In addition to peanut butter beers, I’m seeing tons of Oreo beers in my social-media feeds. I’m definitely not complaining. While fine-tuning Pilsners and stouts and other classic beers is absolutely a mark of excellence in brewing, there’s no shame in having some fun, too!
For this week’s adventures in homebrewing, my game plan was to brew a sweet milk stout, ferment as usual, and add my Oreo-flavored ingredients at secondary. However, some ingredients need hot temperatures to work, and I’ll note those as I go. But if you like the way something tastes at a certain part of the process, that’s where you should add it! I like to split my batch several ways to see which I like best and keep fine-tuning from there. Adjuncts are ingredients you learn to dial in based on your taste preferences, ingredients, and other factors, and I’m only going to get you started.
Base Beer
Of course, you need to start with a good base beer. I probably wouldn’t dunk a real Oreo in an IPA or wild farmhouse ale, but if you think that’s pretty tasty, don’t let anybody stop you. Something sweet, chocolaty, and dry is what to aim for (cloying and malty, probably not so much). Personally, I think something more along the lines of a sweet milk stout or a drier porter is going to be your best bet. We have some great recipes on our website to get you started, but if you have a tried and true recipe, use that.