Name: Wild Rabbit Pies & Pints Basic Batch Recipe
Cook time: 48 h
Total time: 48 h
Yield: 5 servings
Ingredients: 8.5 lbs Pale 2-row malt; 1 lbs Munich malt; 0.75 lbs Crystal/Caramel 60L; 0.5 lbs Flaked oats; 0.5 lbs Corn sugar (dextrose) — priming or late-boil if desired; 1 oz Northern Brewer hops (7–9% AA) — bittering; 0.5 oz Fuggle or East Kent Goldings — aroma (optional); 6 oz Whole coffee beans (medium-dark roast); 6 oz Cocoa nibs (toasted lightly); 2 each Vanilla beans; 2 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process); 1 pack Liquid ale yeast (English ale / English ale hybrid) or dry Safale S-04; 6 gal Water (treated for brewing; target alkalinity and hardness balanced for dark-adjacent beers); 1 tsp Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — adjust water if needed; 0.5 tsp Calcium chloride — optional for softness/balance; 3 oz Corn sugar (for bottling) — if bottling; 1 each Campden tablet (optional, if using tap water and concerned about chlorine)

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

For this Golden Stout, we skipped the usual dark malts and instead brewed with whole coffee beans, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and chocolate. The result is a brew bursting with flavors reminiscent of your favorite holiday drinks, cozy puffy vests, and warm furry boots.

Heat 5.5 gallons of brewing water to approximately 165°F (74°C). Transfer 6.0 gallons to your mash tun to account for losses so your strike temp will settle near 152°F (67°C). Add the crushed Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal 60L, and flaked oats to the mash tun and mix thoroughly to avoid dough balls. Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes for full conversion and moderate body.

Strike Water & Mash

After 60 minutes, raise the mash temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes (mashout). Begin lautering and sparge with ~3.5 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.5–6.75 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust volume for your system losses to reach ~5.25 gallons into the fermenter after boil and trub).

Mashout and Lauter

Bring wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of the 60-minute boil, add 1.0 oz Northern Brewer hops for bittering. Boil for the full 60 minutes, watching for boilovers. With 10 minutes remaining, add 0.5 oz Fuggle or EKG hops for mild aroma if using, and add 2 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder, whisking to disperse. If you want a slightly drier stout and to boost fermentability, add 0.5 lbs corn sugar with 10 minutes left.

60-minute boil

About 10–15 minutes before flameout, prepare a small steeping bag or sanitized stainless steel hop spider for the cocoa nibs and later for coffee. Sanitize the bag by dunking in near-boiling wort briefly or by rinsing with a brewing sanitizer solution.

Sanitize adjuncts prep

Lightly toast the cocoa nibs in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, tossing frequently until aromatic but not burning. Allow to cool. Place toasted nibs into the sanitized steeping bag.

Toast and prepare cocoa nibs

For clean coffee flavor without excessive bitterness, cold-steep the whole coffee beans. Coarsely crush or crack the 6 oz of whole beans lightly (use a rolling pin or pulse in a grinder briefly). Put the cracked beans into 3 cups (~700 ml) of cold bottled water and steep in the refrigerator for 12–18 hours (overnight). After steeping, strain through a fine mesh and paper filter (coffee filter) to remove fines. You should end up with roughly 2–2.5 cups of strong coffee concentrate. Keep refrigerated until day 3–5 of fermentation for addition (recommended), or add at packaging for less fermentation interaction.

Cold-steep coffee

At flameout or after a gentle whirlpool and 10–15 minute rest, add the sanitized bag with toasted cocoa nibs to the hot wort and let it steep in the kettle for 10–15 minutes (this will extract chocolate flavor without over-extracting harsh tannins). Remove the bag and transfer the wort to the fermenter, leaving most trub behind.

Cocoa nibs in secondary (or end of primary)

Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds. Place both seeds and pods into a small sanitized jar with 2 oz neutral spirit (vodka) or a little sanitized hot wort to sanitize the surface; steep for 24–72 hours to marry flavors. For a milder vanilla, add the vanilla extract or the vanilla pod + seeds to the secondary or at 3–5 days into fermentation in a sanitized bag. Typical addition: both beans (pods + seeds) for ~5 gallons.

Vanilla preparation

After boil and adjunct steeping, chill the wort quickly to 66–68°F (19–20°C). Transfer to a sanitized fermenter, aerate well (oxygenate or shake), and pitch the yeast. If using liquid yeast, rehydrate or make a starter as appropriate to ensure healthy fermentation. Target fermentation temperature 66–68°F (19–20°C) for English-style esters, or 62–64°F (17–18°C) for a cleaner profile.

Chill wort and pitch yeast

Allow primary fermentation to proceed for 5–7 days or until vigorous activity subsides. Keep temperature steady in the chosen range. Gravity should drop steadily; final gravity target around 1.016–1.020 depending on attenuation choice.

Primary fermentation

After primary fermentation slows (around day 3–5) or at the start of secondary, add the cold-steeped coffee concentrate (taste first; add gradually to avoid overpowering; typical addition 6–10 oz of concentrate for 5 gallons depending on strength) and the prepared vanilla (pods + seeds or measured extract). Place additions in a sanitized mesh bag or directly into the fermenter; leave on for 3–7 days, tasting periodically. If you prefer less roast bitterness, start with 4 oz of coffee concentrate and increase on future batches.

Add coffee & vanilla

If desired, rack to a secondary fermenter after coffee/vanilla contact for another 3–7 days to let flavors marry and clear. Cold-crash for 48 hours to help drop out solids.

Secondary conditioning (optional)

If bottling, prepare ~3 oz (by weight) corn sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water, cool, and mix with beer for priming to achieve ~2.2–2.4 vols CO2. Bottle and cap, then condition at room temperature for 2 weeks. If kegging, carbonate to ~2.2–2.4 vols CO2 at refrigeration temperatures and force carbonate or natural condition in keg.

Bottling or kegging

Let the beer condition for at least 2–4 weeks after packaging for flavors to integrate. Chocolate and vanilla notes often round and smooth out with an extra few weeks; patience improves balance.

Aging

If your water profile is unknown, start with low-to-moderate mineral additions: add 1 tsp gypsum and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride to your mash or strike water to accentuate malt and roast impressions without making the beer harsh. Adjust pH to ~5.2–5.4 in the mash for optimum enzyme activity and extraction. If using chlorinated tap water, treat with a Campden tablet before brewing.

Pale 2-row malt

Munich malt

Crystal/Caramel 60L

Flaked oats

Corn sugar (dextrose) — priming or late-boil if desired

Northern Brewer hops (7–9% AA) — bittering

Fuggle or East Kent Goldings — aroma (optional)

Whole coffee beans (medium-dark roast)

Cocoa nibs (toasted lightly)

Vanilla beans

Unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process)

Liquid ale yeast (English ale / English ale hybrid) or dry Safale S-04

Water (treated for brewing; target alkalinity and hardness balanced for dark-adjacent beers)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) — adjust water if needed

Calcium chloride — optional for softness/balance

Corn sugar (for bottling) — if bottling

Campden tablet (optional, if using tap water and concerned about chlorine)

Basic Batch

Make Basic Batch Recipe in just 48h . For this Golden Stout, we skipped the usual dark malts and instead brewed with whole coffee beans, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and chocolate. The result is a brew bursting with flavors reminiscent of your favorite holiday drinks, cozy puffy vests, and warm furry boots.

Basic Batch

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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