Norris Farmers Breakfast

Some people like to wake up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the morning, instead, I grew up with the stale stench of cow manure.  As a kid, every morning I would walk to my bus stop and my nostrils were literally filled with Au De Cow Shit.  I didn’t realize it until actually a few years ago, but those cows weren’t really scratching each others backs either.  My pre-adolescent mind was immune to that stuff back then.  Living on a big farm had its perks though.

Countless ditches to fish in. 

Hundreds of rats to shoot with your BB gun.

Lots of rocks for throwing.

After a success with my Sarge’s Semper Fi, I wanted to make a little more low profile stout and try to make it a Milk Stout.  I researched the ingredients for Left Hands Milk Stout and Founders Breakfast Stout.  I wanted to make it similar to FBS in a sense that I wanted all the flavors of a good old Farmers type breakfast.  I wanted coffee, maple syrup, bourbon (it’s Kentucky right), and chocolate.   Bacon was an option, I just didn’t make it happen.  After blending the two and incorporating some advice, I went to get the ingredients from My Old Kentucky Homebrew. 

I then stopped near my gym and spoke with Fred, the owner of Coco’s Chocolate Cafe, in the Highlands.  We talked about cacao beans and he was gracious enough to let me buy some.  When it’s completely finished, he has some beer coming his way.

Date of Initial Brew: 11/7/2010

Type of Beer: Milk Stout

Name of Beer: Norris Farmers Breakfast

Extract or All Grain:  All grain

Grains used: 9lbs two-row, 1lb Roasted Barley, 2lb Belgian Chocolate Malt, ½ Black Patent, ½ Carafa, ½ 120L, ½ Flaked Barley, ½ Flakes Oats

Hop Schedule: 1oz Galena (60), 1oz Fuggles (30), 1oz Liberty (5)

Spices Used: 1 cup Kahlua ground coffee Mocha, 1 lb Lactose, 1 cup dark brown sugar (burn out), 10 oz roasted cacao beans (secondary)

Yeast: American Ale

Original Gravity Temperature and Reading: 1.07 @ 64

Secondary Fermentation Date: 11/14/10

Specific Gravity Temperature and Reading: 1.03 @ 64

Bottling Date: 12/4/10

Final Gravity Temperature and Reading: 1.03 @ 60

ABV%: 5.25

First bottle drank date: 12/20/10

The beer is named after the farm I grew up on, Norris Farms.  Currently, it is now all underwater because it has been turned back into what it originally was, a lake.  It’s pretty awesome there though for kayaking and fishing.  I wasn’t sure how much of the ground coffee to use when adding it towards the end of the boil.  Now I know, I added too much, but I think it will settle and mellow with time.  When transferring to the secondary, the coffee smell was evident and the beer was as black as it.

I tossed the cacao beans into the secondary with the beer and let it ride for a good 3 weeks.  I had to start storing my beer upstairs because the cellar was getting pretty cold compared to the upstairs.  I tasted it after one week and it wasn’t even close to ready.  After 3 weeks in the bottle, carbonation is present and so is the stoutness of coffee with hints of subtle chocolate.  I hope with the time the chocolate might come out a little more, but either way, it’s a pretty damn good beer.  It pours a deep black without about half an inch id head which quickly dissipates.

Will make more notes of the taste with age.