Modern Homebrew Recipes (40 page)

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, crystal and dark grains added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

142°F (61°C) 40 minutes

158°F (70°C) 20 minutes

168°F (76°C) 15 minutes

Kettle volume:

8.5 gallons (32 L)

Boil length:

90 minutes

Final volume:

6.25 gallons (24 L)

Fermentation temp:

64°F (18°C)

Sensory description:
At two months old, this was amazingly drinkable. Malty and rich, with a caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit flavor. Lightly spicy with a dry finish and malty aftertaste. Warming alcohol but the malt helped balance it. As the beer dried out, the alcohol became more forward, but then mellowed again with age.

Formulation notes:
Has much of the standard malt that I use in
dubbels
and dark strongs, but adjusted to the gravity and bitterness of St. Bernardus 12. I also used some of the newer sugars (dark syrup and soft brown sugar) for Belgian beers, which worked well.

Variations:
Would likely make a delicious
dubbel
if brewed to 6.5–7% strength. Could also work well as a spiced beer. Many spice variations are possible; I’d like to try cinnamon and vanilla (with a little cinnamon oil and good-quality vanilla extract, added to taste).

AM I BLUE?

When a friend from work retired, he asked if I could brew four beers for his retirement party. Normally that would be too much, but he told me about it a year in advance, and I knew I would be testing recipes for the book. He asked for a strong Belgian ale like a Chimay Blue, so I created a recipe in that style using the general parameters from the brewery as a reference.

Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale (Classic BJCP Style)

Description:
A dry, fruity, and peppery interpretation of the Belgian Dark Strong ale style, with a lean malt character and high attenuation.

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:

131°F (55°C) 15 minutes

144°F (62°C) 45 minutes

158°F (70°C) 30 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 reddish-brown color, perfectly clear. Ripe banana, plums, and moderate alcohol. Dry, fruity, and peppery. The alcohol smooths out over time with cellar conditioning.

Formulation notes:
The Chimay yeast can produce objectionable levels of banana and solvent if fermented too warm, so start it at the listed fermentation temperature, letting it rise to finish. The dark malt is for color adjustment and to increase stability. I had the US hops on hand, so I used them; they are Hallertauer substitutes (use those if you can get them fresh).

Variations:
Not everyone likes this yeast, so feel free to substitute another Belgian strain such as Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II or Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes. Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity would be fine, but I tend to use that yeast in most of my other Belgian strong beers so I was looking for a change. Swapping yeast strains will change the character quite a bit, so don’t tell people it’s like Chimay.

THE FORBIDDEN BEER

I remember first trying this beer in an outdoor café in Belgium as they prepared for an evening event in the main square. They were testing the sound system by blasting out Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. I can’t really think of a better song to be listening to while sipping on a fruity, malty, sweet, and strong beer like Hoegaarden’s Verboden Vrucht (forbidden fruit). I don’t know the recipe of the commercial beer, so I’m just trying to make something that has the same overall feel and style numbers. The yeast drives much of the profile of this beer.

Style:
Clone Beer (New BJCP Style)

Description:
Verboden Vrucht
is malty and sweet with a large fruity impression and low bitterness. It doesn’t contain any real fruit or spices, but gets those flavors from the yeast and the malt. It’s a unique beer that seems like a cross between a
witbier,
a
dubbel,
and a
weizenbock.

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, crystal malts added at
vorlauf

Mash rests:

150°F(66°C) 60 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:

68°F (20°C)

Sensory description:
Strongly fruity, with dark and dried fruit flavors supported by bready, caramel malt. The bitterness is restrained, so the fruity notes and malt flavors come through unimpeded. The hops provide stone fruit dimensions, while there is a honey-like accent to the malt. The finish is fruity, malty, and sweet. The alcohol can be noticeable when younger, but the malt and sweetness tends to mask it a bit.

Formulation notes:
The first goal is to hit the right strength and color, then work on the flavor contributions and overall balance. Bittering hops should be kept low to allow the malt and fruity yeast to take the lead. Specialty grains and hops were selected for their aromatic and flavor contributions (compatible fruity notes primarily). Pay special attention to the
volume reduction; this beer needs a hard, rolling boil. The steeping hops give it some more bitterness than estimated. The yeast is a must for this recipe; it’s the signature strain for this beer, as you can tell by the name.

Variations:
This beer can be spiced. Pick something like the classic
witbier
pairing of orange peel and coriander seeds, or come up with your own choice for spices that will work with fruity, sweet, and malty.

THE GNOME

Brasserie d’Achouffe is located in the wooded hills of the Ardennes in Belgium, in the general area where the Battle of the Bulge was fought in World War II. The name of the brewery comes from chouffe, the local word for gnome, which is the logo and mascot of the company. This recipe is inspired by their flagship beer, La Chouffe. It is not as strong or bitter as the devil-themed Golden Strong Ales, but it is drier and higher in alcohol than Belgian blond ales like Leffe.

Style:
Clone Beer (New BJCP Style)

Description:
La Chouffe is a strong Belgian artisanal ale, with a golden-amber color and a bit of lemony coriander to accent the yeast.

Ingredients: