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I just got back from the bottle shop where I was charged $32 for a bottle of scotch whiskey that has cost me $26 every other time from the same shop for the last 6 months, they had to "raise all prices for transport costs".

On the way home I started to wonder if it was worth the $32 and if I should find a cheaper place to buy it or just stop buying it?

Well this is one of my favorite drinks and I really don't want to give it up...

Then I had an idea, might it be possible to make a ginger beer with a scotch whiskey flavour in it, fermented and bottled as per normal. Would save money and make it more fun!

I of course have no idea how I would do this or if it is even possible, if anyone has any input it would be most welcome!

A favourite of my wifes is Gin and Ginger Beer. I thought of adding the essence that HBS's sell for the Spirit Makers amongst us.
Has anybody tried this sort of thing.

Cheers, Pete

Yeah mate get a still make scotch ad dry ginger or ginger beer costs a few cents per drink!

Brewaholic wrote:Yeah mate get a still make scotch ad dry ginger or ginger beer costs a few cents per drink!

Yes this is an alternative, but a last resort as stills are not cheap!

Cheaper in the long run than paying $32 per bottle

A 25 litre still around $350 a 25 litre wash at 15% you should get 3.75ltrs of 80% alcohol with wastage watered down to 40% 7.5 litres = 10 bottles x 32 =$320 easily make your money back by second batch

I wouldn't use spirit essences- you'd need too many to get the amount of flavour you need.

Cheers for that Kev - i have a few litres of scotch i picked up on way back to Oz last year and a few dozen longies of GB. Will give that combo a go.

Sorry - not a recipe for mixing the 2 into a brew. I wouldnt bother.

p.s. even my non beer drinking old man is a fan of my GB. Might suggest he dilute it with some of his brandy.

I enjoy all sorts of spirits with GB; brandy, rum, whiskey and gin.

My favorite by far is scotch, that rich maltiness must not be too hard to get into a HB GB.

Maybe it is something you need to taste first to get an idea of how to clone it? I know the flavour I am after but can't quite work out in my head how to obtain it.

OK, maybe I should look at it as a ginger flavoured scotch ale?

http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category9.html#style9E

Anyone care to help?

I was thinking 50% MO, 35% Pale, 10% Dark Crystal, 5% Roasted Barley. No hops at all, bit of aged ginger.

Also fot the kettle caramelisation I was thinming of taking a propane blow torch to a litre or so of the first wort? Maybe in pyrex baking dish so it is spread thinly?

Found a recipe for TTL and noticed they talked about taking 8L of first runnings and boiling it down to <500mL and then adding it back.

Will be very interested to hear how you go. How much aged ginger are you planning on adding?

drsmurto wrote:Found a recipe for TTL and noticed they talked about taking 8L of first runnings and boiling it down to <500mL and then adding it back.

Will be very interested to hear how you go. How much aged ginger are you planning on adding?

500g to a 23L batch.

This is the recipe so far, still need to do more research:

4.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM) Grain 56.34 %
2.50 kg Pale Malt, Galaxy (Barrett Burston) (1.5 SRM) Grain 35.21 %
0.50 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 7.04 %
0.10 kg Roasted Barley (Joe White) (710.0 SRM) Grain 1.41 %
500.00 gm Ginger Root (Boil 12.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Irish Ale (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast-Ale

Not sure which yeast to use but I have that one handy so I may as well give it a go

I will try the idea of reducing 8L of first running to 500ml, if that fails I will give the blow torch a go.

Thanks for that, it is now on my endless list of brews to do....

Kevnlis wrote:
Thanks for that, it is now on my endless list of brews to do....

Its not like i spend my lunchtimes adding recipe to beersmith ..........

This takes my list to 22. I need to do more drinking and brewing and less recipe making

Speaking of which I think it is time for a beer...

OK, so KEG has made me rethink this recipe and I have tweaked it slightly.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM) Grain 45.45 %
2.00 kg Pale Malt, Galaxy (Barrett Burston) (1.5 SRM) Grain 30.30 %
0.50 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 7.58 %
0.50 kg Melanoidin (Weyermann) (30.0 SRM) Grain 7.58 %
0.50 kg Munich I (Weyermann) (7.1 SRM) Grain 7.58 %
0.10 kg Roasted Barley (Joe White) (710.0 SRM) Grain 1.52 %
20.00 gm Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 20.4 IBU
0.00 gm Oak Chips (Secondary 7.0 days) Misc
500.00 gm Ginger Root (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Irish Ale (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast-Ale

What do you guy's reckon? How much Oak Chips would give it a more Scotchy authentic taste?