Wort, Whiskey and Scotch when Brewing Beer

by Brad Smith on December 14, 2016 · 3 comments

Here’s a quick tip about whiskey, wort and beer brewing I picked up at my last Craft Beer and Brewing retreat in Colorado. John Mallett from Bell’s Brewing shared it with me though I’ve since found that other brewers also know this trick.

Hot Wort and Whiskey or Scotch

So the tip is this: while you are boiling, draw a tumbler full of hot wort from your boil pot and mix in a shot of whiskey or scotch. You can pull the wort at the beginning of the boil, during the boil or even at the end – it really does not matter as long as it has had enough boil time to sanitize the wort. I often pull it near the end of the boil and enjoy it when cleaning up. Wear a pair of gloves or use a spoon or ladle so you don’t get burned when drawing the hot wort.

In every brew I have tried with this, the pairing of sweet hot wort and whiskey or scotch is a real treat! The whiskey perfectly complements the sweetness in the wort and slight bitterness from the hops. I particularly enjoy it with darker beers but the technique seems to work with just about any beer.

Give it a try next time you brew, but as always drink responsibly to avoid any brewing accidents. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes…and youtube…and streaming radio station) for more great tips on homebrewing. Also check out the How to Brew Video series I shot with John Palmer if you want to learn more about all grain brewing.

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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Adam Sewell December 15, 2016 at 6:38 pm

Yep I do this every brew!! I think of it as a reward for a good brew day.

Minnie March 10, 2017 at 4:51 am

My pleasure Karen.It is wonderful how those right messages appear when we are ready for them.Thank you for visiting Mind Recipes and please feel free to comment or make suggestions of the type of material you would like to see in fuguae.retrrds Brenda

Greg Zyn February 29, 2020 at 10:02 am

I am not into beer that much because the alcohol percentage is really low. I would be more interested in knowing about the methods used to make good quality whiskey.

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