I am a homebrewer and have been concoting a recipe for a Chocolate
cherry Porter.

Last week I saw an episode of "Good Eats" on the Food Network. The
host, Alton Brown, was featuring recipes made with Cocoa powder. I
have attained the recipe from that show for Chocolate syrup. I plan to
add a few ounces of this to my beer. I was wondering if I was to add
some cherry extract to this syrup how much should I add for a nice and
subtle cherry flavor.

The recipe for the chocolate syrup is as follows:

1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

This is all simmered down to a nice smooth consistency. I know I am
probably asking a very simple question but I want to be sure I get this
right. Also, any recommendation on what brand of cherry extract?

Thanks in advance

Ryan

you do realize that adding chocolate flavored sugar to your beer will
create an overcarbonation that will explode your bottles all over your
house, right?

In article .com>,
"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote:

> you do realize that adding chocolate flavored sugar to your beer will
> create an overcarbonation that will explode your bottles all over your
> house, right?

No.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article .com>,
> "Blair P. Houghton" > wrote:
> > you do realize that adding chocolate flavored sugar to your beer will
> > create an overcarbonation that will explode your bottles all over your
> > house, right?
>
> No.

Yah. Those little yeasties are gonna FEAST on it.

--Blair

In article .com>,
"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote:

> Dan Abel wrote:
> > In article .com>,
> > "Blair P. Houghton" > wrote:
> > > you do realize that adding chocolate flavored sugar to your beer will
> > > create an overcarbonation that will explode your bottles all over your
> > > house, right?
> >
> > No.
>
> Yah. Those little yeasties are gonna FEAST on it.


Have you ever made beer at home? Didn't think so. The sugar produces
two things in beer, the alcohol and the fizz. There's way too much
fizz, so you let most of it go free, or else you have the exploding
bottles.

There are two methods of controlling the fizz. The first is to let all
the sugar ferment out, leaving no fizz. You then add a carefully
controlled amount of sugar and then immediately bottle. This small
amount of sugar restarts the fermentation and produces the fizz (along
with a small additional amount of alcohol. It also leaves a yeast
deposit on the bottom of the bottle.

The second method is to use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity
of your brew, and when it gets down to a specific point, you bottle it.
At that point it has just enough sugar left to give the right amount of
fizz. It also leaves a yeast deposit on the bottom of the bottle.

Either way, as long as the chocolate with the sugar is part of the
initial fermentation, there's no extra fizz. Of course, if you were so
foolish as to add the chocolate right before bottling, without factoring
the extra sugar in, you would have exploding bottles (depending on how
much you added).

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

All that has been said about controling carbonation is true, but no has
yet answered the question I posted. How much Cherry Extract should be
added to the syrup for a subtle flavor?

Thanks

Ryan

wrote:
> All that has been said about controling carbonation is true, but no has
> yet answered the question I posted. How much Cherry Extract should be
> added to the syrup for a subtle flavor?

The precise amount that you like. How about try to make it with just a
tiny smidge. If that's not enough, add more. Repeat as needed.

There's no chart that says "Add this much stuff to suit Ryan's palate."

Pastorio

In article . com>,
wrote:

> All that has been said about controling carbonation is true, but no has
> yet answered the question I posted. How much Cherry Extract should be
> added to the syrup for a subtle flavor?
>
> Thanks
>
> Ryan

Maybe no answer because no one knows. Try a teaspoon and see how it
tastes. Or a half teaspoon and add more if it doesn't please you.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-27-2006, The Best Dead Spread Yet