or smoking meat or something.
…but…yuck.
You know, I had a manager who used to do Copenhagen. Monster pinch between the cheek and gums - never spit, actually would swig on a 2 liter of diet coke all night. He did about a tin daily. So probably not gonna kill ya, but may make the non tobacco users temporarily nauseous - or puke.
Here’s the only beer I could find with tobacco - a Porter.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.birradelborgo.it/prodotti.php%3Fid%3D19&ei=3mhdTJ_kC4WClAfLmdWZCA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCYQ7gEwBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DKe%2BTo%2BRe%2BPorter%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DNQ5%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official
I have a recipe for Brew Dog’s How to Disappear Completely from a Brewing Network interview that has an aroma that reminds me of pipe tobacco. I can’t decide if it’s the malt or the blend of hops. Here is a link to the recipe. http://homebrewer2005.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-disappear-competely-brew-day.html
;D
Where is tubercle when ya need him?