Annette is loving the molasses!
For many people, ginger molasses cookies are a sentimental favorite. They evoke images of tea with grandma and holiday happiness. So it didn’t surprise me that Annette wanted to create a beer resembling this favorite treat.
For me, I wasn’t quite sure. After all, I believe that something doesn’t quite qualify as dessert unless it contains chocolate… so I never really warmed up to this particular cookie. Then, I tried this beer. Now all I have to say is ‘WOW – I’m sold!’…and maybe next time I shouldn’t pass up ginger molasses cookies! 🙂
The idea for this beer started this past Summer, when Annette picked up some fresh ginger from Abby at Wake Robin Farm in Stratham, NH. As an aside, if you love ginger, you should really try and get your hands on some fresh, local ginger. It is just packed with flavor, juiciness, and aroma.
We took the ginger and froze it.
Mmm. Fresh Ginger!
Once the ginger came out of the freezer, we chopped it up into smaller pieces…
Oh Snap that’s a lot of ginger!
During the brewing process, we added the ginger to both the boil and the secondary. We also added about 20 lbs of molasses to the boil (we did a double batch) and then again more in the secondary.
Molasses steam bath!
Here’s how it turned out..
– Appearance: Rich, deep, dark molasses color. Caramel colored head.
– Aroma: Oh, ginger… Such nice ginger in the nose.
– Taste & Mouthfeel: Take a sip, and you immediately get the ginger. Like many beers we do, it is very balanced – not too overpowering. But, it definitely has that ginger zip and spiciness that tends to linger on the palate. And then there is the molasses that just surrounds your tongue and wafts into your nose. Annette and team managed to capture that rich, deep caramelized flavor of molasses without it being sweet. There are also nice undertones of chocolate throughout. The beer is quite smooth. It finishes a bit dry.
– Pairing: Cookies! Also, any meat that is hearty. Say hoisin-glazed pork belly, roast duck, flank steak. Let us know what you think!
– Stats – ABV is 6% and IBU is 42
Oh Snap! will be available starting Wednesday, February 18th. We are very excited about the way this beer came out, and we can’t wait for you to try it!
Cheers!
–Nicole