Modern Homebrew Recipes (26 page)

WINTER WARMER

I debated whether to categorize this as a strong beer or an experimental beer; it could go in either place. It’s a dark, chewy beer for the cold of winter, but derived some of the dark flavors from Belgian candi syrup. The dark fruit, dried fruit, toffee, dark chocolate and rich sugar flavors from the extra dark candi syrup are all welcome in this style.

Style:
British Strong Ale (New BJCP Style, Experimental)

Description:
A darker, malty, sweet, and rich beer with a full body and warming alcohol. Has a deep flavor from the Belgian candi syrup.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Infusion, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

151°F (66°C) 60 minutes

170°F (77°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

68°F (20°C)

Sensory description:
Chewy, somewhat rich and sweet, with deep, dark fruit flavors and lightly warming alcohol. The bitterness is subdued given the level of sweetness and malt flavors. The hops can give some complementary floral and fruity notes as well.

Formulation notes:
I’m using a blend of Maris Otter and mild ale malts to get some extra dextrins while still retaining bready notes. The Munich is for extra maltiness, and the flaked maize adds a rounded character. The dark crystal brings caramel and fruity flavors, along with dextrins, and the candi syrup adds complexity through dark sugar and fruit flavors. Since the crystal malt and mild malts are adding dextrins, I mash low so that it isn’t excessively full-bodied. I like to use fruity English ale yeast, or one that emphasizes malt flavors, avoiding overly dry and minerally yeasts. Getting some residual sweetness is fine, since it enhances the chewy body and cold-weather sipping nature of the beer.

Variations:
If you want a stronger beer, try increasing the amount of candi syrup. Trying different kinds of dark sugars (such as invert #3 or other brands of dark candi syrup) can give bring out different flavors, and might be an educational side-by-side experiment. This could serve as the base for a spiced beer, using the flavors of English Christmas pudding, or similar desserts to take the beer in another direction. Adding extra dark crystal malts or malts such as Special B that bring a raisiny flavor can work well, as can adding some of the dark crystal malts that have dark and/or dried fruit flavors, such as plums.

ENGLISH STRONG ALE

This style is a grab-bag of fairly strong traditional English styles, along with modern variations that don’t fit elsewhere. It’s mostly a gravity classification for beers that are bigger than the strongest everyday beers and weaker than barleywines. This is a sizeable beer, in the vein of Fuller’s 1845, Fuller’s Vintage Ale, and Young’s Winter Welcome, although not a clone of any of them.

Style:
British Strong Ale (New BJCP Style)

Description:
This beer is big in both malt and hops, with moderate body and a full finish. It has a bready, toasty malt flavor, is somewhat fruity, and has a fairly strong traditional English hop character.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaSO
₄
in mash

Mash technique:

Infusion, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

154°F (68°C) 60 minutes

170°F (77°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

68°F (20°C)

Sensory description:
Bready, toasty base malt with dark caramel and deep fruit flavors. Strong bitterness and alcohol balance the malt, and allow for a long, complex aftertaste showing bready, toasty, caramelly malt with a floral, earthy hop and somewhat fruity yeast character.

Formulation notes:
Traditional grist, mostly, except for the extra malt pop from the Munich malt. Maris Otter and amber malt carry most of the flavor, while the crystal adds some complexity. The yeast is balanced, allowing the hops to come through with floral, earthy, and herbal notes. The gypsum adds to the dryness.

Variations:
The beer can be scaled down to around 6% to make it more accessible but still fit within the style. A variety of hops and character malts can be used to adjust the balance and flavor. The yeast is balanced but a strain that emphasizes another desirable character (fruity, malty, minerally, etc.) could also be used.

MALT LIQUOR

In the 2000s, there was a brief surge of craft-produced malt liquors. At the 2008 AHA Conference, one of the commemorative beers was called an Imperial Cream Ale. I remember tasting something similar at the 2004 conference in Las Vegas, when Bob Kauffman shared a beer he called a Stock Ale (a stronger beer designed for aging). These are all describing the same type of beer: something pale and strong with adjuncts. This version is based on Bob’s example and is more in line with the craft versions or historical beers, not the headache-inducing, cheap stuff sold in 40 oz cans.

Style:
American Strong Ale (New BJCP Style)

Description:
Think of it as a heavily-hopped Imperial Cream Ale that is designed to be aged.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

RO water treated with ¼ tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Step mash, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

122°F (50°C) 5 minutes

146°F (63°C) 30 minutes

156°F (69°C) 30 minutes

170°F (77°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

68°F (20°C)

Sensory description:
A strong beer with significant flavor; the corn gives it a rounded flavor but the big bitterness demands respect. English finishing hops give it a pleasant floral aroma.

Formulation notes:
The basic recipe is very similar to a cream ale, just brewed to a higher gravity. The dark malt is only for color adjustment, and shouldn’t add flavor. Cold conditioning or lagering the beer would improve it, but it can also just be cellared for a long time. I’d wait at least 6 months before trying this.

Variations:
If you’re up for it, you can switch the flaked maize out for corn grits and perform a cereal mash. Bob’s original recipe also used Cluster hops as a FWH addition, but I’m not a fan of their kind of catty and black currant flavor.

SARA BONNYMAN’S ALE

This beer is named after my late maternal grandmother, who taught me an appreciation of all things Scottish. I think she would have liked this beer. It’s a classic, strong Scotch ale that I like to serve as is, or sometimes blend with tupelo mead to make a killer braggot or a complex honey beer.