DeeperRootsBrewing: Cardamom Milk Stout

Cardamom Milk Stout

Green cardamom tincture.

Citrusy, resinous, spicy, peppery, dank. Many of my favorite hops can be properly described using these adjectives. Add terms like herbal, minty, warming, cola-like, sweet, and eucalyptus and you're describing something even more complex than Simcoe or Ahtanum or Mosaic. You're describing cardamom.

In my case, specifically green cardamom. I have some family roots in Scandinavia and grew up with some exposure to traditional foods from the region like lefsa, which my grandmother used to make for special occasions. Cardamom is common in Scandinavian breads like pulla and julekake. I've made pulla bread before, and the cardamom flavor is intense and clean with a strong herbal lemon quality that can suggest menthol and finishes with a refined sweet peppery note. It's complex to say the least, and a small amount goes a long way.

I decided to make a milk stout with cardamom as the key flavor component. Inspired by Yak and Yeti's Chai Milk Stout, I set out to accomplish something similar, but without the rest of the chai spices (cardamom is commonly found in masala chai tea, as well).

Recipe - Cardamom Milk Stout

Specifics

Style:

Sweet Stout

Brew Date:

October 19, 2014

Yield:

5 gallons

Color (SRM/EBC):

31.1/61.3

Bitterness (Calc):

56.3 IBU (Daniels)

Batch No:	145
Target OG:	1.056
Status:	Primary

General Information

Method:	All Grain

Method:

All Grain

Inspired by Yak & Yeti's Chai Milk Stout.

Malts and Grains

9.00 pounds	American Pale Malt (2-Row)	78.8% of grist
1.10 pounds	Crystal Malt 80L	9.6% of grist
0.44 pounds	British Chocolate Malt	3.9% of grist
0.44 pounds	British Pale Chocolate	3.9% of grist
0.44 pounds	American Roasted Barley	3.9% of grist
11.42 pounds	Total Grain Weight (Water Amounts)	100% of grist

Adjuncts

1.00 pounds

Lactose (Milk Sugar)

Hops

1.00 ounces	Magnum 12.9% Pellets @ 60 minutes Type: Bittering Use: Boil	12.9 AAUs
1.00 ounces	Total Hop Weight	12.9 AAUs

Boil

Total Boil Time:	60 minutes

Total Boil Time:

60 minutes

Yeast

Name:	Edinburgh Ale
Manufacturer:	White Labs
Product ID:	WLP028
Type:	Ale
Flocculation:	Medium
Attenuation:	72%
Temperature Range:	65–70°F
Amount:	35 ml

I made a simple tincture with cardamom pods, mixing 1/3 cup of the pods with 1/2 cup of vodka and letting the mixture sit in my dark garage for a week. Today I'll be straining the pods from the vodka, then I'll add a small amount of the tincture to the entire five gallon batch after racking it into the keg, tasting as I go. I'm guessing 2-5 drops will be plenty as the tincture's flavor is beautiful but intense.

Bron-Yr-Aur Tangerine Wit

Dried tangerine peel.

That's the way, oh that's the way...

One of the first beers I ever made was Papazian's Who's In The Garden? and I was instantly impressed by the role that spices could play in a beer's flavor. Offer me a wheat beer and I tend to balk, but proffer a wit, and I'm always interested. The hazy whiteness, the aromatic citrus blend of curacao and coriander seed, the gentle bitterness that those spices impress upon the palate. In the years since, I've tried plenty of other wits, from the splendid perfection of Celis White (a sad brewing story of corporate greed and product mismanagement that discarded one man's craft in the mad grab for profit) to the disappointingly generic Blue Moon. I've also made a few other wits and have come to some simple conclusions that are completely biased in favor of my own preferences:

I like the citrus flavor imparted from the curacao more than that gleaned from the coriander.
Grains of paradise are an essential additive in the boil to enhance that citrus bite and provide some background spice.
European pilsner malt makes a big difference in the final flavor.
Goldings hops are my preferred hop aromatic.
A decoction mash increases complexity and enhances mouthfeel considerably.

I gave this recipe a twist by using dried tangerine peel in place of the curacao. Tangerine's somewhat milder flavor compelled me to add a bit more than I typically would, but I think the result will be special. My decoction mash went as planned and it fermented out cleanly.

Recipe - Bron-Yr-Aur Tangerine Wit