Homebrewed Rye Wheat Ale

A couple of months ago, I decided to create a unique beer that I hoped to enjoy during the summer. I'm not a big fan of commercial summer beers, because I feel they're usually less interesting and flavorful than beers from other seasons. I had a container of Briess Wheat malt extract and decided to base my summer beer around it. I also had a good supply of malted rye, so that went into the wort as well. I then added some traditional wit beer elements - coriander and orange peel - and came up with my Rye Wheat Ale. It has the citrusy elements of the wheat malt, along with a spicy touch added by the rye. Some hops rounded it out, and I'm pleased with the results. Here's the recipe I used for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat LME
6 Oz Rye Malt
4 Oz Wheat Malt
4 Oz 30L Crystal Malt
.3 Oz Orange Peel
.3 Oz Coriander-crushed
1/2 oz Perle hops - 60 minutes
1/2 Oz Spalt Hops - 15 Minutes
1/4 Oz Hallertau Hops - 5 minutes

I fermented using Safale's new wheat yeast - WB-06 and primed with corn sugar. My only problem is that it gets warm too fast in that big glass!

Homebrewed American Pale Ale - 1st Sampling

Tonight I popped the lid on my first bottle of my latest homebrew - an American Pale Ale. I usually have problems brewing lighter color beers, so I'm very proud of this one. The recipe is created as a combination of several different recipes I looked at on-line. I tweaked them a bit so I could call it my own. It poured a pale amber with a big fluffy head that lasted longer than I expected. This is a hoppier version of an APA, similar to Sierra Nevada's brew.

Here's the recipe for 2-1/2 gallons:

3.3lbs Briess Pilsen Light LME
2 oz 30L Crystal Malt
4 Oz Caravienne Malt
1/2 Oz Columbus Hops - 60 minutes
1/4 Oz Amarillo Hops - 15 Minutes
1-1/4 Oz Cascade Hops - 5 Minutes
Fermentis Safale US-05 Yeast

I heated up the grains in a gallon of water until it reached 165 degrees, then pulled them out. I then added the Columbus hops when the wort started to boil. After 45 minutes, I added the Amarillo hops, and the LME. When there were 5 minutes left, I threw in the Cascades. After cooling the wort in an icebath, I poured it into the fermenter and topped it off to 2.5 gallons before pitching the yeast.

I left the wort to ferment for two weeks, bottled it with priming sugar, and carbonated for 2 weeks. I threw a couple in the fridge yesterday, so I could sample today. Yummy, hoppy goodness!

Homebrewed Apricot Wheat Ale - First Taste

Well, as with all my homebrews, I couldn't wait to give this one a taste test. I put one in the fridge this afternoon so it would be ready for dinner. It's been carbonating for just shy of 2 weeks, and if the gunshot sound of the bottle opening was any indication, it's well carbonated! I think I better get the rest of them in the fridge before I have any bottle bombs.

This recipe was modified from a recipe in Sam Calagione's Extreme Brewing book. He called his beer Kiwit, since it was a Belgian style Wit beer with Kiwi fruit added. I substituted fresh frozen apricots for the Kiwi, to get a little bit different beer. My version is a little too dark to be a Witbier, but anyone who homebrews knows that it's difficult to brew a truly light-colored beer from extracts. After the afore-mentioned "gunshot" opening of the bottle, the beer poured a medium amber with a big fluffy white head. I'm proud of that head - I have had so many commercial beers that have no head, that it frustrates me.

The flavor of the beer was VERY tart - almost a lambic style. It had the typical flavor of the Belgian Witbier yeast, but I think there might have been some other wild yeasts adding their own personal influence. It also tasted like it could be aged a while longer, but that's normal for my homebrews. I enjoyed it a lot, the tartness made it quite refreshing.

Here's the recipe for a 2.2 gallon batch:

3.3lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat LME
4 Oz 2-Row Malt
4 Oz Wheat Malt
2.5 lbs Fresh Apricots - frozen, then thawed
1/4 Oz Crushed Corriander Seed
1/2 Oz Tettnang Hops
1/4 Oz Willamette Hops
Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit Yeast

I used my standard procedure of crushing the grains and letting them heat up to 170 degrees in a gallon of water, and then pulling them out. I brought it to a boil and added the Tettnang Hops. After 45 minutes, I added the malt extract and corriander. At 55 minutes, I added the Willamette hops. At the hour mark, I put the pot in an ice-bath and when it cooled to 80 degrees I added the wort to my Mr Beer fermenter, which already contained a gallon of cold water, and the apricots in a nylon bag. I then topped it off to the 8.5 liter mark and added the yeast. It sat in the fermenter for nearly a month because I got sidetracked by other tasks. I bottled it and primed it with corn sugar, and it sat for 2 weeks, until today. I consider this recipe a success.

Homebrewed Scottish Ale

I couldn't stand it any longer - just had to pop the top on my Scottish Ale. It's been carbonating for 11 days, and I'm sure it's been long enough. It poured a deep amber with a very healthy tan-colored head. It's plenty malty, slightly sweet, and has some alcohol in the finish. The hops don't really come through much, but Scottish ales are not heavily hopped anyway. Unfortunately, the smoked malt isn't coming through either, so I guess I didn't use enough. All in all, I'm very pleased with the results.

For those interested, here's the recipe I used for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

3 oz Peat Smoke Malt (should have used more)

4 oz 120L Crystal Malt

4 Oz Vienna Malt

2 Oz Lyle's Golden Syrup (all that I had at the time)

8 Oz Munton's Extra Light DME

1/2 Oz Fuggles Hops for bittering (60 Minutes)

1/2 Oz Fuggles hops for finishing (5 minutes)

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

I used my usual procedure of putting the crushed grain in a gallon of water and then heating to 165 degrees. After removing the grain bag, I brought the wort to a boil and then added the first batch of Fuggles. At the 45 minute mark, I added the malt extracts and golden syrup. At 55 minutes, I threw in the 2nd batch of Fuggles. Then, into an ice bath to cool it down. Once it reached 80 degrees, I poured the wort into the fermenter which already contained a gallon of cold water. I then topped it off to the 2.5 gallon mark and pitched the yeast. Two weeks in the fermenter - 11 days in the bottle, carbonating with corn sugar - and 5 hours in the fridge before my taste test - that's the timeline. The finished product has more alcohol than a Scottish Ale should have, but I'm happy with it. The best part of homebrewing is drinking a successful experiment, as I did tonight. I know it will improve if I have enough patience. The last bottle of the batch is always the best one!

Homebrewed Brown Ale - Initial Taste Test

Today was brewing day - my wife and I made a batch of mead, which we plan to add apricots to, and then we made a strong Scottish Ale. They're both finished, and the yeast are happily fermenting. Since today was brewing day, I decided to pop the top on the first beer of my last batch - a brown ale. I brewed this batch back in mid-June, and it's been carbonating for about 10 days. Based on my totally unbiased opinion, it's perfect! Slightly sweet with some caramel flavor, a little nutty, and a nice hop finish, balance out the ale. As you can see in the photo, it had a healthy tan head, and poured a deep brown. Here's the recipe I used to make 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Sparkling Amber LME

4 oz Crystal Malt 120L

2 oz Black Patent Malt

1 oz Willamette Hops for bittering

1/4 oz Amarillo Hops for finishing

Danstar Windsor Yeast

Corn Sugar for priming

I steeped the malt grains in a gallon of water on the stove, until they reached 165 degrees, then pulled them out. I then heated the wort to boiling, and added the Willamette hops. After 45 minutes, I added the LME, and 10 minutes later, the Amarillo hops. Total boil time was an hour. I then cooled the wort, and added it to a gallon of water in my fermenter, then topped it off to 2.5 gallons total. In went the yeast, and I let it sit in the fermenter for a couple of weeks before bottling. I primed the bottles with corn sugar, and let it carbonate for 10 days.

I normally let a beer sit in the bottles for 2 full weeks before tasting, but today I couldn't wait. I think the rest will be going in the fridge soon.

Mr. Beer Homebrewed IPA - taste test

A couple of months ago, I was in CVS Pharmacy, and saw that they had a closeout bargain-basement price on their Mr Beer Premium kits. Since they were 1/3 of the usual price, I bought all they had - 3 for the price of 1. I only wanted the fermenters, since I had both of my current fermenters tied up with beer and mead. Mr Beer's cans of mix are kinda small, so I decided to use all 3 of them in 1 batch of beer. I'm an admitted hop-head, so I decided to brew my own version of a Mr Beer India Pale Ale. These ales, also known as IPA's, were originally created with higher alcohol and additional hopping to help preserve them when they were being shipped from England to India, back when India was a colony of Britain. I took all 3 cans of West Coast Pale Ale mix, and added 1 bag of booster. Here's the procedure I used:
I put 1 gallon of water in a pot and dissolved the bag of booster. I then brought it to a boil and added 1 ounce of Columbus hops. I boiled the hops for 45 minutes, then added the 3 cans of West Coast Pale Ale mix. Ten minutes later, I added 1/2 oz of Centennial hops, which I boiled for 5 more minutes. I then cooled it in an ice bath and added the wort to a gallon of cold water that I had poured into the fermenter. I topped the fermenter off to the 8.5 liter mark and added 2 packages of Mr Beer yeast. I had planned on using all 3, but one of them was leaking, so I decided it would be a bad idea to use it. I left it in the fermenter for 3 weeks, primed and bottled using corn sugar, and then left it to carbonate for 2 weeks.
Today was the 2 week mark, so I threw 1 in the fridge this morning, anxious to give it a taste. It is good! Many people who first use Mr Beer, mention a tangy flavor that they notice. This beer does not have that. I was a little concerned about using the booster and Mr Beer yeast, but my concern was unfounded. This is a very hoppy brew, with a little sweetness, and a slight hint of alcohol in the finish. I don't know what the alcohol percentage is, but it is enough to get a buzz after 16 oz. I am lousy at brewing lighter colored beers, but this one turned out lighter than I expected. This was a very worthwhile experiment!

Spiced Mead - aka Metheglin

My wife and I broke open a bottle of our spiced Mead - just to see how it's doing as it ages. It's a little early for this particular batch. We brewed it in September 2007 and split it into two 2.5 gallon batches. One batch we spiced, the other batch is natural. A spiced Mead is also known as a metheglin. We brewed this one and then spiced it to be ready for Christmas 2008. This is one very smooth metheglin! As you can see it is a beautiful golden color, and very clear. We brewed the 5 gallon batch using the following recipe:

16.5 lbs clover honey

1 cup Demerrara sugar

1 package Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast

We heated 2 gallons of water up so that it was just under boiling - about 180 degrees, and added the honey and sugar. We "cooked" it at this temp for about 15 minutes, then cooled it off in an ice bath. We then poured the must into a fermenter and added the yeast. It sat in the primary for about 2 months, and then we racked it to a secondary. It sat in the secondary until May 5, and then we separated it into two 2.5 gallon batches and spiced 1 batch. We wanted a holiday mead, so we picked some holiday spices. In a nylon hop bag, we put 2 crushed cinnamon sticks, a crushed nutmeg nut, 21 crushed allspice seeds, and a crushed vanilla bean. We pulled the spice bag after about 3 weeks, and then bottled it. It's been bottled since May26, so we couldn't wait any longer and had to try it. This is a very sweet mead (which is how we like it) and has just the right amount of spices. As smooth and tasty as it is now, I can't imagine it could get any better by Christmas - but I know it will. If you have any questions about how we made this, just post a comment, and I will respond. Mead is truly the nectar of the Gods!

Guinness Stout Ice Cream Float

If Miller High Life is the "Champagne of Bottled Beers", then Guinness Draught is the Milkshake of bottled beers. I have not found a beer with a creamier texture than the Guinness bottle or can with the nitrogen filled widget in it. It's just like drinking Guinness from a keg. With that being said, I decided to try something I have been thinking about for a while - a Guinness Stout ice cream float. My family looked at me like I was nuts - ruining perfectly good ice cream by pouring beer (ugh) over it. People do it with coffee all the time, which is just another dark bitter drink, so why not Guinness? So I tried it. It didn't turn out as I expected. It seemed that the two flavors just didn't meld together like I suspected they would. The beer still tasted like Guinness, and the ice cream still tasted like vanilla. Hmm - not bad, just not exciting. So, it's back to the drawing board, looking for a beer-inspired dessert.

Awesome Beer Bread!

Here's a beer bread recipe that is guaranteed to be a hit! I have made this bread with cheap light beer, dark stouts, malt liquor, and even some Mead, and it always turns out moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. This rarely lasts beyond one meal. I like to make it kinda sweet, but you can adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. It would also be good without sugar, with some savory ingredients like cheese or garlic. It's incredibly easy to make, and takes about 5 minutes to get it ready for the oven.

Here's the recipe:
3 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a mixture)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar (more or less, depending on your preference)
12 oz beer, mead, or wine
1/4 cup melted butter.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients, then add beer
Pour into a greased bread pan
Pour melted butter over the top
Bake for an hour, then let cool on a rack.

The bread is very crispy on the outside, dense and moist inside. We've experimented using whole wheat flour, and it turned out great. Darker beers add some interesting variety also. It's even good toasted, if it lasts long enough to cool off. It's difficult to ruin this bread - but here's a warning to fellow homebrwewers - a lousy homebrew will not make a good beer bread. I tried it with one of my less than successful experiments - a sweet stout with a nasty bitter edge - and the bitterness came through. It was the only loaf that didn't get finished.

My Newest Homebrew - Maple Wheat Ale

I started homebrewing using the Mr Beer system several years ago, and I still use their fermenters because they're the perfect size - about 2-1/2 gallons. One of the Mr Beer recipes that always interested me was their Maple Wheat. So, I decided to make my own. I don't use their ingredients anymore, but the inspiration was from them. Here's the recipe:
3.3 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat Malt Extract
16 Oz Pure Maple Syrup
4 Oz Crystal Malt 10L
4 Oz CaraPils Malt
1/2 Oz Hersbrucker Hops
1/2 Oz Saaz Hops
Wyeast 1010 American Wheat Yeast
I really like using Maple Syrup in my beer. I like the flavor it adds. It also kicks up the horsepower! I cracked open my first bottle of this yesterday, and I'm very pleased. I have to say that the alcohol level is unusual for a wheat beer. It turned out darker than I expected, but had a great big head. It tasted like a wheat beer, but had some alcohol in the finish. The hops were subdued, so I probably should have used a little more. I'm looking forwared to seeing how this ages.

My Latest Homebrew - Rye Amber Ale

Today I enjoyed my most recent completed homebrew - a Rye Amber ale. I had purchased some rye malt, with the idea of trying it, so here's the result. After being in the fermenter for a month, carbonating in the bottle for two weeks, and a week in the fridge, my father-in-law and I tasted my newest creation. Another success! After a pair of unfortunate experiments with flavorings and extracts, I have now had two in a row that are great. I'll save my disappointing recipes for a future post. This ale poured a beautiful amber color, with a nice creamy head. The mouthfeel is as creamy as the head. The rye added a unique flavor that I don't know how to describe. The ale has a spicy character to it, which may be the rye, or may be the yeast. The hops come through nicely, without being overbearing. My only concern is that it is a little fruitier than I expected, probably due to the temps we have here in Florida. Damn this Florida weather! I've found that the fruitiness mellows out as it ages, so it will probably be perfect as I drink the last bottle. This will be a nice light flavored ale for the spring and summer, if it lasts that long! Here's the recipe I created:
3.3 lbs Briess Amber LME
6 Oz 50l Crystal Malt
5 Oz Biscuit Malt
5 Oz Rye Malt
1/2 Oz East Kent Goldings boiled for an hour
1/2 Oz Styrian Goldings boiled for 10 Minutes
Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Yeast
Corn Sugar for carbonation

Homebrew Spicy Holiday Ale - Definitely a Winter Warmer

Today I'm presenting one of my favorite homebrews. It was an experiment in creating a high alcohol beer that tastes great. I think it was a great success! I brew in small 2.5 gallon batches, so I can have more variety to drink. My Winter Warmer turned out spicy, and malty, and just a little sweet. This is a great beer for after dinner, when you're not going to drive anywhere. Here's the recipe for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Golden Light Liquid Malt Extract

16 Oz Pure Maple Syrup (Not that bogus stuff)

8 Oz Special B Malt

4 Oz Gambrinus Honey Malt

8 Oz Extra Light DME

8 Oz Dried Pitted Dates

1/2 Oz Dried Sweet Orange Peel

1/2 Oz Cinnamon

1/2 Oz Crushed Cardamom

1 Oz Liberty Hops for bittering

3/4 Oz Willamette Hops for Flavoring

Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Yeast

This brew came out with a nice creamy head, as you can see in the photo. I steeped the grains until they hit 170 degrees, then pulled the grains and started the boil. When the wort started boiling, I added the Liberty hops, the malt extracts, and the dates. 45 minutes later, I added the Willamettes, and the spices, and boiled for another 15 minutes. This brew was ACTIVE in the fermenter for 3 weeks! I have no idea what the abv is, but it's pretty strong. Oh yeah, almost forgot - I primed it with Maple syrup for carbonating in the bottle. In my book, this was a winner!