Going for a Blackberry Basil Stout

[italarican]

I had a blackberry basil truffle at a local chocolatier and was surprised by how much loved the flavor profile. I think it could work really well in a stout with some subtle but noticeable blackberry and basil notes.

Plan to brew this on 9/29 but am still tweaking the recipe. Any other recommended tweaks are welcome.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Denny's Favorite 50
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Projected OG: 1.061
Projected FG: 1.015
IBU: 33
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 @ 64F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 @ 64F

Mash
8.0 lbs Maris Otter
1.0 lbs Flaked Barley
0.75 lbs Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs Carafa I
0.5 lbs Crystal 40 Malt
0.5 lbs flaked oats

Hops
2 oz. East Kent Golding, 60 min

Extras
0.5 oz fresh basil @ 5 min boil
8.0 oz cacao nibs @ secondary (7 days)
3 lbs blackberry puree OR frozen blackberries (still haven't decided) @ secondary (7 days)

 

[italarican]

Any recommendations for how much blackberries for this kind of beer? I want the fruit to be noticeable but not the main attraction. It should still be a stout first and foremost.

 

[mtyquinn]

That is an interesting flavor combo I could totally see working. Good luck. I don't have to much experience with theses ingredients- sorry I can't help.

 

[italarican]

I brewed this yesterday:

Batch Size (Gallons): 4.5
OG: 1.058 (75% efficiency)
Projected FG: 1.015
IBU: 28
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60

Mash
6.5 lbs Maris Otter
18.0 oz Carafa I
12 oz Flaked Barley
8 oz Crystal 40 Malt
8 oz flaked oats
4 oz Blackprinz

Hops
1.5 oz. East Kent Golding, 60 min

Mashed at 154, 60 minutes
Batch sparge at 162, 20 minutes

I was originally planning to do a 4 gallon batch, but I way undershot my sparge water temperature and added another gallon of heated water to get the temp at least in the low 160s. Efficiency still came out fine, fortunately.

I added 0.4 oz freshly chopped basil leaves with 5 minutes left in the boil.

Chilled to 68, pitched a starter of Denny's Favorite 50 I made two days prior.

Now sitting at 64 for two weeks. I plan to add 8 oz cacao nibs and 3.5 lbs of crushed blackberries (currently in the freezer) in the secondary.

The sample definitely had a nice basil aroma with much more chocolate/coffee flavor. Looking forward to see how this all melds together.

 

[italarican]

Very nice stout 14 days in. Racked onto 4 lbs blackberries and 8 oz. roasted cacao nibs at that point (pic below).



7 days in the secondary: the smell is awesome! Smells like ghardelli chocolate blackberry truffles. It's less noticeable in the flavor, but the signs are there. The basil isn't really noticeable. MAYBE if I shake it up and look for it I can taste some hints of it.

This is definitely good right now, but I'm going to let it ride and taste again in maybe 4-5 days and see if the chocolate and blackberry come out more in the flavor.

 

[CTS]

Very Cool Flavor profile!! Wish i could taste this!