Kate the Great and Imperial Biscotti Break

Care to share that Kate the Great recipe???

 

Here's a half kidding, half dead serious response from someone that has never had Kate the Great nor Imperial Biscotti Break:.

If Biscotti Break indeed tastes like biscotti, add a 1/2 c. - 1 c. of this to your secondary and see what happens: http://www.luxist.com/2008/03/15/faretti-biscotti-famosi-liqueur/

 

I found Kate the Great to be much sweeter, with a lot of black licorice and molasses/sugar. IBB has a ton of espresso, vanilla, and chocolate. Personally, I liked IBB better as I like those flavors better.

I found the bodies and mouthfeel to be pretty similar and thought they both hid their higher ABV's very well. Both very great stouts, though I didn't feel like they were very similar in terms of the nose and taste...I found Kate the Great to be more like 2009 Dark Lord personally.

 

Black licorice in KTG? Not a flavor I've ever encountered.

 

I brewed that recipe and just bottled last week. The samples I took at bottling time were very promising. Sorry I can't help you with Imperial Biscotti Break -- I've never had it.

 

I didnt read all 11 pages of replies in that thread but the first thing I noticed is that he left out probably the most distinct aspect of what gives kate the great it's unique twist. It is aged with the addition of wine spirals that impart a vinous tang to the beer.

Edit: Curiosity got the best of me so I just did a side by side comparison of my reviews of both beers in question.

Kate: fresh grain or oats character, chocolate and fruity tangy alcohol. medium to fuller bodied
IBB: bitter espresso, roast, char and earthen flavors. medium bodied

 

It is buried in that thread. If you dig you will be able to find an account of exactly how the Oak spirals / Port wine additions are (were?) done, with pages of followup by homebrewers theorizing on how best to extrapolate that for a 5 gallon batch. For my first try I just went with medium toast American Oak cubes soaked in Bourbon.