Ladies of Craft Beer

Posted By: Stevie Caldarola

Hello There. I’d like to introduce myself to the Ladies of Craft Beer. I’m Beki and I’m a lover of craft beer. I like to think of myself as a beer connoisseur, and a beer enthusiast, but never a beer snob. As far as I’m concerned, you should drink (and homebrew) what you like!! I figured since this is my first blog, I’d make it sort of a bio-get to know me blog. So here goes. . .

It’s no secret that my family loves beer. In fact my husband Frank’s great-great grandfather was the owner of a local pre-prohibition brewery, “The Peter Krantz Brewery”. And his five sons, owned and operated “The Fell Brewery”. They had a thriving brewery company until nasty 18th Amendment was passed. Prohibition put the Krantzes out of business, and as a result I didn’t marry a rich Beer Barron like Adolphus Busch. But rather, and more importantly, a really great guy who shared my love of beer, and had a really cool family history that he wanted me to be a part of!!

I guess we started out not much different that anyone else. Fresh out of college with little money to spare, our beer choices often reflected what was on sale that week. This went on for a few years, but it all changed for good one fateful day. We (along with our best friend, and partner in the love of beer, Brian) went on a PA craft beer brewery bus tour. In one day we visited Tröegs, Lancaster, Appalachian, and Stoudts. I’m happy to report life has never been the same since then.

I can vividly remember the flavorful beer dancing on my tongue as I sampled wheat beers, hoppy beers, milk stouts, and pale ales for the first time. So much flavor, so much mouth feel. . .Oh Sweet Nectar!! During the trip when we toured all of the breweries and it was like a switch was turned on for both Frank and me. It was as if the ghosts of Krantz Brewers past we’re beckoning us to carry on the family brewing tradition. We knew could, and should brew flavorful beer!!

One day not too long after that several boxes appeared at the front door. Frank had bought all of the equipment to homebrew, and enough ingredients for two batches of beer: a traditional lager, and an IPA. (Isn’t he the greatest husband EVER??)

The first two beers we homebrewed we were a smashing success!! We proudly shared them with our family and friends. They begged us to brew more beer, and then further complex styles. We happily obliged. So we bought several beer recipe books, and joined a few homebrew forums online. This is where my creative juices really took over. You see, as the matriarch of my family, I am seasoned cook. I love the satisfaction I get from knowing I made something from scratch that tastes so good, and that it makes those I care about happy. It’s an Italian woman’s highest expression of love. I like to joke that I am an artist, and food is my medium. So it really wasn’t that much of a stretch for me to apply this “art form” to brewing beer. And having a degree that included extensive microbiology studies didn’t hurt either!! Today I use recipes sort of like a jumping board, or a backbone that I build on. I like taking a classic beer style, like say an IPA, and giving it my own personal flair. I enjoy experimenting with what flavors “play nice” together. Sometimes the recipes come to me in dreams, and I have to wake up and quickly write them down before I forget!!

Since it’s still the fall season I’d like to share my Pumpkin Draught recipe with you. In the spirit of my “brew and drink beer you like” philosophy, I prefer to write my recipes as an outline, rather than a step by step guide. This allows the brewmaster the flexibility to add their personality to any recipe. And well just as any good cook won’t give you their exact blue ribbon recipe, I think the same holds true for a really exceptional beer recipe!! Feel free to tweak this as you see fit. (after all it’s YOUR BEER)

Given that most homebrewers start out as extract brewers, I’ve decided to write my recipe that way. If you’ve advanced to partial mash or all grain, please feel free to convert some / or all of the LME to the grain of your choice.

Pumpkin Draught

1/2 lb carapils /dextrin (this is important for mouth feel, head retention, and foam stability)
1/2 lb caramel/crystal malt (I would suggest caramel 10L – 40L, cara hell, cara red, or cara amber)
2 (3.3lbs) LME (I would suggest light, gold, amber or a combination)
1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar (light for less pronounced flavor, dark for a more pronounced flavor)
2 (14oz) cans pumpkin
1 tsp good quality cinnamon (if you put dollar store quality in your beer, you’ll get dollar store taste)
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (again quality matters)
a pinch of any other spices/ingredients you might think taste good in pumpkin pie (cloves, orange peel, ginger, etc)
1 oz Mt Hood Hops (or other 3.5-4.0 AA hop)
3/4 oz Cascade Hops (or other 5.5-6.5 AA hop)
1/4 oz Saaz Hops (or other 3AA-ish aroma hop)
1 tsp. Irish Moss
American or British Ale Yeast

Bring about 2 – 2 1/2 gallons of water to 155º. Remove from heat and then steep the crushed grains in a grain bag for 20-30 mins. Thoroughly drain the grain bag, give it a squeeze and discard the spent grains. Add both cans of LME, and brown sugar stirring to completely dissolve. Bring to a boil and add Mt Hood hops. After 45 minutes add Irish moss. Continue to boil for 10 more minutes then add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, (any additional spices that suit your fancy) and Cascade hops stirring to avoid scorching of the pumpkin. Boil 5 minutes longer (for a total of a 60 minute boil) and add Saaz hops at flame out. Cool wort, rack into a sterilized5 gallon fermenter, top off with sterile cool water to5 gallons, and pitch yeast. Primary fermentation 5-7 days, secondary fermentation 3-5 days (for a total of 10 days). Bottle with 5oz priming sugar or keg.

This is Beki Kosydar-Krantz’ first post with the Ladies of Craft Beer. You can check out Beki’s (and her husband’s) brewing endeavors on their The Krantz Brewing Co. facebook page.

Originally posted 2010-11-09 10:30:50.

Posted By: Julia Taylor

Catherine the Great

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, which means that the commercial world is very busy brainwashing guys to buy roses, chocolates, and heart shaped jewelry. We are Ladies of Craft Beer, so it is only appropriate that our Valentines present us with a special brew, a true chick beer, one suitable for an empress…

During the porter rage of the 18^th century, Peter the Great of Russia became a fan during his visit to England.  He requested that some of this brown elixir be sent to his Imperial Court, but the beer spoiled along the thousand-mile route.  In an effort to salvage England’s brewing reputation, Barclay Brewery of London increased the amount of alcohol and hops for the second batch.  The result was the “Russian Imperial Stout”, a dark complex ale that quickly warmed the bodies and hearts of the people of Russia. According to legend, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia  was very partial to the stout and repeatedly ordered large quantities for her own consumption and for her court. Her support of this brew made in popular inEngland and has contributed to its popularity today.

Russian Imperial Stouts are very popular among craft brewers, and today’s ebony brew has moved far from tradition with additives like chocolate, chili peppers, fruit, and herbs. Sometimes, however, the rich, roasty, and bittersweet flavors of this complex ale is all that is needed. I have tried many Imperial Stouts, but the one that you have not tried always seems to be the best, and I aspire for a Portsmouth Brewery’s Kate the Great.  This brew has received a World-Class (100) rating on Beer Advocate  from both Reviewers and The Bros , which places it as the crème de la crème of Imperial Stouts. The beer is brewery only release  planned for March 5 and is sold via a lottery system. Fourteen barrels were brewed for this year’s release, and 2,000-11.6 oz. bottles will be available for sale. A total of 15,000 scratch-off tickets will go on sale at the brewery approximately three weeks before the release, and there will be 2,000 “winners” mixed randomly among them, entitling the bearer to purchase a bottle for $8. The tickets are $2 each and all revenue will go to charity. Ticket announcements will be posted on their  Facebook  and sent out on Twitter , so stay tuned if you’re in the Portsmouth, NH area.

If you’re not lucky enough to get a “winning” ticket, join me in my attempt to brew a Kate the Great clone  utilizing the brewer’s recipe and the meticulous notes of  The Mad Fermentationist.

Kate the Great Clone

OG: 1.101  FG: 1.030  SRM: 51 ABV: 12%  IBU: 73

Mash Temp: 149 Boil Time: 135 minutes  Volume: 5.5 gal.

Grain Bill

17.75 lbs. American Pale “2-row” (73.9%)

1.00 lbs. Light DME (4.2%)

0.81 lbs. Flaked Barley (3.4%)

0.81 lbs. Special B (3.4%)

0.81 lbs. Wheat Malt (3.4%)

0.69 lbs. Carafa Special III (2.9%)

0.56 lbs. Aromatic Malt (2.3%)

0.50 lbs. Crystal 60L (2.1%)

0.44 lbs. Roasted Barley (~500L) (1.8%)

0.22 lbs. Black Patent Malt (0.9%)

0.22 lbs. Chocolate Malt (0.9%)

0.22 lbs. Crystal 120L (0.9%)

 Hops

2.00 oz. Columbus (Pellet, 13.00% AA) @ 75 min.

1.00 oz. Styrian Goldings (Pellet, 5.25% AA) @ 0 min.

 Additions

0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

0.50 Whirlfloc @ 15 min.

0.75 oz Port soaked medium toast French oak cubes for 120 days

Yeast

WYeast 1272 American Ale II

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• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (Part 15)

Posted By: Julia Taylor

In a few weeks, all “Irish” eyes will be shining and Guinness will be flowing like water in honor of the patron saint of Ireland.  This year, avoid the urge to be a plastic Paddy and brew up something that ol’ Patrick would have enjoyed, because driving snakes off the island does work up a thirst.  My vision of the Emerald Isle does not include dancing leprechauns and pots of gold, but a pint of dry stout paired with fresh oysters, so my festive beer will be getting a handful of mollusks tossed into the boil kettle.

While, the oyster stout is making a comeback among a few rogue craft brewers, the history of the beer is a bit ambiguous. The famous Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson, wrote in 1988 that it was one of the few styles of beer he had never tasted, which inspired him to dig into its past. He found that England’s Colchester Brewing Company brewed an Oyster Fest Stout around 1900, to celebrate an annual oyster harvest, but no proof that oysters were in the beer. Several recipes traced revealed shells used as fining, and their alkalinity helped to counteract the sourness in the beer. A reference was found to a manufacture of an English oyster concentrate made in New Zealand, that was approved as an adjunct in brewing, said to improve head retention “without a trace of fishiness.” Hammerton of Stockwell, London experimented with the concentrate in 1938, but scrapped after the appalling smell from a faulty can of oysters.  Later that year, J.J. Young of Portsmouth took the remaining cans and marketed an oyster stout, but production stopped when World War II began.

The oyster stout doesn’t appear to be a historically popular beer, so why the emerging trend? Picking out the bivalve’s contribution among the dark roasted malts is a challenge, but some claim a slight mineral quality lingers after the other flavors fade. While others state the extra protein gives the beer extra body that enriches the mouthfeel, and better head retention.  So go ahead, be a shellfish brewer and toss some oysters into your beer. Sláinte!

 Black Pearl Oyster Stout (Brew Your Own)

OG: 1.052  FG: 1.013  SRM: 60  ABV: 5%  IBU: 37

Mash Temp: 152  Boil Time: 120 minutes  Volume: 5 gal.

Grain Bill

9 lb.- 2-Row Pale Malt

0.5 lb.-Flaked Oats

1 lb.-Roasted Barley

0.5 lb.- Chocolate Malt

0.25 lb.-Black Patent Malt

 Hops

1.5 oz.-Fuggle @ 60 minutes

0.75 oz. Fuggle @ 20 minutes

 Additions

 10 oz. Raw Oysters & Brine @ 15 minutes

1 t.-Irish Moss @ 15 minutes

 Yeast

Irish Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1084)

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Posted By: Julia Taylor

Webster’s Dictionary defines “hype” as “exaggerated advertising or promotion.” This definition is applicable to the macro breweries; however, a group in flannels usually makes craft beer marketing decisions over a pint, instead of three-piece suits and highballs. Therefore, the majority of the “hype” stems from our fellow beer lovers.  Scarcity, whether you recognize the brewery’s lack of production capacity, or believe that it is a deceptive plan to create frenzy, is what drives us to camp outside a brewery’s door, stalk every beer store in a tri-state area, or spend outrageous amounts of money on eBay.  We never claimed to be a sane bunch, and with Bell’s Hopslam  on its way to its 18-state market (plus DC) with approximately 69,000 cases, the madness is about to unleash again.

So is Hopslam worth the hype?  Are the shelves not bulging with other IPAs and double IPAs, equally packed with malt and hops? What is the big deal with Hopslam?   Hopslam is hoppy, but not in the enamel eroding bitter way of most West Coast IPAs, it is, dare I say it, pretty… Hops are flowers and this beer offers an aromatic bouquet of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. However, as with any delicate flower, it is best enjoyed in the moment because it will quickly fade, so do not bother to stockpile, but instead brew your own.

According to Bell’s Web site, Hopslam has six hop varieties added to the brew kettle and receives “a massive dry hop addition” of Simcoe, a strain noted for its citrus and pine-like aroma. There is also a generous malt beer and a solid dollop of honey, resulting in an original gravity of 1.087.  In my attempt to clone Hopslam, I will use Simpson’s Golden Promise, for its clean, sweet flavor, as the base malt.Munich and Aromatic malts chosen for their malty flavor and aroma, and unfermentable Carapils (dextrine malt) to increase foam, improve head retention and enhance mouth feel. Hopslam boasts slightly less than 70 international bitterness units (IBUs), so a single dose of Simcoe for bitterness and Centennial, with its floral and citrus tones, for flavoring. The remaining four hops will be a pleasant mild floral blend for finishing/aroma. Two pounds of honey added at flameout will raise the alcoholic content, lighten the body and round out the beer. If your desire is to add honey for sweetness, you will need to add diluted, heat-treated honey to the primary fermenter, since 95% of honey is fermentable. The beer will be dry-hopped with two ounces of Simcoe.

Hopslam Clone

OG: 1.090  FG: 1.014  SRM: 9.2  ABV: 10.2%  IBU: 76.8

Mash Temp: 150  Boil Time: 75 minutes  Volume: 5.5 gal.

 Grain Bill

 13 lb. Golden Promise

2 lb.Munich

1 lb. Aromatic

8 oz. Carapils

2 lb. Honey (at flameout)

 Hops

 1 oz. Simcoe @ 60 minutes

1.5 oz. Centennial @ 20 minutes

1 oz. Glacier @ 15 minutes

1 oz. Vanguard @10 minutes

1 oz.Crystal@ 1 minutes

1 oz. Hallertaurer @ 1 minutes

2 oz. Simcoe @ 7 days

 Yeast

American Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1056)

This beer should be ready by March, so I’m  hoping to have the opportunity for a blind taste test. If you would like to donate to the cause, I am currently accepting donations of unopened bottles of Hopslam.

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Posted By: Julia Taylor

Photo courtesy of CraftBeer.com and Randy Mosher

The kickoff to the holiday season has begun and, for many, this represents stress and spending copious amounts of money. For me, however, it is about spending time with family and friends enjoying good food: especially good drink.  As the homebrewer and craft beer aficionado in the family, one of my responsibilities includes pairing the perfect beer with our Thanksgiving feast. Since beer is best paired with a single course like an artisan cheese or rich dessert, the hodge podge of flavors, textures, and sensations of this holiday dinner offers a challenge of what to brew. There’s not enough time to brew a Märzen, so maybe a Belgian Pale Ale or Dunkelweizen?  After serious pondering on the subject, I decided to follow the great beer and food pairings advice of Randy Mosher, author of Tasting Beer: An Insiders Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink, to help guide my decision.

Match strength with strength. Basically, delicate dishes work best with delicate beers and strongly flavored foods demand assertive beers.  In beer, the intensity of flavor involves alcoholic strength, malt character, hop bitterness, sweetness, richness, roastiness, and more.  In food, the richness (or fat), sweetness, cooking methods (such as roasting, grilling, or frying), and spicing all play a role.

Roasted turkey, gravy, and stuffing, oh my!  I’m going to need a beer with a high alcohol percentage and strong malt backbone to cut through the fats and starches of this massive spread. This feast, while rich, is more herbal than spicy (unless you’ve injected your bird with a Cajun marinade before tossing in the fryer), so I’ll want to avoid over-hopped beers, and aim for a touch of sweetness instead, to boost the diverse and complex flavors of the meal.

Find Harmonies. Combinations often work best when they share common flavor elements. The nutty flavors of an English-style brown ale and handmade cheddar cheese; the deep roasted flavors of an imperial stout and chocolate truffles; and the clean, rich, caramel flavors of an Oktoberfest lager and roasted pork are all examples.

Savory, sweet, rich, earthy/herbaceous, and nutty are flavors that I relate to Thanksgiving dinner.  The soft malt and higher alcohol of Belgian Tripel with roasted turkey, caramel sweetness of a Biére de Garde with sweet potatoes, or smoky earthiness of a Scottish Ale and stuffing.

Consider the Contrast Elements. Certain qualities of food and beer interact with each other in specific, predictable ways, and taking advantage of these interactions ensures that food and beer will balance each other.

• Sweet and fatty-rich foods are balanced by hop bitterness, sweetness, roasted/toasted malt, carbonation, or alcohol
• Spicy and acidic foods are balanced by sweetness and maltiness, and spicy foods are emphasized with hop bitterness

 I have turned my brothers into hopheads, but do not think the chef du jour would appreciate us drinking a tongue numbing IPA, so better stick with alcohol and malt sweetness to counteract the rich cuisine.

Look to classic cuisines. The cuisines of beer-drinking countries offer many traditional beer and food combinations, like bratwurst with pale lager, and unusual pairing like stout and oysters. These classic matches are a great starting point for further exploration.

My favorite traditional beer and food combination? A bowl full of steamed moules, overflowing plate of frites with assortment of aïolis, and a Belgian ale… The spicy light-bodied beer is a great complement to the mild texture and brininess of the mussels.  Hmmm… spicy and briny, I may be on to something.

 Make use of familiar patterns. Re-create or evoke recognizable flavor pairs in the form of beer for broad acceptance.

 Aside from turkey, there is nothing more Thanksgiving than pumpkin pie, so a pumpkin beer does seem fitting.

Practice makes perfect. Not every pairing will work as expected, and that is part of the fun.  If it is not great, make a note and move on, and build on the things that work.

 RDWHAHB-Relax, Don’t, Worry, Have a Homebrew

Picture courtesy of Foodista.com

 Consider seasonality. Lighter fare and beers for the warmer months and heavier for the winter. The beers and foods of a given season pair naturally and suit the mood.

 A Märzen is the perfect fall beer, but with only six weeks until Thanksgiving, an 8-week lagering period is out of the question.

Contrast and complement. All beer and food combinations should involve both of these principles. Some pairings will be more dependent on the contrast, others on the complementary flavors, but all should strive for some kind of balance.

 My goal is to balance the briny with spicy, richness with alcohol, and earthy with malt.

When in doubt, go Belgian. A Belgian-style abbey Dubbel or Tripel have enough substance to stand up to just about anything but do not have an overly aggressive malt or hop flavors that will overwhelm most foods. Plus, the big bottles make a nice presentation.

 And I did. After much deliberation, I decided my Thanksgiving brew would be a Belgian Tripel, a spicy beer that is high in alcohol, has a touch of malt sweetness, and hopefully a crowd pleaser.

Tripel Trouble

OG: 1.081

FG: 1.012

IBU: 34

Color: 4.5 SRM

Alcohol: 9.2% ABV

Boil: 90 minute

Batch Size: 5 gallons

Grains-Mash at 149º for 90 minutes

Pilsner Malt-14 lbs.

Belgian Aromatic-0.25lbs

Cane Sugar-2.5 lbs

Hops

Tetnang-2.3 oz @ 60 minutes

Saaz-.5 oz @ 10 minutes

Yeast

Wyeast-3787-Trappist High Gravity

 Ferment

Pitch yeast at 64º F and slowly raise temperature to 70º over the course of a week. Lager the beer for one month at 45 to 50º.

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Posted By: Julia Taylor

My passion for craft beer and soccer occurred simultaneously, both developing circa 1997. That February I turned 21 and in April I went to my first DC United match. While a lot has changed in the past 14 years, my love of beer and soccer has remained, so it is only fitting to merge the two. After a couple of disappointing seasons, United fans can now see the sun through the clouds: favorite player Ben Olsen received the permanent position of head coach, Dax McCarty joined the midfield after taking FC Dallas to last year’s Cup and assisting the USMNT with a draw against Chile in January, US famed striker, Charlie Davies, will be making his comeback at RFK this season, and we can’t forget everybody’s favorite rookie of the year, Andy Najar. So this highly anticipated home opener will need a special beer to commemorate the occasion.

What to brew? This beer should be an easy drinking beer that can warm on a chilly spring afternoon, but also refresh during a balmy summer evening tailgate and represent the Black-and-Red. After some contemplation, I decided that the Talon Ale will be a Black IPA, a brew to unite dark beer drinkers and hop heads alike. For flavor and aroma, I selected the new Falconer’s Flight hops, a proprietary pellet blend of Citra, Simcoe, and Sorachi Ace along with experimental hops and numerous other NW varieties to embody the enthusiasm of the Screaming Eagles. Warrior hops were used for bittering and for our “pequeño guerrero.” While we only have 5-weeks from grain to glass, I’m confident that we will have a great brew to send Olsen’s Army into battle.

Talon Ale

OG: 1.055 FG: 1.013 SRM: 27 ABV: 5.66% IBU: 58.5

Mash Temp: 152 Boil Time: 60 minutes Volume: 5.5 gal.

Grain Bill

10 lb. Pale Malt (2-row)

12 oz. Crystal-60 L

12 oz. Victory

6 oz. Carafa III

6 oz. Chocolate Malt

Hops

.25 oz. Warrior @ 60 minutes

.25 oz. Warrior @ 45 minutes

1 oz. Falconer’s Flight @ 20 minutes

1 oz. Falconer’s Flight @15 minutes

1 oz. Falconer’s Flight @ 0 minutes

1 oz. Falconer’s Flight @ 7 days (dry hop)

Yeast

1 pk. American Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1056)

If you’re interested in joining the Free Beer Movement join me in Lot 8 on the 19th. Cheers and Vamos United!

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Posted By: Julia Taylor

As the clock hit midnight and ushered in 2011, I resolved to reduce my carbon footprint in the new year and figured I start by applying the three Rs to brewing. Our weekend brew schedule included a Big Red Ale with an estimated ABV of 7.5-8%, so thought this was the perfect time to introduce a parti-gyle into the brew day. Parti-gyle is the English name of the traditional procedure of mashing grains with two (or even three) infusions of water, resulting in successively weaker beers. Each beer is run off to its own pot, or gyle, so is a great way to get different beers from one mash. Because the first runnings are strong with high sugar concentration, this method is particularly useful where one beer is strong and the other is weaker. Parti-gyle brewing is no more difficult than regular all-grain brewing, but does require a bit of figuring and calculating beforehand or on the fly if you want to hit gravities perfectly, but don’t let that stop your creativity.

This process requires that both beers have similar malt characteristics, so I planned an amber, similar to New Belgium’s Fat Tire, to complement the Big Red. After you run off the strong beer, you can also “cap” the mash. This is adding crystal, roasted, and toasted grains to the mash before putting in the strike water for the 2nd beer. There isn’t a standard calculation to determine how capping will affect the OG so focus on the taste characteristics and color. Since each beer goes into its own pot, you still have the freedom to vary the hop profile and yeast since boiling and fermentation are done separately. Here are some ideas for different mashes to yield strong / mild beers:

• Weizenbock / Dunkelweizen
• Dopplebock / Dunkel
• Imperial Pilsner / Classic American Pilsner
• Tripel / Belgian Pale
• Old Ale / Dark Mild
• Bock / Munich Dunkel
• IPA/ Ordinary Bitter
• Scotch Ale/ Scottish Ale
• Barley Wine/ Pale Ale
• Belgian Strong Dark / Belgian Abby Ale
• Maibock/ Belgian Pale
• Imperial Stout / Dry Stout

The first step in building your parti-gyle recipe is to determine your estimated original gravities. We determined that we wanted our big beer to come in around 7.5% and the second between 4.5-5% so we were looking for an approximate 1.075/1.045 split. Using Tom-O’s Parti-Gyle Cipherin’ Sheet we decided to go with an average (batch) original gravity of 1.065 (1.0780/1.0520 split).The average preboil OG was 1.0553 @14 gallons and this is the information that is plugged into Beer Smith or desired brewing software to determine the grainbill. Once you finalize your recipe enter the SRM into the parti-gyle spreadsheet and it will give you the color split for each beer. At this point you can determine if you want to cap the mash for additional color or flavor.

We know that our total grain bill is 28.75 lbs., water-to-grain ratio is 1.25 qt./lb., preboil volume is 14 gallons (from spreadsheet), and absorption amount is .2 so we can figure out the amount of water we will need for the initial strike and sparge.

To determine the strike water, multiply the grain bill by the water-to-grist ratio and divide by four to get the amount in gallons.

(28.75 * 1.25)/4=9 gallons of strike water

For the sparge water, add the total preboil volume and absorption amount minus strike amount.

(14+(28.75*.2)-9=10.75 gallons

Mash at the desired temperature and time, then completely drain the wort from the mash tun into the first boilpot (first runnings). Refill the mash tun with sparge water, and stir. Recirculate the mash and drain into the second pot (second runnings). You now have two boil kettles with two distinct beers so have fun with your hop and yeast selections.

Recipe

Grain Bill

Mash @ 154 F

22.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US

1.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 40L

1.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L

1.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 80L

1.25 lb Caramunich Malt

1.25 lb Munich Malt

0.20 lb Chocolate Malt

Big Red (First Runnings)

OG-1.077 FG-1.019 IBU-25.4 ABV-7.6%

Boil-60 minutes Pre-Boil Volume-7 gallons

0.50 oz Warrior @ 60 min

0.50 oz Warrior @ 10 min

0.50 oz Warrior @ 0 min

1.00 oz Warrior-Dry Hop 14 days

American Ale Yeast II (Wyeast Labs #1272)

Red Light (Second Runnings)

OG-1.052 FG-1.013 IBU-23.3 ABV-5%

8 oz. Cara Amber Malt

2 oz. Chocolate Malt

Boil-60 minutes Pre-Boil Volume-7 gallons

1.00 oz Cascade @ 60 min

1.00 oz East Kent Goldings @ 20 min

1.00 oz East Kent Goldings @ 0 min

Safale-US-05-I packet

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Posted By: Leah

After nearly 2 years of enjoying my boyfriend’s homebrews and learning as much as I could fit into my brain about beer, the time had come for me to create my very own beer. The week of November 7^th, we began discussing what style of beer I would like to make. With it nearing the holiday season, and that I have an affinity for spiced holiday ales, I told him that was my choice. He has very strongly adhered to the German Purity Law of Brewing, Reinheitsgebot, in his brews, but he was not opposed to try using spices for this batch. We had also talked about making a high ABV beer to age, so this seemed like a good match.

We selected a Stong American Ale style because we felt like that would be good for aging. I wanted my beer to be dark amber in color, and to be spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Because of his familiarity with building recipes, Aaron took the lead on selecting which Grains, Hops, and Yeast we would use. Being a control freak, I made him go over every selection with me and explain why he chose that instead of another option. This was a great way for me to learn about the various grains, without being overwhelmed by the extensive choices.

I’ve learned a decent amount about brewing over the past few years, but I really hadn’t been studying all the details that one should know when embarking on a journey like this. So I quickly referred to my own personal encyclopedia of brewing and asked Aaron (aforementioned boyfriend) to give me the quick and dirty lessons for the process we were about to use to brew an all-grain 5 gallon batch. It is a three part process, and I’ve listed the steps below. This guide is in no way meant to be a professional guide for brewing, so please consult others before embarking on your own brewday.

1) Heat water to approximately 180°F on stove and add to Mash Ton (in this case, a cooler) then add milled barley, creating Mash at ideal temperature of 152°F

2) After about an hour, drain the liquid, called Wort, from the Mash into a boil kettle (we use an old Keg that the top has been cut off of)

3) Rinse the barley with additional hot water, now at about 190°F to heat mash to goal of 170°F, through a process called Sparging until you’ve reached a netted volume of approximately 6.5 gallons of Wort

4) Boil Wort for a pre-determined amount of time, minimum 60 minutes, adding Hops and spices when called for (early addition gives flavor, late addition provides aroma)

5) Cool Wort to the desired temperature (typically below 70°F, but since we live in Houston, not likely to happen for our brew)

6) Transfer Wort from kettle to fermenting carboy while filtering out Hops and residue

7) Add Live Yeast and aerate the carboy, the Yeast will eat the sugars created from the Barley during the Mash and convert them to alcohol and CO₂

Attach airlock and bubbler and leave to rest for about 1 week (the bubbler will indicate that the yeasts are doing their job)

——–End of Part 1——-

9) Transfer BEER (fermented Wort) to a new carboy, leaving the sediment and Trub (full and happy yeasts) in the fermenter

10) Add additional Hops (Dry-Hopping) for aroma if desired, and let rest for approximately 1 more week in new carboy (secondary fermentation)

——–End of Part 2——-

11a) If Bottling, transfer beer to carboy containing dextrose (more sugar for carbonaton this time, not alcohol), then siphon to bottles and cap, wait approximately 2 weeks and then enjoy

11b) If Kegging, transfer the Beer and attach to CO₂ to force carbonation and wait until it’s ready to enjoy (approx 1 more week)

On November 12, we went to our LHBS (DeFalco’s) to get our ingredients and then let the brew-day commence! (unfortunately, we didn’t take as many pictures as I’d like to include in this post)

Our recipe is below:

82.4% 2-Row Brewers Malt (commonly used for its high sugar content)

14.7% 2-Row Caramel Malt 120L (to add color and roasted flavor)

2.9% British Crystal 55°L (for head retention and body)

1.5 oz Northern Brewer Hops 8.0% added at 60 mins to add evergreen/mint flavor

0.5 oz Northern Brewer Hops 8.0% in secondary fermentor for aroma

1 Vial White Labs California Ale V (WLP051) Yeast

We began our set up and my excitement continued to build. My new hobby was proving to be as exciting as I had anticipated. I did encounter some minor issues throughout the day, but overall it went well. As I was pouring the barley into the mash, the bag shifted and I nearly lost grain to the ground, but I was able to save it and only lost a few ounces. Also, we realized during the Mash that we needed an additional airlock and bubbler for this fermentor because we had not previously had 3 batches fermenting at once. I was lucky to run off to the store to get this while Aaron did the “fun part of brewing,” cleaning. I’m told this is a big part of the process, but I did not witness it. (oops) When adding the spices, the immediate aroma overwhelmed us and I was concerned because there was so little time left in the boil, but I accepted the process as I had been instructed and we began to cool the Wort. We cooled it to about 90° and then began to filter it to the fermentor. We netted about 4.5 gallons for fermentation following a 90 minute boil.

After one week, Aaron’s wonderful parents transferred the beer to a secondary fermentor and did the final hop addition. This occurred while we were in Arizona. (Acquiring bottle upon bottle of amazing craft beer) When we returned to Texas, we bottled my brew and then anxiously awaited the completion of the carbonation.

After 1 week, we opened our first bottle of the XXmas NoAle. It was not yet complete, but we wanted to see how it was progressing. Already, the grolsch bottle gave a fervent pop as it was opened. The aroma was amazing, exactly what I had hoped for, and it had a significant light tan and creamy head. The flavor was roasty and slightly nutty with a hint of pumpkin pie from the spices. This only added to my anticipation of tasting the finished brew.

The finished beer was just as impressive as our first tastes. Initially I was disappointed because I had been hoping for more body, but after I got over my expectations I realized this was a beer that I would order more than once if at a bar. That is a feeling I cannot describe in words, but I will try: proud, fulfilled, pleased, and overall impressed that I was able to produce this lovely beer at home with my own two hands and a lot of help from the amazing man in my life. We shared the bottles with family and friends over the holiday season and I was overjoyed to receive favorable reviews from others. I will definitely be brewing again and I can’t wait to make our XXmas NoAle again next year. I am hoping to brew a Rye or Belgian IPA soon and I promise to take more pictures this time, so be on the lookout.

Related Posts:

• A Beer Drinking Woman in a Beer Man’s World
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (The College Years, Part 5)
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (Part 35)
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (Part 34)
• Vicki Stowe – Brewmaster (Part 15)

Posted By: Julia Taylor

In a little over a week, we’ll be sitting down to a harvest feast of turkey, gravy, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, something with too many cranberries, pumpkin pie and complementing beer (I prefer a Belgian-style tripel with my bird). But this euphoric feeling will only be short lived, because the next day is the biggest shopping day of the year and official holiday kick off…. Black Friday. If you’re like me, an eye gouging sounds more appealing than standing in line at 4 am with a bunch of strangers for a $20 DVD player. The stress to give a unique gift can be overwhelming, but wait, you have a craft, and not a craft like knitting, candle making, or scrapbooking, but a craft that people actually appreciate ; )…..homebrewing.

This Black Friday, reject the urge of dominant commercialization and brew up a batch of holiday cheer. The good news is that you do have time to brew and bottle by the 24^th, but unless you are willing to tell your recipients that they need to wait a few weeks or months to enjoy your gift, you will have to focus on brewing a smaller beer with a lower original gravity so that it has time to properly condition. I know, the weather is cooling and we’re craving the big malty beers of winter, but don’t despair I’m not suggesting that you brew a Mild, but an easy drinking Holiday Spice Ale that will complement a holiday spread. This recipe uses allspice so it saves you the time of grinding and crushing cinnamon sticks and cloves, plus two weeks in the carboy, two weeks in the bottle, and it’s ready to go.

Style: BJCP 21B-Christmas/Winter Specialty

OG: 1.048 FG: 1.013 SRM: 12 ABV: 4.6% IBU: 19

Boil Time: 60 minutes Volume: 5.5 gal.

Grain Bill:

Pale Malt 5.5 lbs. (adjust to suit your efficiency factor)

Belgian Aromatic 1.0 lb.

Honey Malt 1.0 lb.

Adjuncts:

Honey 1.0 lb. @ 60 minutes

Molasses 0.125 lb. @ 60 minutes

Hops:

Fuggle 1.5 oz @ 60 minutes (bittering)

Fuggle 0.5 oz @ 10 minutes (flavor)

Extras:

Allspice(ground) 2 T @ 10 minutes

Yeast:

Wyeast 1028 Activator- London Ale 1 pack

Ferment: 14 days @ 68 degrees Prime: 4.7 oz corn sugar Carbonate: 14 days @ room temperature

*Extract:

Replace the pale malt with 3.3 lb. of pale liquid malt extract at the beginning of the boil (60 minutes) and 3.3 lb. of pale lme @ 15 minutes. Steep the specialty grains for 60 minutes.

As Ladies of Craft Beer we know that while it’s not right to judge a book by its cover, we still do. So since presentation is everything, we need to make sure our special beer looks as good as it tastes. A swing-top 750 ml amber bottle is a great option because it is the same size as a wine bottle so there are a ton of gift bag and box options available in that size plus there’s no capping. The tops are reusable up to 4-5 times (after proper sanitation of course), plus replacements can be purchased, so don’t be shy about telling your recipients that the bottles can be returned for more beer. And finally, no bottle is complete without an eye-catching label and there are various options depending on your artistic ability and software availability. Online stores like Beer on the Wall offer customizable labels or the option for you to upload your own artwork. You can also DIY and design and print your labels to your desk top printer. So whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, or Festivus for the Rest of Us, I hope you have a happy and safe holiday season and remember….Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Homebrew.