The Power in the Cask: Old Ways, New Beer

We've been using Califormia Common (steam) yeast at cooler fermenting temperatures for some of the beers, like the Mt. Lee, the recent Happy Helmut smoked rye, and the Elsa. It's not classic German technique by any stretch, but the results have been good.

I'm drinking some of the results as I type. The Elsa probably won't make it through tonight.

Lately I've been wondering how a similar machine would work using, say, coffee beans for a stout.

Man, now you have my interest perked.... if nothing, it would be worth the experiment. I'm sure Ed Needham would donate some beans for the cause! I'm actually thinking about what else could be stuffed in the Randall.... vanilla beans came to mind, though I don't know how much they would flavor a beer. Some small smoked wood chips might be interesting as well, but might really mess up the Randall.

the sheer dollar amount of vanilla beans it'd take to even partially stuff Randall makes my head hurt.

you guys do know those things are still expensive even at wholesale and in bulk, right?

I'm not a fan of vanilla. I know I coud afford the espresso beans.

you guys do know those things are still expensive even at wholesale and in bulk, right?

A guy can dream every now and then..... I guess I can just dump a little vanilla extract into a chocolate stout and see how that works.

hey todd
have that chocolate stout over some great vanilla ice cream instead


has anyone ever filtered beer through vanilla or coffee - directly from the tap??

an interesting niche possibly?

rauch biers, through smoked hickory chips?

framboise through raspberries?

has anyone ever filtered beer through vanilla or coffee - directly from the tap??

an interesting niche possibly?

rauch biers, through smoked hickory chips?

framboise through raspberries?

...pretty much what we were getting at with, as a way to use Randall.

but
has anyone actually done this with randall or some other instrument of filtration ??

or is this a newly discovered niche of beer serving prompted by todd ??

will this put the KEG on the beer map as the originator of coffee filtered draft stouts ??

but
has anyone actually done this with randall or some other instrument of filtration ??

or is this a newly discovered niche of beer serving prompted by todd ??

will this put the KEG on the beer map as the originator of coffee filtered draft stouts ??

it's doubtful it's new.
not much in the way of food/cooking/drink is new these days.

even the big fuss people make over 'molecular gastronomy' is largely techniques and usages of industrial ingredients that the large corporations have been using in food stuffs for years.

ever read an ingredient label for cheap ice cream?
notice all the gums and shit your can't pronounce?
what are they? usually stabilizers/preservatives, or things to prevent it from getting icy.
the question chefs are asking these days is, what other applications can i use these industrial ingredients for?
Hence trial and error and 'chef labs' popping up.

which is the case in point here.
Sam and crew at Dogfish Head come up with Randall, and how can we utilize the concept of direct filtration as a means of flavoring, post tap?




it's like making tea guys.
come on!
the trick is thinking in reverse.

whereas tea and coffee are done with hot water over dried aromatic leaves/flowers/beans, the notion as exhibited with Randall stands true here.

Because the draft would have to be cold filtered direct from the tap, it's absolutely necessary to use fresh hops, due to the residual oils in the leaves/flowers. Try making tea with cold water, with one pass of liquid, and not giving it any time to rest. You do it with hot water and it imparts some flavor.

In conclusion: it should work; provided you find a flavoring agent that has a high concentration of natural flavoring/oil that would easily impart without having to 'wake it up' with hot liquid/lengthy infusion.
It'd also be important to pair items that wouldn't get buried by the beer.



how bout we fill Randall with limes and run some of that good stuff from Mexico through it Roger?

how bout we fill Randall with limes and run some of that good stuff from Mexico through it Roger?

Then Roger would be forced to charge his lime surcharge per drink....

Sergio's currently has Breckenridge Vanilla Porter on draft. This has a strong vanilla aroma and taste that doesn't work for me. The Breckenridge web site claims that vanilla beans are used.

Sergio's currently has Breckenridge Vanilla Porter on draft. This has a strong vanilla aroma and taste that doesn't work for me. The Breckenridge web site claims that vanilla beans are used.

i hated this at first. i can enjoy drinking it now.
quite frankly, everything i had by Breckenridge other than their oatmeal stout (tasty!) i hated... i grew to enjoy the Vanilla Porter after having it a few times at Carly Rae's.

i hated this at first. i can enjoy drinking it now.
quite frankly, everything i had by Breckenridge other than their oatmeal stout (tasty!) i hated... i grew to enjoy the Vanilla Porter after having it a few times at Carly Rae's.

I have never been a huge fan of Breckenridge beers. They have an IPA called the 471 IPA, which is tremendous, but other than that particular beer, they are pretty boring. I currently have the Vanilla Porter in stock and it sells pretty well, but it has never been a favorite of mine. It has too light a body for a porter for me. But, I always tell people, that is why they make so many different beers, so that there is something for everyone, not just me.