Customer Service for Mr. Beer & DIY Beer

Remember those weekends in your childhood when you would watch the Saturday morning cartoons while eating heavily sugared cereal in your pajamas? One brewery wants you to vicariously relive those moments through their beer. Introducing the “Cerealiously Lucky Charms™” milk stout from Black Bottle Brewing Company in Fort Collins, CO.

Black Bottle brewery set out to make a joke beer using “Count Chocula” Cereal. The beer turned out fantastic, so with full support from General Mills™, they decided to bring it out to the public. For each limited batch they use a rich milk stout base and a different cereal each month. This month is “Lucky Charms™”.

This rich and silky full-bodied stout has notes of roasted barley, chocolate, and espresso with a sweet marshmallow finish. It’s guaranteed to take you back to those lazy Saturday mornings as a kid. So go ahead, kick up your feet, turn on some cartoons, and enjoy your cereal in beer form. It’s magically delicious!


RECIPE INCLUDES:
1 Can St. Patrick’s Irish Stout Brewing Extract
1 Packet Dry Brewing Yeast (Under lid of Brewing Extract)
1 Packet Safale US-04 Dry Yeast
2 BrewMax LME Softpack - Smooth
4 oz. Lactose Sugar
2 1/2 oz. Packet Northern Brewer Pellet Hops
3 Muslin Hop Sacks
2 Packets No-Rinse Cleanser

YOU PROVIDE:
1 cup Lucky Charms™ Cereal (or generic equivalent)

1. Place the contents of the Northern Brewer pellet hops packets into each hop sack (1 packet per hop sack. The 3rd hop sack will be used later.) and tie them closed, then trim away excess material.
2. Remove the yeast packet (NOT needed for this recipe) from under the lid of the Brewing Extract can, then place the unopened can in hot tap water.
3. Using the measuring cup, pour 6 cups of water into your clean 3-quart or larger pot. Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat. Open the pouches of LME and add to the hot water. Increase your heat to medium-high. Continue stirring constantly to keep the rising foam in check. If it begins to rise, pull the pan off the heat and lower the temperature slightly, continuing to stir until you hit the hot break which is where the foam has subsided and the solution is now safely boiling. Add your first hop sack, allow this mixture to simmer on LOW for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. After 20 minutes, add the 2nd hop sack and continue the low simmer for 10 more minutes. Then remove from heat. Slowly add the lactose sugar, stirring vigorously to avoid clumping.
4. Open the can of Brewing Extract, and pour the contents into the hot mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. This mixture of unfermented beer is called wort.
5. Fill keg with refrigerated tap water to the 4-quart mark on the back.
6. Pour the wort into the keg, and then bring the volume of the keg to the 8.5-quart mark by adding more cold water. Stir vigorously with the spoon or whisk.
7. Sprinkle ONLY the US-04 yeast packet (included in your recipe) into the keg and screw on the lid. Do not stir.
8. Put your keg in a location with a consistent temperature between 59°and 75° F (15°-24°C), ideally about 68° F (20°C) and out of direct sunlight. Ferment for 14 days.
9. At the 1 week mark, sanitize your third hop sack, place 1 cup Lucky Charms into it, tie the hop sack closed, then trim away excess material.
10. Open the lid of the fermenter and toss in the hop sack, replace lid. Do not stir.
11. After approximately 24 hours, you will be able to see the fermentation process happening by shining a flashlight into the keg. You'll see the yeast in action in the wort. The liquid will be opaque and milky, you will see bubbles rising in the liquid, and there will be bubbles on the surface.