Last Updated on Saturday, 6 February 2010 10:16 Written by admin Saturday, 6 February 2010 10:16

Ingredients:

* 1.5 lbs Hopped Light Malt Extract per gallon.
* Approx 8-10 Flavored Tea Bags per gallon.
* Mutons 6 gram beer yeast.

Preparation:

Boil malt extract in 1/3 gallon of water (more if making a larger batch) for 20 mins.

Boil tea bags in seperate pot with similar amount of water, 20 mins.

Combine wort and tea, cool by any means neccesary.

Bring level to a gallon (or to whatever scale) and pitch the cheapest beer yeast you can get your hands on. I used a 6 gram pack of Muttons.

Specifics:

Style Winter Beer
Recipe Type Extract
Batch Size 1 gallon or more.
Original Gravity
Final Gravity
Boiling Time 20 Mins
Primary Fermentation plastic 7 days more if too bubbly
Secondary Fermentation glass until not fermentation halts.
Other Specifics For the “Flavored Tea” I would suggest a Caffiene Free Celestial Seasonings. If you drink like I do at times, that much caffiene is probably not a good thing, or at least so says my wife.

Last Updated on Saturday, 6 February 2010 10:02 Written by admin Saturday, 6 February 2010 10:02

Ingredients:

* 7 pounds, unhopped extract syrup
* 1 pound, chocolate malt, not cracked
* 1/2 pound, black patent malt, not cracked
* 1/2 pound, crystal malt (90 degrees L.)
* 1/2 pound, Sumatra decaf coffee
* 1-1/2 ounces, Cascade hops (boil)
* 1/2 ounce, Cascade hops (finish)
* yeast

Procedure:
Place chocolate, patent, and crystal malts in about 2 gallons of water and bring to almost boil, Sparge into boiling pot. Add 2 more gallons of water. Bring to boil and add bittering hops. 30 minutes into the boil, add 1/2 teaspoon Irish moss. Boil one more hour. Add finishing hops in last 2 minutes of boil. Pour into fermenter and add coffee. Pitch yeast.

Last Updated on Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:59 Written by admin Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:59

Description:
Don’t know if they are good, but I have made a few braggots I like. Just tried one last night in fact.

If you leave out the largeish amount of crystal malt you will get a product that is more “winey” than “beery”, and kind of thin. If you use a darker crystal malt the malt flavor begins to overwhelm the honey. I like it with the crystal malt in, but a friend of mine prefers it without. Without the crystal you will get an impressively pale product.

Do not use finishing hops, they mask the floral character of the honey. Honey seems to not add much of a taste component, but an incredible aroma.
Ingredients:

* 2 lbs light malt extract
* 2 lbs honey (The more “wild” the better, I have been using Mesquite)
* About 0.5 lb 20l crystal malt
* boiling hops to taste (NO finishing hops)
* Your favorite yeast (Most recently used Yeast Lab’s Dry Australian Ale)

Procedure:
Steep the grains and boil the malt and hops like normal. Add the honey at the end of the boil, like you would with finishing hops. Ferment, bottle and drink.

Last Updated on Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:55 Written by admin Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:55

Description:
First, let’s look at the style. A Kolsch has starting gravity of 1.040 to 1.046, IBUs of 20-30, and SRM of 3.5 to 5. The Zymurgy description of a Kolsch is: Pale gold. Low hop flavor and aroma. Medium bitterness. Light to medium body. Slightly dry, winy palate. Malted wheat okay. Lager or ale yeast or combination of yeasts okay.

Malts can be U.S. or continental, including a fraction of wheat malt if desired. Hopping should be continental noble hops. The yeast is the tricky part, as to my knowledge there is no available Kolsch yeast. The Goose Island Brewery in Chicago brews a Kolsch using a Kolsch yeast from Germany. The Free State Brewery in Lawrence, Kansas, brews a Kolsch using Wyeast “European” ale. This yeast is suggested by Fred Eckhardt. I’ve used the yeast from time to time and think it’s a great yeast, so use this in preference to any generic ale yeast.
Ingredients:

* 6 pounds, U.S. 2–row malt
* 1 pound, Vienna malt
* 1 pound, wheat malt
* 1/4 pound, light crystal malt (10 L.)
* 1 ounce, Hallertauer (2.9% alpha) (60 minute boil)
* 1 ounce, Hallertauer (30 minute boil)
* 1/4 ounce, Tettnanger (3.8% alpha) (15 minute boil)
* 1/4 ounce, Tettnanger (2 minute boil)
* Wyeast European ale yeast

Procedure:
I’m assuming 80% extraction efficiency. The hop schedule broadly follows the German method, and you can substitute Perle or Spalt, and mix and match however you want.

Following Fred Eckhardt’s description of Widmer’s mash sequence, mash in at 122 degrees F and hold for 30 to 45 minutes, and then raise to 158 degrees F for starch conversion. Following conversion, raise to 170 degrees F for mash out and hold for 10 minutes.

Primary fermentation should be done in the mid-60s. This beer benefits from cold-conditioning, so rack to secondary and “lager” at 40 degrees for a couple weeks.

Last Updated on Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:54 Written by admin Saturday, 6 February 2010 09:54

Description:
Here is an extract recipe for a Kolsch brew. I’m real happy with it, and I have several people to thank for this one. Being the dunderhead that I am, I have forgotten some names (most notably the fine brewer up in Alaska who assisted with my Kolsch yeast questions). It is based on the recipe found in Papazian’s “The Complete Hombrewer’s Companion” (I think that’s the title), except for different malt counts and yeast and fermentation.
Ingredients:

* 6.00 lb. Light Dry Malt Extract
* 0.25 lb.lb. Wheat
* 0.50 oz. G. Northern-Br. 6.9% 75 min
* 0.75 oz. American Spalt 4.0% 15 min
* 1.25 oz. G. Hallertau 3.1% 15 min
* 0.50 oz. Czek Saaz 3.5% dry hopped
* 0.50 oz. G. Hallertau 3.1% dry hopped
* 1 teaspoon of Irish Moss
* Kolsch Wyeast

Procedure:
The .25lb. crushed wheat grain was placed in a grain bag, put in the cold water (2.5 gallons), and raised to 165 degrees where it steeped for 10 minutes. I then raised the it to a boil, added the boiling hops (the Northern) and the DME. After 60 minutes I added the flavor hops (.75 oz. of the spalt and 1.25 oz. of the Hallertau) and 1 teaspoon of Irish Moss. I then let this boil for 15 minutes (75 minutes total).

I then put in my primary and added the Kolsch Wyeast (liquid, natch). This is an interesting yeast. I let it ferment at around 62-64 for about 1 1/2 weeks, until it seemed just about done. I then threw it into the fridge at 42 degrees for about 2 weeks. When I took it out, the yeast appeared upset by the sudden temperature change and it fermented rather energetically for about 1/2 day or so, and then it slowed down. I toook a specific gravity and it was 1.08. Done. (I screwed up the starting gravity. Ooops).

I primed and bottled. Let it sit for two weeks, then placed it in the fridge. Let it sit in teh fridge about 1 week before drinking, and MMMMMMMMMMMM…..good stuff.