# Porter/stout With Choc And Licorice



## altone (25/7/09)

Thought I ought to try a darker beer for a change, so a porter/stout is in order.

There are some excellent choc porter recipes here, but would like to also have a licorice flavour
to the beer, probably only because I'm used to that from the UK.

Anyone point me to a nice starting recipe - anything from K&K to AG is fine, so long as it tastes yummy.

If I get a barrage of "don't do it" I'll just do a choccy one.

Thanks guys


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## thylacine (25/7/09)

Recently bottled 25 litres of a toucan Stout/Dark ale with other bits. Including 5ml of licorice essence as the krausen started to drop. Didn't taste the latter from the Fg sample. If the licorice doesn't 'emerge' after a bit of bottle conditioning , next time I may try some real star anise and/or an increased amount of essence. In addition, some brewers have used licorice jelly babies/beans for (bottle) priming sugar.


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## altone (25/7/09)

thylacine said:


> Recently bottled 25 litres of a toucan Stout/Dark ale with other bits. Including 5ml of licorice essence as the krausen started to drop. Didn't taste the latter from the Fg sample. If the licorice doesn't 'emerge' after a bit of bottle conditioning , next time I may try some real star anise and/or an increased amount of essence. In addition, some brewers have used licorice jelly babies/beans for (bottle) priming sugar.



What a great idea - got plenty of star anise in the pantry - although It'd have to be used sparingly or it'll overpower the rest of the flavours.

Might just do a straight choc porter and split in two - add anise to one half and compare.
Unless someone comes up with a killer recipe.


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## MHB (25/7/09)

Just a personal opinion here, but yes Anise will kill any good porter or stout recipe.
MHB


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## RdeVjun (25/7/09)

boddingtons best said:


> What a great idea - got plenty of star anise in the pantry - although It'd have to be used sparingly or it'll overpower the rest of the flavours.
> 
> Might just do a straight choc porter and split in two - add anise to one half and compare.
> Unless someone comes up with a killer recipe.


I second the star anise in darker ales, I've found that it is just brilliant in a dry stout. 15- 20g in a k&b mini boil works rather well, even more if it takes your fancy. I much prefer it in a dry, not a sweet stout, YMMV in a choc porter, so half and half would be sensible IMO, but it might work.
A word of caution though- anise is not everyone's cup of tea and some folks are just repulsed by it (MHB's opinion noted!) So before you bung it in, be sure that its for you- if its in your pantry then that's probably a good sign.


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## MHB (25/7/09)

Oh don't get me wrong, I love Liquorice, Anis, Ouzo and Sambuca, I also love Stout and Porter - Just NOT in the same farking glass!



Black jelly bean anyone?  



M


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## rackemup (25/7/09)

the only peice of advice i have to add is concerning jelly beans, they should not be used as the sole source of carbonation since they do not break down and the sugars will not dissolve - so if using black jellybeans i would still bulk prime/carb drops as per usual then drop in the jellybeans for flavour. on a different note i bought a 50g vacuum packed groung coffee and soaked in cold water for 2 days then filtered,boiled(sterilize) and added to 20ltrs of stout, i will let ya know how it goes. :icon_chickcheers:


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## thylacine (26/7/09)

[quote name='Rack'EmUp' post='496561' date='Jul 25 2009, 11:26 PM']the only peice of advice i have to add is concerning jelly beans, they should not be used as the sole source of carbonation since they do not break down and the sugars will not dissolve - so if using black jellybeans i would still bulk prime/carb drops as per usual then drop in the jellybeans for flavour. on a different note i bought a 50g vacuum packed groung coffee and soaked in cold water for 2 days then filtered,boiled(sterilize) and added to 20ltrs of stout, i will let ya know how it goes. :icon_chickcheers:[/quote]

Hmmm,

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...3513&st=0... 
"Friend of mine used black jelly beans to prime their stout (one in each bottle)...it was delicious. Each to their own and all that." Cheers, Steve

http://www.hbkitreviews.com/view-id-6-morg...side-stout.html
..."I split the batch into 2. I carbonated one with normal Coopers Carbonation Drops and the other I used Black Jelly Beans... It tastes really really nice. I wish I still had more of those left", by Bionic


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## rackemup (26/7/09)

thylacine said:


> Hmmm,
> 
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...3513&st=0...
> "Friend of mine used black jelly beans to prime their stout (one in each bottle)...it was delicious. Each to their own and all that." Cheers, Steve
> ...




??? I didnt say it would not work or that it wouldnt taste nice, just that the sugars in jelly beans arent fully fermentable. take your time to properly read posts before you reply.
Hmmmm...


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## mwd (26/7/09)

Somebody posted that jelly babies work well I suppose they are a bit bigger than the beans.


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