"Desperados" style lager

[Cononthebarber]

I would really like to have a go at making some "desperados" style lager...if you are not familiar it is a mexican lager which is flavoured with Tequila...If i were to buy a "mexican style" brew kit and just added some tequila to the FV while fermenting do you think this would work? Or is that too simple? What sort of volume of Tequila to add would be my next qeustion...i think that the last time i drank desperados i read on the ingeredients that it has 12% tequila content...perhaps that would be a place to start?

 

[Stone Cold]

12% sounds alot how strong is a bottle of despo?

 

[jonnymorris]

OT: Is that a Stormtrooper on the lav?

 

[critch]

desperados is a french lager at about 6.8% made with genuine artificial tequila flavouring dont'cha know

and its fekkin gopping :sick:

 

[shearclass]

and its fekkin gopping

I don't know what gopping means, but it tastes awful! (in my opnion, though not had one for ages, and each to their own etc)

If you are adding tequila, i would be tempted to add it once fermentation has completed. adding yeast to an already alcoholic liquid (wort + tequila) may inhibit the yeast, and it may not work.

Also, if the brew is 12% tequila, assuming tequila is approx 40%, they you have a brew that is approx 4.8% before you even start with the alcohol, which makes me think the 12% figure is a little high?

Let us know how you get on, regardlesss of whether it's something i would like or not, it's interesting!

 

[James24785]

Desparados is 5.9%, and I'm sure it only contains tequila flavouring, not actual tequila. That may be wrong but I'm sure I read it somewhere.

As for the taste, I enjoy one or two, but I was out the other week and ended up having a fair few and I could taste it for the entire day afterwards. Oh, and a bad head! That said, I wouldnt mind making a clone, although not quite 20 litres worth

 

[mak]

Personally I love desperados just don't drink more than 6-8 of them or you'll end up in a mess

Be interested in doing something like this myself so if you give it a go please let me know how you get on. I'm just drinking some Coopers Mexican Cerveza and that's nice, like Corona / Sol - not a world apart from Desperados just not quite as sweet.

I'm thinking perhaps use that as a base and put less water in to raise the alcohol content? Wonder if you can get tequila flavouring somewhere....

 

[Laurin]

Hi
you can get tequila flavoured syrup from Monin, but some of them are harder to get here in Britain. You might be able to buy it through a bar or cafe from their supplier or just pay a bit extra for delivery.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayIS...90508935391&_trksid=p2992.m753#ht_1502wt_1139
http://intl.monin.com/#/syrup/monin-tequila-flavour

Tequila is made from the agave plant. You can buy agave syrup in bigger supermarkets or health-food stores. The syrup is more or less 100% fructose and will ferment.

You might be able to prime the beer when you bottle it with the agave syrup or the Monin syrup.

Hope this helps.

 

[Cononthebarber]

I didnt know it was french, just assumed it was mexican...well the syrup sounds like an excellent place to start, good point about the 12% tequila would make a fairly heftyly strong pint!!! :) and also if I was making 23 litres that would mean using about 2.5 bottles of tequila...after i posted this i though how about just adding a shot of tequila to each bottle when bottling?

I understand what youre saying when you say desperados isnt an "everyday" drink, its bloodly lovely though every so often (in my opinion of course)...and it most certainly isnt "gopping" whatever that means :)

Im in the middle of a woodfordes wherry brew at the minute so think this might be my next brew...will just buy the coopers mexican cerveza kit and then work from there?

Will update in a few weeks and let you know how i get on

 

[lovelldr]

Would be interested in how you get on, as I have a Coopers Mexican kit here which I was waiting to do in a few brews time. So, once you done yours will give me a good head start on trying to make in to a desperados...

 

[pittsy]

before you ''waste'' a perfectly good bottle of the good stuff (tequila) i would try buying a bottle of something close to the beer mentioned and add a shot of tequila if this don't work for you then you know not to waste your brew and tequilla in case it turns out funky (in a bad way ) if you like it then you on to something good (for you ) :wha: :? :thumb:

 

[James24785]

http://www.creativewinemaking.co.uk/spi ... d_140.html

This may be of some use to ya mate. Let me know how ya get on

 

[Cononthebarber]

Thats not a bad idea pittsy, a lot of people have said that the coopers kit tastes something like sol so will try that with a tequila in it and see how it goes...that liquer stuff also looks ok james, might just buy one anyway as its pretty cheap and have an experimental "desperados" day...

 

[Cononthebarber]

So I bought the Tequila essence that James24785 suggested and added a bit to a bottle of Sol lager and its didnt taste a million miles away from a desperados. Ive bought my Coopers cerveza kit and this will be my next brew, I figure that i will just brew the lager as usual and then add a few drops of the essence to each bottle when bottling...I will experiment with some bottles having less and some with more and try to find the right level of essence to get the "desperados" taste :)

I'll be sure to report back in a few weeks time once my experiements are underway! Wish me luck!

Even if it turns out terribly I will have learned an important lesson: Dont do this... ha ha!

 

[pittsy]

i may have to go down this path too as my brother enjoys this and cuz he's now moved back home with our mom she has taken to this brew :lol:

 

[James24785]

I shall also give this a bash aswell I think

 

[Laurin]

This will be interesting for you Desperado fans.

 

[Cononthebarber]

If you are interested I have continued this thread in the brewdays section as have now started this batch here :)