Around here we write about the local craft beer scene all the time. But I always thought it would be fun to be a little more active. I’ve had this idea for a while to do a series of beer collaborations with different breweries around the city. We would come up with some creative small batch brews and hold a little release party and meetup. A long time ago (during the Rock City Times days) we held frequent meetups and it was always fun. Josh Davis of Rebel Kettle hit me up one day and asked if I wanted to come hang out and brew some day. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to start our collaboration series.
Josh and I kicked around a few ideas of crazy beers to create, finally we landed on doing a Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk stout. Something to bring back childhood memories of eating a big bowl of cereal on a Saturday morning in your PJs. Only adult style.
I’ve home brewed a couple of batches in my life, but Josh is the real professional here. So I let him work out the recipe for the beer, it is better that way.
Of course with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch beer the most important ingredient is the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. We decided just to throw a box in the mash to kick things off (cereal only, no box). To help the cinnamon flavor shine through we dumped a load of cinnamon sticks in with it.
We used a blend of grains in the beer to give it a deep rich color and a heavy malt taste to give the beer a bit of sweetness and a light mouthfeel you would expect out of a bowl of cereal.
All of this went into the half barrel home kit setup generously on loan from Fermentables that Josh uses frequently for small batch setups. To say this is a significant step up from my gallon fermentor and stock pot setup at home would be an understatement. It is a really nice setup for anyone interested in going semi-pro in the homebrew world.
Along with the heavy malt, we had to add some lactose to give it that milky flavor and texture that this beer needs.
The resulting beer is a light and creamy milk stout with a noticeable, but very pleasant, spice at the end. It is the equivalent of slurping the milk out of the bowl after you eat the cereal while watching your favorite episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in your Donatello jammies.
Come out to Rebel this Thursday at 4:30 for the release party and hangout with us. With only 15.5 gallons it will sell out quick. I can promise you it is easily the best beer we have ever brewed.
