In the Fermentor: Kitchen Sink Barleywine

The Leftovers

It's time for a cleanup of leftover grains and partially used packets of hops from 2012. With the exception of the 2-Row base malt, everything in the recipe below has been sitting on the shelf, or in the fridge waiting to be used.

I had several open hop packages, some leftover toasted malts and a half-full bottle of malt extract too. I also had yeast cultured from my White House Honey Porter. My decision was to use almost all of my leftovers and make a partial-mash Barleywine.

The finished beer will be quite strong and quite bitter. A toasted malt backbone should nicely complement pine, spice and citrus hop flavors. Because of the beer's strength, it will not be ready for at least three months and should improve with age.

The recipe has been scaled up to five gallons from the 2.5 gallons I actually brewed:

Grains:

9 lbs Rahr 2-Row

8.5 oz Victory

7.5 oz Brown

Hops:

Bittering:

0.75 oz Chinook (11.1% a.a.): 60 min
0.5 oz Columbus (12.2% a.a.): 60 min

0.5 oz Sterling (9.0% a.a.): 60 min

Flavor:
0.5 oz Chinook (11.1% a.a.): 20 min

0.5 oz Columbus (12.2% a.a.): 20 min

Aroma:
0.5 oz Chinook (11.1% a.a.): 5 min

0.5 oz Columbus (12.2% a.a.): 5 min

Extras:

6.125 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

Total Boil Time:
90 min

Yeast:

Danstar Nottingham Ale

Mash Schedule:
Protein Rest: 125F for 20 min

Saccharification Rest: 150F for 60 min

Mashout: 168F for 15 min

Original Gravity:

1.094

Estimated Final Gravity:

1.020

IBU: 87

SRM Color: 12

Fermentation Schedule:

2 Weeks Primary

2 Months Secondary

2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $29 per case

Commercial Equivalent: Avery Hog Heaven: $80 per case
Savings: $51

Comments

In the Fermentor: Bohemian Kölsch

Being a brewer on a budget, I don't have an extra fridge to lager in. That poses a bit of a problem, because I love a good Pilsener on a hot Summer day. To my palate, the closest style to Pilsener in the ale department is a German Kölsch . To that end, I've wedded a Bohemian Pilsener influenced recipe with a Kölsch yeast strain to create my Bohemian Kölsch pseudo-lager. I realize that the finished product won't be as clean, crisp and clear as a traditional Pils, but I'm hoping to come close. I want a full five gallons of this beer. Since my kitchen setup isn't conducive to five gallon all-grain batches, I've taken the partial-mash approach. I've also thrown in a bit of Irish Moss toward the end of the boil to help with clarity. Here's the five-gallon recipe: Grains: 3.5 lbs German Pilsener 8 oz Munich 8 oz Crystal 10L 4 oz CaraPils Hops: 1 oz Saaz: First Wort Hopping 0.5 oz Merkur: 60 min 1 oz Saaz: 7 min Extras: 3 lbs Pilsen ...

Out of the Bottle: Porter vs Porter

My Beer My attempt to clone Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is ready to pour. For a change of pace, I've picked up a 4-pack of the real deal to compare and contrast against my efforts. Since I'm not exactly an impartial judge, my girlfriend agreed to blind taste test the two beers side by side in identical, unmarked glasses. I've mixed her notes in with mine. First off, I must say that the beers look remarkably similar. Taddy pours with a slightly larger head, but the beers share the same deep garnet hue. Mine has a bit more carbonation going on. Both beers have good head retention and leave some lace behind. My girlfriend's first comment was that my beer was very similar, but finished quicker than the Samuel Smith. She also noted that the Samuel Smith is slightly more bitter, with more depth of flavor. The first thing I noticed was that my beer has a more roasted edge and is a bit nuttier. It also lacks the unique dark fruit esters that I sense in all of the Samuel...

In the Fermentor: Grodziskie

I'd never even heard of Poland's Grodziskie, until I read about it in a Zymurgy article. Not content to simply read about the beer, I've decided to go ahead and brew one. Besides, who wouldn't want to try a beer made entirely from Smoked Wheat? I've mostly followed the plan laid out in the Zymurgy article. The Mash schedule and hop addition times are as prescribed. However, I don't have easy access to the Lublin hops used in the magazine brew, or the correct yeast strain. In place of the Lublin hops, I've used Polish Sybilla. The beer also calls for a clean ale yeast. I've turned to White Labs ,Dusseldorf Alt yeast to fill the role. In a few weeks my efforts will be rewarded. Here's the five-gallon brew: Grains: 5 lbs Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat Hops: 0.75 oz Sybilla (6.4% a.a.): 105 min 0.5 oz Sybilla (6.4% a.a.): 30 min Total Boil Time: 120 min Yeast: White Labs WLP036 - Dusseldorf Alt Mash Schedule: Acid Rest: 100F for 30 min ...

Colorado Kitchen Brew

Search This Blog