Modern Homebrew Recipes (31 page)

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 (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

66°F (19°C)

Sensory description:
Caramel and chocolate flavors initially with a neutral malt backbone. The light fruity, spicy, and floral hop aroma and flavor complement and support the malt. Neutral fermentation profile allows the malt and hops to shine through. The moderate bitterness is noticeable but doesn’t overwhelm the malt flavors.

Formulation notes:
I stay with the more neutral-tasting American ingredients for base malts and crystal, while letting the English chocolate malt stand out. To keep the malt from clashing with the hops, I’m using American versions of noble hops with a little bit of Galaxy fruitiness. The yeast is slightly fruity, but relatively clean, so it shouldn’t provide much additional character.

Variations:
Dry hopping using one of the late hop varieties (Galaxy or Sterling), or a classic American hop like Cascade would work well in this beer. I’d keep the dry hop addition light (0.5 oz/14 g) to let the dark malt character come through in the aroma. I think this beer could carry some honey flavor too; maybe swap out 3 lb (1.4 kg) of the base malt for an equal weight of clean, floral honey of your choice. Add the honey in the last 5 minutes of the boil and stir to mix.

DUNKELWEIZEN

My wife likes wheat beers, so I usually have at least one around. I prefer the yeast character of these beers when they are young and all the flavors are very fresh. I like to drink dunkelweizen in cool weather; it tends to remind me of autumn.

Style:
Dunkles Weissbier (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
German dark wheat beer with caramel and light chocolate flavors along with a slightly rich malt base and the signature banana and clove yeast character. Lightly hopped and highly carbonated, this is as tasty as it is refreshing.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

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

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Hybrid step and double decoction mash, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

113°F (45°C) 10 minutes

131°F (55°C) 5 minutes

Pull thick decoction, rest at 149°F (65°C) for 20 minutes, boil 10 minutes

Remix to hit 149°F (65°C)

149°F (65°C) 20 minutes

Pull thick decoction, rest at 158°F (70°C) for 10 minutes, boil for 10 minutes

168°F (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

62°F (17°C)

Sensory description:
Beautiful deep brown color. Low bitterness. Banana and light chocolate in the nose. Caramel, chocolate, and wheat flavor with light banana and spice.

Formulation notes:
I’ve built upon one of my
hefeweizen
recipes by going from a single to a double decoction, and adding in several additional malts for flavor and color purposes (Munich for malty flavor and richness, CaraMunich and caramel wheat for flavor, and Carafa for color adjustment). I like decoction mashes with wheat beers since it seems to improve the mouthfeel. The rest at 113°F (45°C) is to help increase the clove quality.

Variations:
The mash schedule is somewhat complicated. It can be simplified if desired. A single decoction could be used; use a step mash technique to hit the same temperature rests until you get to 149°F (65°C), and then do a decoction and complete the existing recipe. A step mash or single infusion mash program could be used as well, but the mouthfeel might not seem quite as smooth and soft. If I’m making this for cold weather, I might swap out some or all of the Pils malt for Vienna or Munich malt, and the Carafa I for Carafa Special II.

WEIZENBOCK

Weizenbock
is a great winter beer since it has rich flavors, is higher in alcohol, and lower in bitterness. It seems to be a bit more stable than other wheat beers, so you can actually age it if you want. I’ve made several variations of this style, but this latest iteration incorporates suggestions from Rodney Kibzey, who won the Samuel Adams Longshot competition with this style. He suggested the yeast variety, which works very well with this beer.

Style:
Weizenbock
(Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
A strong, dark wheat beer that uses a wide variety of European specialty malts and a decoction mash.

Ingredients:

Water treatment:

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

1 tsp CaCl
₂
in mash

Mash technique:

Hybrid step and decoction mash, mashout, dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

131°F (55°C) 15 minutes

144°F (62°C) 15 minutes

Pull thick decoction, heat to 158°F (70°C) for 30 minutes, boil 10 minutes

Remix, hit 158°F (70°C), rest 10 minutes

168°F (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

62°F (17°C)

Sensory description:
Rich malty, toasty, and bready base with nutty and caramel overtones, and supplemental banana flavors. Fairly strong and full-bodied, with fruity notes developing over time.

Formulation notes:
Similar to dunkelweizen, this beer has German specialty wheats for flavor. Vienna and Aromatic malt increase the malty base. The yeast brings in a bit extra fruitiness, while the decoction mash adds to the mouthfeel. Do not oxygenate.

Variations:
This is a big
weizenbock;
it can also be made lower in strength, around 6.5%. A rest at 113°F (45°C) can be added if additional clove is desired (but I don’t think it’s necessary in this beer).

DANZIG

Baltic Porter is a wide-ranging style, but too many homebrewers brew it as if it were an imperial-strength American porter. Baltic porters should have a refined, smooth roast more like that in a schwarzbier than the more aggressive roast typical of American porters. The
roast without burnt
quality is fairly important, as is a complexity of base malt and deep fruity esters. This beer has the general balance of a Sinebrychoff, but isn’t a clone. So why would I name it after a city in Poland if I’m inspired by a beer from Finland? Hint: Maybe because I was naming it after a heavy metal band?

Style:
Baltic Porter (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
A strong, smooth dark lagered porter with a roasty and chocolatey but not burnt dark malt profile, supported by a complex mix of dark fruit and deep bready flavors.

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:

57°F (14°C)

Sensory description:
Bready, toasty base malts with dark fruit and chocolate flavors. Strong bitterness and alcohol allow this to be aged (it picks up a more interesting fruit character as it mellows and the alcohol subsides). Smooth with a malty, roast finish.

Formulation notes:
I’m going more for the balance and smooth chocolate, roast flavor profile of a Sinebrychoff porter, so I hit the ABV and IBU levels with a dark color. I’m using the same general ingredients they do, but I ferment it as a lager since it does seem so smooth. It can be fermented as an ale as well, perhaps using the Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast at 68°F (20°C).