Bouchet

A variation on mead, this beverage starts with toasted honey. Toasting caramelizes the sugars and imparts a smooth, smoky flavor. This is a small batch that I prepared as a proof of concept.

SUGAR	GRUIT
0.5 kg honey	lightly charred white oak spiral
WATER	YEAST
approx 4 L	Hornindahl Kveik OYl-091

PROCESS:

1. Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING.

2. Heat 0.5 kg of honey over low heat in a large kettle until smoking, stirring constantly. Be sure not to let the bottom of the kettle char.

3. When honey takes on a caramel brown color and begins to produce black smoke it is adequately toasted. Add 200 mL of water SLOWLY to cool.

4. Add yeast nutrient and enough water to make 4 L.

5. Measure original gravity and pitch yeast.

6. Place in primary fermentor, close fermentor, and apply airlock.

7. Ferment at 68 F or per yeast recommendations until activity stops. This may take up to several months depending on yeast strain.

8. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.

9. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI.

10. Share and Enjoy!


NOTES:

--Best done on a cold day in winter with heavy precipitation. The smell of burning honey attracts bees, and foul weather will help keep them from descending on your brew house.

--Use a light-colored honey. It is hard to tell when dark honey is adequately carmelized.

--Bochet is not a process to use with expensive or exotic honey. Cooking the honey will eliminate most of the subtle notes that particular pollens impart. Clover or mixed is just fine.

--Consider doubling the amount of honey per volume; low OG noted.

Hefeweizen

 This is a very simple wheat beer that came out quite nicely.

GRAIN	GRUIT
5# Pilsner	1 oz Hallertau
3# Wheat
0.75# Rice Hulls	YEAST
0.25# Flaked Wheat	Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan

PROCESS:

1.    Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 15 quarts of water to 165 degrees F.  Add to grain in mash tun.  Goal temp is ~151 F.

3.    Allow to sit (mash) for 60 minutes.

4.    Drain liquid (wort) from mash tun into kettle while showering additional hot water over over grains (sparging) until draining wort no longer tastes sweet.

5.    Bring wort to a boil.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK and turn down heat when it begins to prevent boil-over.

6.    Immediately after hot break add Hallertau hops and set countdown timer for 60 minutes.

8.    At 15 minutes add yeast nutrient.

11. At 0 minutes turn off heat and cool to 65 degrees F.

12. Check and record starting gravity.

13. Place in primary fermentor, add yeast, close fermentor and apply airlock.

14. Ferment at 68 F for 2+ weeks.

15. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.

16. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI.

17. Share and Enjoy!

Pilsen Lager

 My wife's favorite recipe, with some slight tweaks.  The addition of a temperature-controlled lagering cooler definitely made a difference with this one!

GRAIN	GRUIT
11.5# Pilsner	1 oz Tettnang (divided)
0.5# CaraPils
	YEAST
	US-05

PROCESS:

1.    Clean and sterilize EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 18 quarts water to 165 F and add to grain in mash tun (goal temp 150-152 F).

3.    Allow to sit (mash) for 60 minutes.

4.    Drain resulting liquid (wort) into kettle while showering with 170 F water (sparging).

5.    Boil wort.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK.

6.    Set countdown timer for 90 minutes.  Add 0.5 oz Tettnang.

7.    At 15 minutes add 0.25 oz Tettnang.

8.    At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

9.    At 1 minute add 0.25 oz Tettnang.

10. At 0 minutes turn off heat and chill to 65 F

11. Check and record initial gravity.

12. Move to fermentor. 

13. Pitch yeast.

14. Close fermentor and apply airlock.

15. Ferment 2+ weeks at 55 F.  Up to 2 months of fermentation will improve the beer.

16. Check final gravity, record %ABV.

17. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI

Milk Stout

 This perennial crowd pleaser was brewed at the Sacred Stone's Baronial Brew Day.  A good time was had by all!

GRAIN	GRUIT
7# Maris Otter	1 oz Target
2# Flaked Barley
1.25# Roasted Barley	YEAST
	Wyeast 1084

PROCESS:

1.    CLEAN AND STERILIZE EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 15 quarts water to 165 F and add to grain in mash tun (goal temp 150-152 F).

3.    Allow to sit (mash) for 60 minutes.

4.    Drain resulting liquid (wort) into kettle while showering with 170 F water (sparging).

5.    Boil wort.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK.

6.    Set countdown timer for 60 minutes.  Add Target.

7.    At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

8.    At 0 minutes turn off heat and cool to 65 F.

9.    Check and record starting gravity.

10. Add yeast.  Place in primary fermentor and apply airlock.

11. Ferment at ~69 F for 2+ weeks.

12. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.

13. Keg and pressurize to 10 PSI.

14. Share and Enjoy!

Red Ale

I brewed another batch of Red Ale at the Sacred Stone's Baronial Brew Day.  I tried to get clever with this one and added dry ice to cool it more quickly (and also for the cool fog effects!).  It wound up making kind of a mess and not really cooling the wort that much.  The beer was good though.

Crimson Maple

 

GRAIN	GRUIT
3# Munich I	1 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh
3# Munich II	1 oz Tettnang
4# Pilsner	1 oz Czech Saaz
1# Aromatic
0.75# Honey Malt	YEAST
0.25# Caramunich 60	Safale US-05

 

PROCESS:

1.    Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 18 quarts of water to 165 degrees F.  Add to grain in mash tun.  Goal temp is ~151 F.

3.    Allow to sit (mash) for 60 minutes.

4.    Drain liquid (wort) from mash tun into kettle while showering additional hot water over over grains (sparging) until draining wort no longer tastes sweet.

5.    Bring wort to a boil.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK and turn down heat when it begins to prevent boil-over.

6.    Immediately after hot break add Hallertau hops and set countdown timer for 60 minutes.

7.    At 20 minutes remaining add Tettnang.

8.    At 15 minutes add yeast nutrient.

9.    At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

10. At 5 minutes add Czech Saaz.

11. At 0 minutes turn off heat and cool to 65 degrees F.  Do NOT use dry ice.

12. Check and record starting gravity.

13. Place in primary fermentor, add yeast, close fermentor and apply airlock.

14. Ferment for 2+ weeks.

15. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.

16. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI.

17. Share and Enjoy!

Stone Boil

 Stone Brewing is an ancient form of brewing that is still practiced in some parts of Scandinavia.  It likely predates metalworking, as it provides a means of heating water without placing the water over the fire.  Putting a pot of water over a heat source is one of the most efficient ways to heat water for brewing, but it doesn't work if your only water containers are made of wood.  Instead, one heats stones in the fire and then places the stones in water.  The water never actually boils, but you don't need to boil water--quite--to brew with it.

Unfortunately, this brew did not go well for me; the beer became infected and was undrinkable.  Another attempt is coming soon!

GRAIN:  10# 2-row

GRUIT: Juniper Branch (approximately 3' of stem with berries and needles intact)

YEAST: 

WATER: 30 quarts

PROCESS:

1. Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING.  This is particularly challenging to maintain while working with firewood, but particularly important as nothing ever boils in this process.
2. Start a fire approximately 3 hours before you plan to begin heating water.  I recommend kiln-dried hardwoods (we used oak) as you will need a good bed of hot coals.  Once the fire is going well, add several rocks (fist-sized or larger) and give them time to heat up.
3. Add heated rocks to water to raise it to strike temperature (~160 F).  We found that one pound of rock heated one gallon of water by 20 degrees.
4. Add heated water to grain.
5. Add juniper branch and start 60-minute countdown timer.
6. Continue adding hot rocks to keep temperature ~150 F for 1 hour.
7. Strain the wort (it is definitely worthwhile to use a heavy-duty strainer insert, such as for seafood boils, inside your wort container; adding gruit and rocks into this strainer makes them easy to remove).  
8. Cool to 65 F.
9. Check initial gravity.
10. Pitch yeast, ferment 2+ weeks.
11. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.
12. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI.
13. Share and Enjoy!

Red Ale

This batch of my Red Ale, like the Not-a-Pils, were made during the "Brewers and Bakers" meetup hosted by the wonderful Lady Gwenhwyfar and Noble Owain.

GRAIN	GRUIT
3# Munich I	1 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh
3# Munich II	0.5 oz Tettnang
4# Pilsner	0.5 oz Czech Saaz
1# Aromatic
0.75# Honey Malt	YEAST
0.25# Caramunich 60	Safale US-05

 

PROCESS:

1.    Clean and sanitize EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 18 quarts of water to 165 degrees F.  Add to grain in mash tun.  Goal temp is ~151 F.

3.    Allow to sit (mash) for 60 minutes.

4.    Drain liquid (wort) from mash tun into kettle while showering additional hot water over over grains (sparging) until draining wort no longer tastes sweet.

5.    Bring wort to a boil.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK and turn down heat when it begins to prevent boil-over.

6.    Immediately after hot break add Hallertau hops and set countdown timer for 60 minutes.

7.    At 20 minutes remaining add Tettnang.

8.    At 15 minutes add yeast nutrient.

9.    At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

10. At 5 minutes add Czech Saaz.

11. At 0 minutes turn off heat and cool to 65 degrees F.

12. Check and record starting gravity.

13. Place in primary fermentor, add yeast, close fermentor and apply airlock.

14. Ferment for 2+ weeks.

15. Check final gravity, calculate %ABV.

16. Keg, pressurize to 10 PSI.

17. Share and Enjoy!

Not a %$^ing Pils

 This was supposed to be a standard Pilsner, made for my shipmates on the Black Rose.  It didn't turn out quite right.  While it was greatly enjoyed by all and may be my wife's favorite of all the beers I've made, it was declared to be Not a F*(&ing Pils by Meistr Alain and Lord Ciaran...and the name has stuck :)

GRAIN	GRUIT
11.5# Pilsner	1 oz Tettnang (divided)
0.5# Cara Pils
	YEAST
	US-05

PROCESS:

1.    CLEAN AND STERILIZE EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 18 quarts water to 165 F and add to grain in mash tun (goal temp 150-152 F)

3.    Mash for 60 minutes.

4.    Sparge with 170 F water while draining wort into kettle.

5.    Boil wort.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK.

6.    Set countdown timer for 90 minutes.  Add 0.5 oz Tettnang.

7.    At 15 minutes add 0.25 oz Tettnang.

8.  At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

9.    At 0 minutes turn off heat and add 0.25 oz Tettnang.

10. Cool to 65 F.  Check starting gravity.

11. Add yeast.  Place in primary fermentor and apply airlock.

12. Ferment at ~69 F for 2+ weeks.

13.Check final gravity.

14. Keg and pressurize to 10 PSI.

15. Share and Enjoy!

Milk Stout

 

GRAIN	GRUIT
7# Maris Otter	1 oz Target
2# Flaked Barley
1.25# Roasted Barley	YEAST
	Wyeast 1084

PROCESS:

1.    CLEAN AND STERILIZE EVERYTHING.

2.    Heat 15 quarts water to 165 F and add to grain in mash tun (goal temp 150-152 F)

3.    Mash for 60 minutes.

4.    Sparge with 170 F water while draining wort into kettle.

5.    Boil wort.  WATCH FOR HOT BREAK.

6.    Set countdown timer for 60 minutes.  Add Target.

7.    At 10 minutes add Whirlfloc.

8.    At 0 minutes turn off heat and cool to 65 F.

9.    Check starting gravity.

10. Add yeast.  Place in primary fermentor and apply airlock.

11. Ferment at ~69 F for 2+ weeks.

12. Keg and pressurize to 10 PSI.

13. Share and Enjoy!

I over-sparged this batch and wound up with a very thin wort. I extended the boil time to compensate and wound up with a very decent beer with exceptional clarity.