# Beers Containing Chicken.



## Fat Bastard (7/10/11)

Years ago, just after I left school, about 20 years ago (I'm not only a Fat Bastard, I'm heading towards "Old" as well!) I had a mate from school who's dad was into homebrewing ancient English ale recipes. I remember he did one that contained a chicken carcass. From what I remember (it was a long time ago) it was malty, dark and had little hop character. Apparently the chicken carcass went into the boil, and not the mash. I suppose if anything, the gelatine from the bones may have worked as a fining agent. The beer certainly didn't taste "chickeny"! It was quite pleasant from what I remember, and he wasn't pulling out legs about the chicken.

Has anyone heard of such a thing, or even better, have a recipe?

Cheers, FB.


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## WSC (7/10/11)

Fat Bastard said:


> Years ago, just after I left school, about 20 years ago (I'm not only a Fat Bastard, I'm heading towards "Old" as well!) I had a mate from school who's dad was into homebrewing ancient English ale recipes. I remember he did one that contained a chicken carcass. From what I remember (it was a long time ago) it was malty, dark and had little hop character. Apparently the chicken carcass went into the boil, and not the mash. I suppose if anything, the gelatine from the bones may have worked as a fining agent. The beer certainly didn't taste "chickeny"! It was quite pleasant from what I remember, and he wasn't pulling out legs about the chicken.
> 
> Has anyone heard of such a thing, or even better, have a recipe?
> 
> Cheers, FB.


Ross can help you in the chicken department. He brews a beer just like it.


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## Feldon (7/10/11)

Dunno. But I've read about old English cider recipes that call for a leg of pork to be chucked in the fermenter. Apparently the yeast use it as food during long fermentations lasting several months. There's nothing left at the end - bone and all consumed.


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## bradsbrew (7/10/11)

Research 'cock ale' and you should find a bit of info.
done a quick google and found this, 

“Take 10 gallons of ale and *a large cock*, the older the better; parboil the cock, flay him, and stamp him in a stone mortar until his bones are broken (you must gut him when you flay him). Then, put the cock into two quarts of sack, and put to it five pounds of raisins of the sun – stoned; some blades of mace, and a few cloves. Put all these into a canvas bag, and a little before you find the ale has been working, put the bag and ale together in vessel.” from Charlie Papazian’s “The Complete Joy of Homebrewing,” and originally from “The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Kt. Opened,” 1677.

Now to find a large cock :lol: :lol: 
Cheers


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## Screwtop (7/10/11)

Fat Bastard said:


> Years ago, just after I left school, about 20 years ago (I'm not only a Fat Bastard, I'm heading towards "Old" as well!) I had a mate from school who's dad was into homebrewing ancient English ale recipes. I remember he did one that contained a chicken carcass. From what I remember (it was a long time ago) it was malty, dark and had little hop character. Apparently the chicken carcass went into the boil, and not the mash. I suppose if anything, the gelatine from the bones may have worked as a fining agent. The beer certainly didn't taste "chickeny"! It was quite pleasant from what I remember, and he wasn't pulling out legs about the chicken.
> 
> Has anyone heard of such a thing, or even better, have a recipe?
> 
> Cheers, FB.




Have even drunk said beer, brewed by Ross and crew, their Bacchus Brewing "Cock Ale" was served at Archive Boutique Beer Bar earlier in the year, and a bloody good drop it was. "I'll av arf a cock" was the standard request :lol:

Ross would be the goto for information I would think.

Screwy


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## Barley Belly (7/10/11)

:icon_offtopic: 



WSC said:


> Ross can help you in the chicken department. He brews a beer just like it.



h34r: He does? or Does he get one of his employees to do it? h34r:


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## Phoney (7/10/11)

Chicken cider thread here:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=chicken


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## Newbee(r) (7/10/11)

Fat Bastard said:


> Years ago, just after I left school, about 20 years ago (I'm not only a Fat Bastard, I'm heading towards "Old" as well!) I had a mate from school who's dad was into homebrewing ancient English ale recipes. I remember he did one that contained a chicken carcass. From what I remember (it was a long time ago) it was malty, dark and had little hop character. Apparently the chicken carcass went into the boil, and not the mash. I suppose if anything, the gelatine from the bones may have worked as a fining agent. The beer certainly didn't taste "chickeny"! It was quite pleasant from what I remember, and he wasn't pulling out legs about the chicken.
> 
> Has anyone heard of such a thing, or even better, have a recipe?
> 
> Cheers, FB.



I recall there was a recipe for one in a beer and brewer a while ago. Will see if I can find it.


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## QldKev (7/10/11)

Using the exact thing you are after beer with "chicken carcass", type it into the search then google option and you will find a lot of hits


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## Online Brewing Supplies (7/10/11)

Barley Belly said:


> :icon_offtopic:
> 
> 
> 
> h34r: He does? or Does he get one of his employees to do it?


  Large cock I think not. :lol: 

Nev


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## edschache (7/10/11)

He has indeed made one with chicken and it tasted pretty awesome to me... mind you I was a good 15 taps into his selection by that point so my judgement may have been slightly cloudy


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## stillscottish (8/10/11)

bradsbrew said:


> Research 'cock ale' and you should find a bit of info.
> done a quick google and found this,
> 
> "Put all these into a canvas bag, and a little before you find the ale has been working, put the bag and ale together in vessel. ... originally from The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Kt. Opened, 1677.



So BIAB ain't that new?


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## super_simian (8/10/11)

Note; sack is, in this context, a kind of wine...not a hessian bag!


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## DennisKing (8/10/11)

This is a thread from an English site.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopi...tubbys+cock+ale


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## Barley Belly (8/10/11)

:icon_offtopic:




Gryphon Brewing said:


> Large cock I think not. :lol:
> 
> Nev



That's because it is hanging from your forehead.


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## DarkFaerytale (10/10/11)

not sure if there website is still up or even if there still around but a few years ago the guys from pyssedas brewed a cock ale as well and i do remember reading tasting notes and a possible recipie. might be worth a google if your looking for more information.

i went to one of there pub crawls a few years back and asking about the beer.... apparently it was fowl....

-Phill


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## ledgenko (10/10/11)

:unsure: Is it me or is it a slightly odd thing to be looking for a large cock ???? 

Dont call me a homophobe but ... I always thought this was a site for beer not gay porn !!!

:icon_offtopic: :icon_chickcheers:


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## Fat Bastard (11/10/11)

I'm pretty keen to try this now.

Still not sure why you'd put the chicken in there in the first place, as the one I tried didn't taste much different to any normal ale, and I'm still fairly certain the bones went into the boil. Perhaps the gelatin from the bones worked as a clarifier? When I make chicken stock with 3 bbq chook carcasses, the stock is pretty solid after 12 hours in the fridge.


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## Pat Casey (11/10/11)

A customer recently made some. He's into historical re-enactment. Here's a link to their efforts with some good background on the recipe and its modern manifestations.

Pat


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## Bribie G (11/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> :unsure: Is it me or is it a slightly odd thing to be looking for a large cock ????
> 
> Dont call me a homophobe but ... I always thought this was a site for beer not gay porn !!!
> 
> :icon_offtopic: :icon_chickcheers:



My uncle had a huge cock


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## VBisGod (11/10/11)

yeah, i`m gotta drop everything and grab the labradors chicken carcasses from the hops fridge and brew a beer........ My goddamn chickenass, I havent even come around to Screwy`s pumpkin stuff. Chicken in beer? why! It just coudnt work imo unless you make soup, then we can have pea n ham n porter, barley and rye vegetable lambic, lager n leeches. Unthinkable.
Gawd knows we could even add breakfast i.e oats, bacon and call it some greek name and sell it at airports., i want a beer to talk about not be scared of.
Who did no chill with #17 frozen farmland chickens? #18 was too wide for a fermenter neck, take care of your chicken being a tad unfrozen.......botulism...ewwww? Probably one of the funniest posts besides Rooks maiden all grain voyage I have read.


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## Spork (11/10/11)

ledgenko said:


> :unsure: Is it me or is it a slightly odd thing to be looking for a large cock ????
> 
> Dont call me a homophobe but ... I always thought this was a site for beer not gay porn !!!
> 
> :icon_offtopic: :icon_chickcheers:




You haven't clicked any of Cocko's or Silo Ted's links recently, have you?


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## Siborg (12/10/11)

funny you should mention this. I was judging near the specialty category table at vicbrew this year. You should have heard their reactions to the brewers notes when they were getting served a apricot (or similar)-marinated chicken ale. Forgot to ask how it tasted.


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## mondestrunken (7/12/14)

An article in the latest Brew Your Own magazine brought up the old "Cock Ale" in a new book, which looks quite interesting. From the article, it seems like putting the chicken in the boil was not so much about flavour, but fermentation back in ye olde days before vials of laboratory-prepared yeast. There's apparently plenty of amino acids, yeast nutrients and brewing salts (calcium carbonate, anyone?) in a chicken.

All the fat in a chicken carcass surely wouldn't help with head retention though (no jokes, please).

Any additional thoughts on chicken in beer? It's a bit out there for me but I'd love to hear who's done it.


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## Motabika (8/12/14)

I have tried The Big Red Cock ale that Bacchus brew, was actually really nice, didn't taste like chicken at all but at the same time was quite different to anything else I have tried.


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## wynnum1 (8/12/14)

Politician Loses Bet, Uses the Word ‘Cock’ Multiple Times in Speech
http://www.mediaite.com/online/politician-loses-bet-uses-the-word-cock-multiple-times-in-speech/


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