Modern Homebrew Recipes (27 page)

Style:
Wee Heavy (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
Strongly malty with restrained bitterness and moderately strong alcohol. A malt-bomb, but still very drinkable.

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,
no sparge

Mash rests:

158°F (70°C) 90 minutes

170°F (77°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (30 L)

Boil length:

60 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

59°F (15°C)

Sensory description:
Toast and caramel rich malt flavor, full body, warming alcohol with a hint of dryness in the finish. Deep mahogany color. The malt dominates the palate and lasts through the finish, with just enough hops to keep it from being cloying.

Formulation notes:
Traditional grist without caramel malts. Classic hops and yeast. Use a no sparge method to get a higher quality malt flavor at the expense of mash efficiency. I use a somewhat thick mash, and then add more water during
vorlauf
while not actually sparging. Turn on the flame under the kettle right before run off so that you caramelize some of the first runnings. I normally run off slowly and rock the kettle (like you swirl wine in a glass) to let more of the new first runnings hit the hot kettle bottom.

Variations:
The kettle caramelization isn’t as strong as some methods I’ve used in the past,(like boiling down the first 1 gallon (4 L) of first runnings to 1 quart (1 L)). That process can produce some diacetyl flavors that will taste like butterscotch, and I’m only going for a light scorching of sugars. It shouldn’t taste burnt, just a bit caramelly. You can skip this step and add crystal malt if you like, but it will have more of a sugary, sweet flavor. You can use the boiling down method too, b make sure that you hear some sizzling when the sugary wort hits the pan. Use a pot or pan with a large surface area and a heavy bottom. As I described in the
introduction
, I like to blend this with tupelo mead to make a braggot. The proportions of the two in a blend are not set in stone; try several small glass samples with varying proportions of mead to beer, then pick the one that tastes the best to you, scaling it up to the amount you want to produce. It can also take a little vanilla, and might do well with a short trip through a Scotch whiskey barrel.

¹
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-brew-wednesday-eldridge-pope-1967.html

6. DARK BEER RECIPES

“Weather forecast for tonight: dark.”

—George Carlin, comedian

When judging in competition, I often ask not to judge dark beers because I got tired of the harshness and astringency in many of the beers. That desire to avoid that harshness is what led me to the technique of adding the dark grains during
vorlauf
instead of during the mash. After all, dark grain or malt doesn’t really need to be mashed; it’s just being steeped to release color and flavor. Keeping the grain material in contact with hot water for an extended period of time doesn’t add any value, but can add astringency to the beer unless handled carefully.

The beers grouped in this section could have been listed with the everyday beers, strong ales, and in other places. However, since they all tend to share that same technique for handling dark grain, I grouped them together. I think it helps illustrate how the late dark grain addition technique is best used.

•
Irish Stout
– There is more to Irish stout than Guinness. While a great beer, it’s also ubiquitous. Some of the other Irish stouts like Beamish, Murphy’s, and (my favorite) O’Hara’s use
a different grist with more complexity. While I could make a simple Guinness clone, I prefer the layered flavors and slightly lower bitterness of the other brands.

•
Dark Mild
– Dark mild has long been a favorite style of mine. I took a trip to the UK in 1998 with the primary purpose of investigating this style. Since then I’ve been investigating all the variations. Some people collect stamps; I collect mild recipes. I’m including five of my favorites to show the wide range of the style: Simplicity Mild, Complexity Mild, NHC Mild, GABF Mild and Cask Mild.

•
Throwback Mild
– Would you believe a beer with 25% crystal malt would taste good? It does if you use the right malts in conjunction. This is a historical beer you can still find today if you look hard, or if you are visiting Birmingham, England.

•
Modern London Porter
– This is probably my favorite porter, reminiscent of a Fuller’s London Porter. It relies on English brown malt; don’t bother trying to make this beer without that it (it won’t taste the same).

•
Robust English Porter
– Some people say that English porters use chocolate malt, stouts use roasted barley, and American porters use black malt. That’s not true at all. Without diving into the history, this Robust Porter recipe is an English porter that uses traditional ingredients.

•
American Porter
– American versions of porter tend to be darker, stronger, and often have a more prominent roast character (at least in modern versions). I’m including two different versions that use different types of dark malts and grains to achieve that roast character.

•
American Brown Ale
– There are many different interpretations of this broad style. Many modern versions aren’t overly bitter; those that are, start to push into the IPA territory. In my recipes, I go easy on the hops and choose varieties carefully so as to not clash with the malt.

•
Dunkelweizen
– One of my favorite flavor combinations is the caramel and slightly chocolate malt flavor along with the banana and spice of a
dunkelweizen.
Maybe it reminds me of a dessert, but I find that it has much more exciting than a hefeweizen.

•
Weizenbock
– If I like dunkelweizen, you can well imagine that I love
weizenbock.
All the same flavors but with more intensity.
I made a smoked version of this beer that took a gold medal at the 2008 NHC.

•
Danzig
– In
Brewing Better Beer
, I provided a recipe that was in the style of Carnegie Porter; this one is more like a Sinebrychoff Porter.

•
Jamaican Eclipse
– Dark, sweet, and strong, it’s counterintuitive that this beer style would be popular in the hot weather of the Caribbean and other parts of the globe (but it is).

•
Imperial Stout
– Three different variations (Katherine the Strong Imperial Stout, Ferret and Trouer Ley Imperial Stout, and the Dirty Dozen) are presented, all with different goals. One of the broadest styles there is, I could have included a dozen different recipes and none would have been the same.

IRISH STOUT

Not all Irish Stout is like Guinness Draught. While it is certainly a classic, it’s also fairly different than other stouts from Ireland. Most have more complexity to them than the simple pale malt, flaked barley, roasted barley recipe of Guinness. This recipe is more representative of some of the other versions.

Style:
Irish Stout (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
More in the style of some of the stouts from Cork or Carlow than those from Dublin.

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:

154°F (68°C) 70 minutes

168°F (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8 gallons (30 L)

Boil length:

75 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

64°F (18°C)

Sensory description:
A clean coffee-like roast flavor with moderate bitterness. The flavors are clean and distinct, but don’t taste excessively roasted or aggressively bitter. The crystal malt gives it a bit of residual sweetness that helps smooth the finish as well but the roasted barley does lend dryness to the aftertaste.

Formulation notes:
Because it uses crystal malt and black malt, this beer differs from Guinness. It’s also less bitter, which adds to the drinkability.

Variations:
Try a little English chocolate malt for even more complexity. Push the beer up to the 6–6.5% range to make an extra stout. If you want more of roast bite, use regular black malt, not the debittered type.

SIMPLICITY MILD

I’m always on the lookout for a great tasting mild since they are so sessionable. When I saw a 3.1% version on the menu at the Yellow Springs Brewery, I knew I had to try it, as that’s the kind of strength it would be traditionally in the UK. I was surprised when brewmaster Jeffrey McElfresh told me it uses only three malts, since his beer packed so much flavor. This recipe shows how much you can do with a few well-chosen ingredients that deliver the exact flavors you desire.

Style:
Dark Mild (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
A spot on dark mild that would be welcome at any English
pub in the midlands. Fortunately I can get it at my local brewpub in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where the beer is called
Kerfuffle
.

Ingredients: