I’m starting to think of brewing a beer that has raisin type flavors. Any suggestions on how this can be achieved?
Special B tastes like raisins to me. 4-8 oz per 5 gallons is plenty. I think Mort also has done a rum raisin stout where he soaked raisins in rum. Im sure hell chime in!
Special B (in moderation) - lots of raisins and plum
Dark Candi Syrup - Like the D1/D2 stuff from Dark Candi Inc or the new American made stuff - incredibly rich and wonderful
Raisins - 
- I just did a beer earlier this year where I threw a bunch of rum soaked raisins in the boil. Threw a haze, but you could definitely taste the raisins.
Yeah, depending on the beer style, actually using raisins can work great. I’ve added chopped golden raisins to the secondary of a BGSA. In a BDSA, I waited til the end of primary, then caramelized some raisins in a red hot wok. Deglazed with some beer from primary, then added it all to the secondary. That works great with figs, too.
not I. I do remember discussion of rum raisin brew though. can’t remember who it was. seem to remember that it was served in the hospitality suite at last years NHC if that helps for searching.
Yes, Special B in MODERATION. I had the fortune (misfortune?) of judging a couple of beers in the Strong Ale category at this year at Indy’s NHC first round. In years past, I had heard that you could overdo Special B and those beers at the NHC were the first that exhibited that fault so strongly.
I can tell you it is far better to underdo the Special B addition and still enjoy a very drinkable yet less remarkable beer than to overdo it and have something you would have to blend to drink! Train your palate and recipe formulation over the course of a few batches. I’d say that the amount listed above would be a good starting point.
I agree that Special B will lend a “raisiny” flavor. I’ve also found C120 to lend a similar flavor. I will resonate the suggestion to be easy with these darker crystal malts as you can really overdo it with a heavy hand. I’ve also gotten some of the darker fruit character in my Dopplebock recipe using mostly Dark Munich with some Carafa for color.
What is the result of overdoing it? Something that has a metallic kind of taste?
It just becomes too much… too sweet… too cloying… too smoky, etc. It doesn’t clear out of the way cleanly.
A Raison D’etre clone was one of my first partial-mash batches. I think it was like this:
It might have been very good if the airlock hadn’t become blocked with raisin pieces during a vigorous fermentation. I did teach myself how to mop a ceiling. There wasn’t enough left to warrant keeping. If I ever brew with raisins again, I will probably add them near the end of fermentation.
How much raisins do you guys use?
I did a pound of raisins soaked in a pint of rum for 3 days for 20 minutes of the boil in a hop sack. And that was for a 30 gallon batch. It was pretty intense.
THIS beer is my vote! Raisin is just one of the many flavors/aromas that this beer has to offer. Dark spiced rum, pear, cherry, and some dark caramel sweetness (its fresh in my mind - I just had one with dinner last night)
I think its one of the best food beers in commercial production (that isn’t a saison). It goes great with steak, korean-short ribs, beer cheese soup, Christmas ham… basically anything you would pair with a Bordeaux or Burgundy.
OK - Rant over. I just REALLY miss DFH in Indiana!
I use a lb. or ,slightly more for the caramelization trick.
Do you guys get any noticeable tannins from using grapes? I just did a batch where I used 1/2lb of golden raisings, run through the blender. It’s still early days, but I picked up a bit of chewy astringency when I tasted the hydrometer sample.
I used a pound of Special B in my Spruce tips beer and it was universally well-liked. I don’t do competitions, so I don’t have BJCP comments, but it gave a nice raisiny flavor to complement the Spruce. I was pleasantly surprised.