Modern Homebrew Recipes (20 page)

Sensory Description:
Rich, chewy malt with a caramel and toast flavor. Low bitterness increases the perception of sweetness. Reddish copper color. Light grainy dryness in the finish from the roasted barley without a noticeable roast quality.

Formulation notes:
I picked unusual base malts so they could add more dextrins and mouthfeel to the beer. The corn gives it a rounded flavor, while the rest of the grains give it toast and caramel flavors with a drying finish. This isn’t meant to be a classic commercial recipe from Ireland; I just matched ingredients to flavors.

Variations:
If making this for competition, I would use a no-sparge technique to increase the intensity of the malt flavor. For a more authentic domestic Irish Red, lower the gravity to 1.044, cut the crystal malt in half, and drop the carapils entirely.

SCOTTISH HEAVY

I have played around with different versions of Scottish ales for a long time, but finally settled on the flavors I wanted when brewing with Golden Promise malt. The specialty malt suggestions in this recipe come from Jay Wince of Weasel Boy Brewing Company, who makes some outstanding Scottish ales.

Style:
Scottish Heavy (
Classic
BJCP Style)

Description:
Malty rich with low bitterness, yet easy to drink. Don’t carbonate this too highly or the drinkability will suffer. Hops are definitely in the background, but the malt has some extra character that provides interest with every sip.

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 and crystal malt added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

156°F (69°C) 60 minutes

168°F (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8 gallons (30 L)

Boil Length:

60 minutes

Final Volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

Start at 58°F (14°C), allowing to rise as high as 68°F (20°C) to finish.

Sensory Description:
Malty and toasty with a clean and lightly caramel finish. Low bitterness allows the malt to be the star. The roasted barley adds some dryness towards the finish that helps compensate for the low hopping. The flaked barley adds some dextrins and body.

Formulation notes:
Boil the wort hard for 60 minutes to hit target volume. The Golden Promise malt runs the show here; it provides such a rich flavor that it can almost carry the beer alone. The rest of the malt components enhance the complexity.

Variations:
This recipe can be scaled up or down to make any type of Scottish ale of any strength. Weasel Boy uses Wyeast 1318 as a house yeast, so that can be used successfully in this style as well. Maris Otter as the base malt would make a bready, more biscuit heavy version, which should also taste good.

KILLER KÖLSCH

I fell in love with this style after a visit to Cologne in 2006. I had enjoyed it before, but it didn’t remember it being anything special. Trying it fresh made all the difference. I also saw how very few Cologne brewers used wheat in their recipes, and I now leave it out of mine (the graininess of the wheat doesn’t help the style at all). I also noticed how the various beers made by traditional Cologne breweries were similar, but distinct. The style allows for subtle changes in balance from several components (malt, hop flavor, bitterness, fruitiness), but all hovered around moderate intensity. I won a number of NHC first round medals with this recipe, which is in the style of a Früh or Reissdorf.

Style:
Kölsch (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
Delicate, pils malt-driven beer with moderate hop flavor, a hint of esters, and a soft, dry finish.

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

Mash rests:

131°F (55°C) 10 minutes

145°F (63°C) 45 minutes

158°F (70°C) 20 minutes

168°F (76°C) 10 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil Length:

90 minutes

Final Volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

58°F (14°C), allowing to rise to 68°F (20°C) after 4 days to finish. Lager 2 months at 40°F (4°C).

Sensory Description:
Delicate, rounded pils malt flavor with a slightly sweet impression. The hops have a floral and spicy quality, with just a hint of fruit in the background. The taste profile is clean and the finish is dry, with a rounded malt flavor and supportive bitterness. This version has lower bitterness than others, but there are variations within the style and I prefer the lower bitterness when paired with the dryness (especially when lagered).

Formulation notes:
I use some American versions of German noble hops in this recipe since I can often get them fresher than the German varieties. Fresh malt is a must, since the malt character needs to be support the beer. Step mashing helps produce attenuative wort. I also use kettle finings since clarity is important for the style. The yeast is quite powdery, so it generally needs to be fined with gelatin or filtered clear (but the powdery yeast
does
help it mature while being lagered). Modern commercial versions are turned around quickly with a short, cold lagering time, but I like to lager mine longer to help reduce sulfur notes and let the flavors blend better.

Variations:
Since the balance can be adjusted so much and still make credible versions of the style, the easiest ways to vary the beer is to increase the bitterness, increase the hop flavor and aroma, vary the fermentation temperature, and to play around with the mash schedule. You might make a double batch and try the two different yeast strains to see if you like one better than the other.

AMERICAN WHEAT BEER

If I’m going to brew an everyday wheat beer, I’ll usually make a German hefeweizen. My favorite recipe for that style is in
Brewing Better Beer,
but I also make an American wheat beer for parties or to serve as the base for a fruit beer. This recipe is in the style of Bell’s Oberon, but is lower in strength and dry-hopped.

Style:
American Wheat Beer (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
A golden wheat beer with a full-bodied malty flavor, a fruity yeast quality, spicy-floral hop flavor, and somewhat citrusy hop aroma.

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

Mash rests:

131°F(55°C) 10 minutes

Pull thick decoction (1/3 of mash), rest at 149°F (65°C) for 15 minutes, 158°F (70°C) for 15 minutes, then boil for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, ramp main mash up to 149°F (65°C) and hold while decoction in progress.

Remix to hit 158°F (70°C), then hold for 20 minutes.

168°F (76°C) 10 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil Length:

90 minutes

Final Volume:

6.5 gallons (25 L)

Fermentation temp:

68–70°F (20–21°C)

Sensory Description:
Grainy and bready wheat flavor with moderate bitterness, but the malty richness helps cut that impression. The yeast gives it a slightly fruity quality, while the hops add floral, spicy, and citrusy notes to the flavor and aroma. The dry hopping helps reinforce that this isn’t a German beer.

Formulation notes:
Uses some Munich malt for body and flavor without the associated sweetness of crystal malt. I like using decoction mashes for wheat beers since I think it improves the flavor and mouthfeel. The US two-row cuts some of the malt flavor and avoids giving it a Pils-like flavor that is more common with the German
weissbiers.
I like mixing classic German and American hops in this beer to provide aromatic complexity without getting overly aggressive.

Variations:
Try it the way the recipe suggests first before playing around with variations. You can change the hopping around to suit your tastes; I like using hops with more of a tropical or stone fruit character (e.g., Galaxy, Amarillo, Citra), or mimicking a modern American IPA in terms of hop complexity. You can make darker versions of this by adding some crystal or darker malts during
vorlauf,
but watch out with clashing hop flavors if you use crystal malts. Reducing the gravity can also turn this into a more sessionable summer beer.