Sarsparilla porter

[Cansofculture]

I'm looking at mixing a kit i have of sarsparilla mix with coopers ruby dark porter kit or alternatively coopers dark ale kit. And then brewing with coopers brew enhancer 2 or 3 and 1kg of dextrose. Just wondering what others think of this. Especially interested from those who like sarsparilla and those who have brewed both those kits before. Im hoping for something not too bitter more malt driven with a strong sars flavor. Also wondering if i should add lactose for a creamier finish. 

[Otto Von Blotto]

If you want it malt driven then you probably don't want to use 1kg of dextrose in addition to either of the brew enhancers which contain 500g and 300g of it themselves, respectively. Use 1kg of light dry malt instead. 

What's in the sars kit? Does it contain any fermentables? 

[Cansofculture]

I dunno if its ok to reference other companys kits. Its colonial west sarsparilla kit. It contains yeast nutrients and sarsparilla extract and is designed to be brewed. Instructions suggest to add 1kg of castor sugar. I am told it comes out quite sweet after brewed. I am Yet to test. Im guessing artifical sweeteners.  Do you think adding brew enhancer 2 and 3 might be better. Im unsure how malty the 1kg of malt would deliver. But id like it to be a higher than normal abv. Id like it to be quite sweet but still roasty. 

This flavor is just something i have always wanted.. i can imagine it in my head but have never seen it brewed anywhere.. so have decided to have a go myself. 

 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Cansofculture

[Otto Von Blotto]

It might work better with a stout kit, those are usually more roasty than porters or dark ales. 

The thing with dextrose or any form of sucrose is that it ferments out to nothing but alcohol so it won't contribute any real flavour and will make the beer quite thin bodied (watery), especially if you use 1.3-1.5kg of it. The sweetness in that kit would most likely be artificial. Malt doesn't completely ferment out so it gives a bit more body and some malt flavour/sweetness. 

[PB2]

I've tried using Sarsaparilla Root with a Dark Ale (soaked in boiled water then added to the brew).  It showed up in a slight way but didn't inspire me enough to try a more concentrated add.
 

 

Have also made Root Beer from a kit, which was okay if you are a fan of SARS.   If your kit is anything like the Root Beer kit I made, don't bother with trying to cross pollinate it with a normal beer recipe.  They are better as separate entities.  

[Cansofculture]

Ok thanks for the tips guys. PBS. Im a massive fan of SARs. Not really of root beer the flavor is too bland for me. I love dark beers aswell.. but in my head i imagine kind of the punch you get from a sour... but in sars form but still a beer hidden underneath if that makes sense.. this concept is what has driven me to start brewing.. but as you can probably tell i am quite a novice. And seeing as no one else has done it. You are probably right. Im at practicing on just brewing alco sars at the moment.. but once i do a few brews of this ill start with the masterplan. Thanks for the input guys. 

Maybe its better to just use 1kg dry light malt and brew enhance in my sars kit next time.. this time i used brew enhancer and dextrose.

[Otto Von Blotto]

In a soft drink type kit, using a heap of sugar would work because they aren't designed to be full bodied drinks like dark beers are. Despite the amount of sugar that's in them they usually aren't thick, full bodied drinks.

It's different in beer, there are a few styles where being watery is part of the style but dark ales aren't one of them. 

[Cansofculture]

Agreed otto. As im having trouble just brewing the sarsparilla. The porter might be a long way off. Haha. Im pretty set on using coopers dark ale mix now.. so it'll be a sarsparilla dark ale.. rather than a porter. But see how we go.  Currently stuck on 1020 for the sarsparilla.. not sure if i should add more yeast it has been 6 days now.. ill take another teat tommorrow and compare

[Otto Von Blotto]

What's it meant to get down to?