Last Updated on Sunday, 4 April 2010 06:32 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 Sunday, 4 April 2010 06:32 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 Sunday, 4 April 2010 06:32 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.