Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout Beer Kit

Your Label Peelers Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout Original Beer Kit never sits on a shelf. Your grains are crushed to order. Your ingredients are packed fresh and you don't pay for a flashy box. It's all about providing you with the freshest ingredients for you to make your best beer.

INGREDIENTS

• - 6 lbs. Golden Light Dry Malt Extract
• - 8 oz. Caramel 80L Malt
• - 8 oz. Chocolate Malt 
• - 4 oz. Blackprinz Malt
• - 2 oz. Fuggle Hops
• - 1 oz. German Tettnang Hops
• - 4 oz. of Cacao Nibs
• - 4 oz. Strawberry Flavoring
• - 4 oz. Priming Sugar
• - Yeast Energizer / Irish Moss Combo Packet
• - 1 Packet of Dry Yeast (Lallemand Nottingham)

HOPS SCHEDULE 

- 60 minutes: 1 oz. Fuggle Hops (Bittering)
- 15 minutes: 1 oz. Fuggle Hops (Flavor)
- 5 minutes: 1 oz. German Tettnang (Aroma)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 2-3 gallons of water to 155°F.
2. Place grains in a muslin grain bag and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the grain bag, sparge (rinse) with water into the kettle, and discard.
4. Stir in the dry malt extract until fully dissolved.
5. Bring your wort to a rolling boil.
6. Add the hops according to the hop schedule.
7. Boil for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. At the 15 minute hop addition also add the Yeast Energizer / Irish Moss Combo Packet.
9. Cool the wort to 70°F.
10. Transfer the wort to a fermenter and top off with cold water to 5 gallons.
11. Pitch the yeast and seal the fermenter.
12. Ferment at 68-70°F for 5-7 days.
13. Transfer to a secondary fermenter on top of your 4 oz. Cacoa Nibs. Let this sit in secondary fermentation for another 10-14 days.
14. Transfer to a bottling bucket and stir in 5 oz. priming sugar and 4 oz. of strawberry flavoring. Mix until evenly distributed and bottle your beer.
15. Once bottled, allow 2 weeks for carbonation in a cool, dark room. Enjoy!

Beer Making Equipment Kits

If you are making a beer kit for the first time, an equipment kit is a great and low-stress way to get all the equipment you need to make your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout. 

This Brewer's Best Equipment Kit is top of the line and comes complete for a beginner brewer.

• Equipment kit includes: 
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Primary Fermenter with Grommeted Lid 
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Bottling Bucket with Spigot 
• Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser 
• Auto-Siphon 
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy 
• Plastic Paddle
• Carboy Brush
• Hydrometer
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Bottle Brush
• Black Beauty Capper
• Econolock
• Drilled Bung
• Lab Thermometer
• Bottle Filler
• Siphon Hose with Shut-off Clamp
• IO-Star
• 20 qt. Brew Pot
• Equipment Instructions

Sanitizer and Spray Bottle

Good sanitation practices are absolutely fundamental to good beer making. Five Star San is the premier sanitizer you will need to make your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout beer kit. A great practice for extra protection is to have a spray bottle filled with sanitizing solution so you can re-sanitize everything that touches or goes near your beer. Sanitation is much more difficult with beer than wine because beer has a higher pH. Wine's high acidity makes bacterial infection less likely but with beer, one small mishap can cost you your batch. 

Bottles

When your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout is done, you will need bottles. This standard 12 ounce bottle is a good choice. You will need 54 for a 5 gallon batch. Bottles do not come with caps.

Carboys   

The 5 gallon carboy pictured here is the standard size for any beer kit. If you have never worked with a carboy, it is important to know they should not be moved full without a carboy handle or a carrier. 

Brew Pots

The pot pictured is an 8 gallon pot that is perfect for any beer kit or a standard 5 gallon batch. 

Wort Chillers and Thermometers

Wort Chillers and Thermometers are long term investments. It is important to chill your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout wort quickly. The quicker you chill it the stronger the cold break will be. You also need a good thermometer that reads fast temperature fluctuations.  

Siphons

Auto-siphons are a great luxury item to have in your brew equipment. Once you have one you will never go without it again. Don't forget to use a heavy duty sanitizer to clean it since you don't want to replace it as often as hoses. A good sanitizer for that job is Five Star San. 

Fermenters

The fermenter pictured here is standard for a 5 gallon beer kit.

Hoses

 Many people reuse their hoses for far too long. Replacing your hoses often or even using as single use items is highly recommended with beer making. Hoses are very hard to clean and beer is very susceptible to bacterial infection. You do not want to risk losing your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout over a few feet of unsanitary hose. 

Funnels

Pouring your wort into a carboy can be tricky. Use a big funnel made just for the job. They even have different mesh screens to remove particles. 

Airlocks

It is recommended to replace airlocks often. Because they never physically touch the beer, the sanitation risk is too often overlooked. Bacteria can spread without physical contact in a closed environment and plastic stubbornly harbors bacteria.   

Stoppers and Bungs 

Bungs and stoppers should also be periodically replaced. They can dry out and harbor bacteria. 

 Carboy Brush

Keeping your carboy clean before and after use is key to avoid bacterial infection in your beer. A carboy brush is a great tool to get into those nooks and crannies. 

Stainless Steel Carboy and Bottle Washer

Stainless Steel Carboy and Bottle Washer is a convenient way of cleaning your bottles and/or carboys.  This high quality tool will come in handy.  Hooks up straight to your faucet with the bottle washer adapter (#4804) and puts out plenty of pressure to clean those stubborn stains from beer bottles that have been sitting around. 

Capper

When you bottle your Sweetheart Strawberry Chocolate Stout, you will need to cap your bottles. This capper is inexpensive, easy to use and does not require attaching to a counter. It has a magnet to hold the cap in place.  

 DID YOU KNOW

By the mid-16th century, people in England were increasingly demanding regular strawberry farming due to its purported medicinal properties. This prompted botanists to start giving the different species names and references to the cultivation of the strawberry became more common.