Using Treacle

[pilgrimhudd]

Hi all, I bought a tin of treacle the other day and i'd like to use it to brew a beer, i'm not entirely sure what i'd like to attempt but I thought something like this.

Going for 11l in the FV , 16l full volume mash.

3kg Pale ale
600g Crystal
150g flaked oats
100g chocolate

Mash at 68c

100g treacle @60
15g Challenger @60
15g Goldings @30
5g Fuggles @30
10g Fuggles @10

Some sort of yeast... CML 'Four' perhaps or US04.

Looking for an ABV of 7% ish, the IBU's for this are 35 and EBC 37

 

[The Baron]

Should be ok just watch the use of treacle as it can be just too much. I would not recommend using a full tin 454g it will totally over power the beer but small amounts can add to a beer

 

[Zephyr259]

100g in 11L should be ok, I've only used it once in an old ale which had a complex grain bill, a kveik yeast and a syrup made from the first runnings so almost impossible to tell what came from where. Everyone who's tried it really enjoyed it even though I'm not sure about it. It might have caught slightly while boiling but as only I know that the burnt edge is probably in my head.

So yeah, treacle can be good but easily overdone. Some folks finds it takes a bit to age out too.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Thanks guys, yep I'd imagine it might take some aging, that was going to be my next query. I'd like to use just enough for it to make a difference but can imagine you can overdo it. And yes careful with the boil! Think I should put the treacle in for 60 or later?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I think you add the treacle for last 15 minutes.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I think you add the treacle for last 15 minutes.

Thanks, I thought boiling for 60 might be overdoing it!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I bought some molasses but not sure where to use it apart from stout maybe.

 

[terrym]

@pilgrimhudd
My view on using (black?) treacle in beer is to use it sparingly in your first beer so you can assess its contribution, bearing in mind everyone's love of the taste of treacle is different. Better to underdo it than overdo it and spoil your brew. Anyway for me 100g in a beer would be on the limit, you might be different. That said the taste does mellow a little with conditioning. I made a 20 litre batch of mild with 140g of dark muscavado sugar a few weeks ago, and initially the treacly taste this particular sugar brings to a beer was quite pronounced but now the beer has conditioned it has mellowed.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Brew 10: night - talk - 01/08/2015

yeast (safebrew abbaye) rehydrated and pitched at 25 deg C
02/08/2015 in FV

250g chocolate malt
500g crystal
3kg DME - dark
500g DME - Wheat
450g black treacle
500g dark candi sugar
1.073 - 22 litres 8% est abv

40g admiral 15min boil
did overnight no-chill
22/08/2015
1.014 = 7.75%
burnt red-fruit & dark rum sherry like notes. perfect for xmas

I'd suggest dropping the treacle from 450g to half that. (unless you're conditioning your beer for a year )

 

[Zephyr259]

That sounds like an intense beer @dad_of_jon.

I just checked and I had 260g in a 24L batch

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Brew 10: night - talk - 01/08/2015

yeast (safebrew abbaye) rehydrated and pitched at 25 deg C
02/08/2015 in FV

250g chocolate malt
500g crystal
3kg DME - dark
500g DME - Wheat
450g black treacle
500g dark candi sugar
1.073 - 22 litres 8% est abv

40g admiral 15min boil
did overnight no-chill
22/08/2015
1.014 = 7.75%
burnt red-fruit & dark rum sherry like notes. perfect for xmas

I'd suggest dropping the treacle from 450g to half that. (unless you're conditioning your beer for a year )

Sounds like a lovely beer that. Joking aside I left my last xmas beer for around 10 months it was very nice so am not averse to a long conditioning time.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I bought some molasses but not sure where to use it apart from stout maybe.

I looked at molasses awhile ago with a view to making a historic brew, 18th century style but decided against as it sounded horrible.

 

[foxy]

I looked at molasses awhile ago with a view to making a historic brew, 18th century style but decided against as it sounded horrible.

Not a great deal of difference between molasses and English treacle, I would definitely take it easy on the first brew. If you are going to bottle just use it as a primer. What flavour are you trying to achieve, because it will leave a flavour.
For me I would drop the flaked oats a tab too.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Not a great deal of difference between molasses and English treacle, I would definitely take it easy on the first brew. If you are going to bottle just use it as a primer. What flavour are you trying to achieve, because it will leave a flavour.
For me I would drop the flaked oats a tab too.

This one was no malt just molasses, sounded like you could stand a teaspoon up straight in it.

Flavour I'm going for would be that hint of treacle bitterness, a little sweet, definitely not overpowering.

 

[dad_of_jon]

That sounds like an intense beer @dad_of_jon.

I just checked and I had 260g in a 24L batch

I was, I could only drink 1 per session