Zymurgy 2016 Vol 39-01 Jan-Feb PDF
Zymurgy 2016 Vol 39-01 Jan-Feb PDF
org
®®
EDIT OR’S DESK by Jill Redding
C OLUMNS
1 | EDITOR’S DESK
Homebrewers Shine at GABF
By Jill Redding
85 | WORLD OF WORTS
Visionary Mild
By Charlie Papazian
FE ATURES
88 | LAST DROP
28 | 16 Homebrew Gadgets for 2016
Zymurgy readers share their homebuilt homebrewing tools for solving problems and
Clubs are as Good as Gold making the brew day go just a little bit more smoothly.
By Andrew Luberto By Zymurgy readers
13 | DEAR ZYMURGY
50 | Dunkenweizendoppelbock
17 | DEAR PROFESSOR This big, delicious sipping beer with a warming and lingering alcohol glow makes it
ideal for relaxing in front of a crackling fire on a dark winter’s evening.
21 | STYLE SPOTLIGHT
By Horst Dornbusch
67 | WINNERS CIRCLE
“Winning Beer Drinker of the Year was a huge honor,” said Cody
Christman, the 2009 champion. “It’s a chance to see what you know and go
up against the best in the nation.”
Submissions for the competition are being accepted through midnight on January 31. New this year, applicants must
submit a video, which will count toward the review and consideration of this year’s submissions. To learn more, go
to wynkoopbdoy.com.
+ YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
We’re currently planning content for
2016, and Zymurgy could use your help!
We need submissions for Last Drop as
well as the You’ve Gotta Drink This seg-
ment in Beeroscope.
R Q U OTE
E Have you tried a commercial beer
W
PR
CR
The new Genesis Fermenter was designed with
AF
safety in mind. Built-in handles allow for ergonomic
T
TU
lifting. The Genesis Fermenter Inner Liner provides an
>> G R E A
SA
T U.S.-made fermenter has an industry-
The
leading 5.9-inch wide (15 cm) mouth and a
lleadi
6.5-gallon (24.6 L) capacity. When used with
6.5-g
6
Photos © Allagash Brewing Co., Brewcraft USA, Oskar Blues
the
t sanitary Inner Liner, the double layer offers
Brewery, Jill Redding, and New England Brewing Co.
aad
additional protection against bacteria exposure,
while
w reducing the need for cleanup.
2016 Calendar
The New Year is upon us, and the AHA has many events planned for 2016. Use this list
to help plan out your homebrew calendar for the coming year.
Best,
Matt Welz
Stevens Point, Wis. Matt Welz and his beloved
brew hound, Bauer.
Bloodrocuted
Dear Zymurgy, Thanks, blood orange zest for a 6.5-gallon batch.
In the September/October issue you Stephan “Tank” Emswiler The purée and zest should be added to the
shared a recipe for Bloodrocuted [blood Bartlett, Tenn. primary before pitching the yeast. Brian
orange saison] in the Club News article. Connery, head of brewing operations at
There is no mention in the directions, Zymurgy editor Jill Redding responds: Dad & Dude’s Breweria, said the brewery
however, of how the blood orange purée I checked in with Stefan Hatfield of The added blood orange purée at the end of the
or zest is used (i.e., boil, secondary, or Fermentologists, and he clarified that the boil in its scaled-up version of the recipe.
packaging). Could you expound on that recipe should actually include 1 cup of No zest was used in the brewery’s version
for clarification, please? blood orange purée and 1 tablespoon of of the brew.
Cheers, Cheers!
Ryan Carrick Mathew Wisner
Atlanta, Ga. Shoreline, Wash.
Hey homebrewers! If you have a homebrew label that you’d like to submit
for the Dear Zymurgy section, send it to magazine art director Jason Smith at
[email protected].
Jal(-apeño), Yeah! is a farmhouse saison with notes of jalapeño pepper flavor and
aroma, but without the heat. The homebrew was submitted into a competition
hosted by Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn and won the Peoples Choice Award.
E W EB
TH
N
>> O
pressure prior to bottling, or I can leave more gas and more gushing as you experi- it’s extremely labor-intensive and I’d like
less headspace. enced. So the first step is to not store any kind to know how I can do it more efficiently.
of beer at those high temperatures. Perhaps they need to be harvested before
I don’t know if it is related or not, but I’ve they are entirely ripe? Also, if you use
also noticed that since I’ve been using the Of the two options you suggest, I’d bump up them fresh, how do you treat the outside
Beer Gun, some of my bottles seem to the pressure while bottling, but be sure not of the fruit since they have a lot of stick-
gush when poured. This seems to happen to exceed recommended pressures. Always ers? Do you just scrape the outside with a
more in the summer than the winter, so I use safety goggles to protect your eyes. Use knife to get rid of them?
am thinking it has something to do with gloves as added protection. Be sure the beer
storing them warm after they were force- is as cold as you can manage to get it. Make Ron Harmening
carbonated cold. I store the bottles in my sure the bottles are cold too. Cover the open- Las Cruces, N.M.
N
>> O
the performance of dried yeast (and conse- I’ve been brewing since 1970—45 Need answers to your
quently the flavor of your beer) by properly years!—and I don’t worry about the cold homebrew questions?
rehydrating it. Do this by boiling 1½ cups break in my fermenter. Ramp it up; go for Visit the free AHA Forum at
HomebrewersAssociation.org/forum
(355 ml) of water for five to 10 minutes, pour the bigger size. Things are going to be dif-
into a sanitized glass jar (washed and boiled
for about 15 minutes), cover with clean foil,
and let cool to 100 to 105° F (38 to 41° C).
Do not add any sugars. Add dried yeast and
let rehydrate for 15 to 20 minutes. Bring the
temperature of the rehydrated yeast close to
that of the wort and pitch.
Airing it out,
The Professor, Hb.D.
Buck Buchanan
Trenton Falls, N.Y.
Hi Buck,
Charlie Papazian answered your question
while at the Great American Beer Festival
in September (available at youtube.com/
watch?v=LbTlmxlmi9A), but here’s the gist of
what he said in that response:
wait. But the casks that were allowed to Oktoberfest. While there wasn’t any beer the practice. This new, lighter-colored
mature the longest were clean and smooth for the first few years of the event, accord- lager was still called Märzen in Bavaria,
when they were finally tapped. ing to most sources, beer style and event but Sedlmayr claimed his was brewed “in
DIRECTIONS
Mash in for a protein rest at 122° F (50° C)
for 20 minutes. Pull your first decoction of
about 9 quarts (9 L) and boil for 15 minutes.
Add back to main mash and equalize at
150° F (66° C). Hold at that temperature for
60 minutes. Apply heat or boiling water to
mash out at 168° F (76° C) for 10 minutes.
Sparge, boil 90 minutes, and add hops at
stated intervals. Chill and oxygenate when
wort temperature falls below 80° F (27° C).
Pitch a strong starter of yeast at 48° F (9° C).
Fermentation temperature may be allowed
to rise to 50° F (10° C). As fermentation
slows, bring to 55° F (13° C) and hold three
days for a diacetyl rest. When the gravity
reaches 1.012 (3° P), crash to lager tempera-
tures (35° F or 2° C) and lager the beer for
two to three months or until Oktoberfest.
To achieve its golden hues, Festbier uses Speaking of hops, they are secondary Strength-wise, Festbier’s 5.8 to 6.3 per-
Pilsner malt as the base grain, with small considerations in these beers, as aromat- cent ABV range matches Märzen’s.
additions of Vienna and/or Munich malt ics and flavors should both be malt- Saccharification should be long and low for
to add some maltiness without pushing it focused. Aromatic emphasis should be both beers, right around 150° F (66° C) to
into Märzen’s color territory: 4 to 7 SRM on bready, doughy malt, perhaps with a maximize fermentability. A well-attenuated
is the range for Festbier as opposed to touch of toasted malt, and an “impres- finish is necessary to produce a malty, drink-
Märzen’s 8 to 17. With all the high-quality sion of sweetness.” Festbier can have a able beer that makes one thirsty for more.
German malts available to home and craft bit of low to medium-low hop bouquet, While not strictly necessary, a decoction
Pickelhaube Festbier
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
for 5.5 U.S. gallons (20.82 L) Mash in for a protein rest at 122° F (50° C) for 20 minutes. Pull
your first decoction of about 9 quarts (9 L) and boil for 15 minutes.
7.0 lb (3.18 kg) Pilsner malt (63.6%) Add back to main mash and equalize at 150° F (66° C). Hold at that
4.0 lb (1.81 kg) Vienna malt (36.4%) temperature for 60 minutes. Apply heat or boiling water to mash out
1.0 oz (28 g) Hallertau pellets, 4.8% a.a. (FWH, 90 min) at 168° F (76° C) for 10 minutes. Sparge, boil 90 minutes, and add
0.5 oz (14 g) Spalter pellets, 4.5% a.a. (10 min) hops at stated intervals. Chill and oxygenate when wort temperature
Bavarian or Munich lager yeast (2 L starter) falls below 80° F (27° C). Pitch a strong starter of yeast at 48° F (9°
RO water treated with 1g/gallon calcium chloride C). Fermentation temperature may be allowed to rise to 50° F (10°
C). As fermentation slows, bring to 55° F (13° C) and hold three days
Original Gravity: 1.055 (13.5° P) for a diacetyl rest. When the gravity reaches 1.012 (3° P), crash to
Finishing Gravity: 1.010 (2.5° P) lager temperatures (35° F or 2° C) and lager the beer for two to three
IBUs: 21 months or until Oktoberfest.
SRM: 4.1
ABV: 5.9% PARTIAL EXTRACT VERSION: Mash Vienna malt at 150° F (66°
Boil Time: 90 minutes C) for one hour using RO water. Drain, rinse with hot RO brewing liquor
Assumed Brewhouse Efficiency: 75% to desired boil volume, and dissolve 5.5 lb (2.49 kg) Pilsner malt extract
syrup completely. Proceed with boil and hop additions. Resulting beer
may be slightly darker (4.6 SRM) but still within style range.
HO MEBREW
GADGETS By Zymurgy Readers
Peter Priniski
Ludington, Mich.
Pour Souls Homebrew Club
2
HOSE CLAMP Materials:
R 1 - 3-inch plastic spring clamp
R 1 - 1/2-inch PEX bend support
From MIG to TIG welding to plasma cut- R 1 - 10-24 x 2-inch machine screw
ting to PIDs to Peltier modules, I’ve made R 1 - 10-24 nut
nearly every piece of equipment in my R 1 - #10 flat washer
home brewery. This idea is probably my
favorite because it’s so simple and one I Place the plastic spring clamp jaws in a
use in several different processes every vise or have someone hold onto them
single brew day. Five dollars and a five- tightly (the spring is pretty strong).
minute build will keep your silicone hose Remove stock screw and nut. Replace
tightly in place without kinking whether with 10-24 x 2-inch screw and flat
you’re pumping boiling liquid at full washer inserted through the PEX Bend
speed or gravity feeding from your HLT. Support. Tighten nut and remove excess
It works on every vessel in my brewery. screw with hacksaw.
Byron Ritchason
Batavia, Ill.
3 PARTY BUTLER
Since retiring to North Carolina, I have
had time to brew more, and brew bigger
batches. A few times a year I bring one or
two 2.5-gallon kegs to an event sponsored
by our local homeowners association.
I’ll brew up a 7.5-gallon batch and keg
5 gallons for me and 2.5 gallons for my
neighbors to enjoy. It also gives me an
opportunity to experiment with different
yeasts by fermenting the 5- and 2.5-gallon with a pen and cocktail napkin to sketch
splits differently. out a plan for the Party Butler.
The last HOA event was a mess. I wheeled I went to my local box store and bought
over two small kegs in my cooler, hooked $12.18 worth of ¾-inch PVC fittings and
up the picnic taps, and put cups on a pipe. What came out was a handy stand
table. The first few pours went fine, then that fits under my cooler. The stand has
the taps kept getting mixed up—a neigh- two ¾-inch tees that each hold a picnic
bor thinking he had a cream ale mistaken- tap with the beer line threaded through
ly got an IPA. Things went downhill from the tee, a cup holder, and a sign holder the taps, the taps didn’t get tangled and
there. It is hard enough to get the BMC so folks know what is coming out of each mixed up, and everyone knew what they
crowd to try homebrew without mixing tap. The next HOA party went perfectly were drinking. The Party Butler works for
up the taps. So off I went into the corner as far as serving beer. Cups were right by a single- or two-keg setup and could be
expanded. I like my neighbors, but not
enough for a third keg.
Jim Hill
Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.
Michael Heitt
Baltimore, Md.
Brewtherville Labs
10
CARBOY
FILLING WAND
This is a carboy filling wand with a quick
disconnect fitting attached. I can sanitize
the wand and carboy together while recir-
culating hot wort through my chiller, then
just shift the return hose to the wand to
fill the carboy—no dirty hose drooping
into the carboy. I made it out of CPVC to
avoid scratching the carboy.
Norman Lane
Ormond Beach, Fla.
VCHBG Homebrew Club
My solution was weed whacker string. By of the hose along with the strings, and head I desire by manipulating the picnic
simply unscrewing the top of the picnic slightly staggering the string ends helped. tap above the glass.
tap, the internals of the serving line are I never found the need, but lightly soap-
exposed. One can easily insert the plastic ing the strings (followed later by flushing, After extended use, I have found the
string into the hose, running it the typical of course) may be useful. string imparts no detectable off flavors,
six feet of length. The string increases the even in delicate Pilsners. It can be sani-
surface area for the flowing beer, as well The only downside of this solution is a tized using any standard method. As the
as reducing the effective diameter of the slow pour. It won’t be the standard 8-sec- string is purchased in coils and the coiling
hose, raising resistance and slowing the onds-to-bar-fill a pint. But 20 seconds can make it difficult to insert two strings
beer down. The resistance occurs evenly observing that beautiful head developing into a hose, I suggest boiling and then
over the entire length of the line and is is well spent. forcing the string straight while it cools.
thus gentler on the beer (gently handled I would not suggest using the string cur-
beer is happier, less foamy beer) than a I suggest running the string(s) the entire rently in your weed whacker—you might
short restrictor. The string also reduces 6 feet of your serving line. If your carbon- impart a grassy, earthy, dandelion flavor
hose dead volume, causing less than 1 ation pressure is low (say an ale) or you to your beer.
ounce to be stale. pour much slower than necessary to pre-
vent foaming, pull a section of the string Greg Terpay
I found the need to insert two strings to out from the picnic tap side with a pair Lone Tree, Colo.
get the soft pour I desired. This is a little of needle nose pliers, trimming its length Rock Hoppers Brew Club
more difficult. Removing the sharp edges until you reach the desired effect. I find
from freshly cut string, wetting the inside a slow pour useful. I can create the exact
Bryan Fink
San Jose, Calif.
15
Cedar Falls, Iowa
This setup keeps a keg cold for a good Cedar River Association
24 hours. The mash tun uses a braided of Zymurgy Enthusiasts (CRAZE)
SERVING SCALE
I use this to determine how many pints
I have left in my Corny keg. As you can
see, it’s a scale used for propane tanks.
But with a little math, you can change
the scale from working with propane and
a propane tank to one that will work for
beer and a Corny keg. You just need to
know how many pounds a propane tank
weighs both full and empty. Same for the
Corny keg. It’s not exact, but it works
pretty well when you want to know how
much beer you have left.
Mike Drago
Richmond, Va.
Mentoring Advanced Standards
of Homebrewing (MASH)
My goals were: kettle where the intake and output are with the brew kettle lid closed to minimize
R Easy setup, takedown, and cleaning connected with short hoses to the kitchen contamination risk and allows for com-
R Fast and efficient brew sessions sink faucet and drain during chilling. pact storage when finished. Furthermore,
R Compact storage the entire assembly fits in the lower rack
R Makes great beer! The geometry of the dual coils improves of a dishwasher for easy cleaning and can
upon the standard single-coil wort chiller be sanitized before use simply by placing
The system is comprised of a five-gal- design. The two coils are overlapped the lid (and chiller) on the kettle for 10
lon brew kettle integrated with a novel to minimize hot spots in the center of minutes or so during the boil.
and efficient immersion wort chiller. The the kettle, and cold water entering the
chiller consists of two interlaced 10-foot system flows clockwise from top to bot-
x 3/8-inch copper refrigeration coils con- tom in one coil and counter-clockwise
nected via half-inch solid copper pipe from bottom to top in the other. These
and various copper fittings. Standard hose features reduce temperature gradients in
fittings pass through the lid of the brew the wort, enabling fast cooldown times
even with the relatively small amount of
copper tubing.
N
>> O
I’m currently working on adding a tem- Check out more gadgets on
perature sensor and a pair of high tem- HomebrewersAssociation.org/
10thgadgets
perature food-grade submersible pumps
I
have yet to meet a homebrewer who hasn’t thought about going pro. Many fantasize
about getting paid to do what they love—brewing beer—just about every time they
brew a batch at home. Some may even take it one step further and begin an online
search for brewing equipment. However, once they see the price tag of a turnkey brewing
system, they are inclined to shut down their computer and decide it’s better to stick to
their current job because it seems more realistic.
There is, however, a way to go pro professional brewing system. I will also The choice of materials can be any grade
without going broke. I started teach- give you a few ideas for going beyond 304 stainless steel. This happens to
ing people how to put brewing systems that, with just a little bigger invest- include most dairy processing tanks. The
together using invented or repurposed ment. I guarantee this will get you best place to find any tank is on eBay by
equipment back in 1995. That year thinking, and perhaps redefine what searching “stainless steel tanks.” You can
I made a video called Frankenbrew. is realistic. also visit a used dairy supply house. If you
The main principles presented in live in farm country, ask around or look
that video still apply today, but I Brew Kettle on Craigslist.
have learned a lot in the last 20-plus Let’s begin with the heart of a brew sys-
years—information that you can use tem: the brew kettle. I prefer cylindrical as If you look at the kettles that McMenamins
to your advantage in creating your opposed to rectangular, so you can easily in Oregon uses for all their breweries, you
own professional brewery. whirlpool and separate out the trub and will notice that they are not insulated. In
hops from the wort at the end of the brew. fact, my first kettle was not insulated. It
In this article, I present the basics of how With a rectangular tank, this separation is was retrofitted with just a burner under-
to assemble a simple 7-barrel (11 hl) very difficult. neath and still works today after 20 years
An out-of-commission keg can be repurposed as a
grant (a capturing vessel between the mash tun
and the brew kettle). A centrifugal pump uses a
valve restriction on the outlet side to regulate
flow from mash tun to grant to kettle.
of service. Finding an un-insulated cylin- A dairy tank, commonly used for milk chill-
drical tank is a good place to start. A video ing, is the best bet for an inexpensive mash
of how to convert the tank can be found at tun. The dairy industry doesn’t use these
coloradoboy.com. anymore, so they are readily available and
cheap. These can be found in farm country
You may also opt for a new kettle. I have for around $200, but more likely you will
found sources for excellent U.S.-made find them for about $1,500 at companies
standalone insulated kettles with all the that deal in used dairy equipment. While
bells and whistles for about $9,000. this may seem expensive, this tank needs no
Photos courtesy of Tom Hennessy
Instead of using a heating element in Serving Tank (4) Used $12,000 New $12,000
the tank, you can heat the water in your Pump Used $800 New $1,300
brew kettle after you have completed the Heat Exchanger Used $2,000 New $3,500
mash. The hot water is then transferred to
the hot liquor tank. I suggest heating the
Glycol Chiller Used $1,000 New $1,800
water to 180° F (82° C) and transferring it Walk-In Cooler Built $1,000 New $5,000
to the hot liquor tank. The water that hits Kegs (15) Used $1,200 New $1,500
the mash is usually about 170° F (77° C).
Pieces/Parts New $1,500 New $1,500
You can save space and money by using Total $28,000 $49,050
the fermentation vessel as a hot liquor
tank. If you decide to do this, you will
need an extra pump. A simple March
pump will do the job. Simply heat your
sparge water in the brew kettle to about
180° F (82° C) and pump it into the fer-
menter you will be using that day. This
hot water will not hurt your clean and
sanitized fermenter. When it comes time
to sparge, you will pump out of the fer-
menter to the sparge head. After sparging,
chill your fermentation tank back down
using the fermenter’s glycol jacket.
Fermentation Vessels
Two extremely important things must
be considered regarding fermentation
vessels. The first is a sanitary surface—
there can be no scratches or dings where
infection could occur. The stainless steel
should have a mirror finish. This includes
all welds. When looking at tanks, inspect if the temperature rises above about 70° F
Photo © www.cfmworldwide.com (jacketed dairy tank)
the inside very carefully. Take time to (21° C), coolant will circulate through the
run your fingers along all the welds, jackets, bringing the temperature of the
under any manways, etc. to ensure that beer back within acceptable limits.
all are smooth.
One of the easiest options is a dairy tank.
The second is the tank’s ability to be It is perfectly sanitary, insulated, and jack-
temperature controlled. As you are aware, eted. All you need to buy is a racking arm
during the fermentation process, tem- that goes in the tri-clamp opening.
peratures increase. If the temperature goes
Jacketed Dairy Tank above the yeast’s temperature tolerance, A horizontal dairy tank with lids, like one
Fermentation Vessel off-flavors will develop in beer. The tank suggested for mash tun use, can also play
needs to be jacketed in some way, so that the role of a fermentation vessel, with a few
Conditioning/Serving Tank
Many new brewers will just want to serve
out of kegs from the onset, but I don’t
recommend this. One 7-barrel serving tank
will hold 14 kegs of beer and will take up
a lot less room. Plus, it’s easier to clean just
one vessel. A serving tank is worth the
extra expense. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to
Slits cut into one side of pipe for converted mash tun.
find used serving tanks, but check out the
Brewers Association Forum (members only)
or the Classifieds section of ProBrewer.com
often and you may get lucky.
Glycol Chiller
To chill your two fermentation tanks, a
simple glycol trunk line chiller works
great at a fraction of the cost of a typical
commercial glycol chiller. I use a chiller
Pipe in place with slits facing down. with a 15-gallon (57 L) reservoir and a
¾ horsepower compressor. This com-
bination costs about $1,800 and has no
problem cooling the fermentation tanks
downsides. It takes up more room than to buy a spray ball for the top for cleaning to at least 36° F (2° C) and holding them
a vertical cylindrical tank, for one thing, and you also need a racking arm. at that temperature. One of my students
and harvesting yeast is a bit more difficult. uses just one of these for four fermenters!
However, I have used these tanks to brew Heat Exchangers I’ve been running mine now for three
beer that won medals at the World Beer It is difficult to find a used commercial years without interruption.
Cup® and Great American Beer Festival®, heat exchanger, so I recommend buying
so I know they make good beer. a new one. The size of the heat exchanger Walk-in Cooler
you will need depends on how warm your You will need a walk-in cooler to house
About four years ago, I started looking town’s water supply is in the summer. If serving tanks and kegs. An efficient
at white wine fermenters. These tanks it is lower than 70° F (21° C), you could arrangement is to set the taps right into
are jacketed but not insulated, and only probably get away with a 60 or 70 plate the wall of the cooler and place the bar on
32 inches (81 cm) in diameter. I bought exchanger. Ask the sales person to help the other side. A new walk-in cooler starts
one to see if it would work for beer, and you size the proper one for your town’s at roughly $6,000. The Frankenbrew way,
sure enough it did! I have talked most of water temperature. however, involves building your own
my students into purchasing these tanks cooler, which entails framing and insulat-
because they are fairly inexpensive and If your water is above 70° F, you can pre- ing a room. To refrigerate it, a unit such
don’t take up a lot of space. You still need chill the water before running it through as a CoolBot Walk-In Cooler Controller
Clamp
Clamp Gasket
Clamp Ferrule
Brewery Hose
You don’t want to go cheap with the hoses Sierra Nevada's first brew kettle
you will use in your brewery. There are
three types you will most likely need.
the product. They can be ordered in vari- won’t transfer any flavors. I recommend
The first is a simple, but high quality, ous lengths with tri-clamp fittings on each clear Nutriflo suction hose, as you can
garden hose. This will be used for general end. You will need at least two, depending see the product move through. If you
Photo courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
cleaning, spraying down tanks, spray- on your brewery layout; one on the outlet cannot get them with tri-clamp fittings,
ing down the floor, etc. They are not of your kettle going to your pump, and you can purchase appropriate tri-clamp-
expensive and are easy to move around one from the pump to the heat exchanger. to-hose-barb adaptors and band them
the brewery. The typical cost of this kind of hose is yourself. This type of hose is easy to
about $12 per foot. cut and use, and costs around $3.50
The most important hoses will be used per foot.
on the hot side of the brewing process. The third type of hose will be used to
These hoses are super heavy duty, can handle product under pressure and Grant
take heat and pressure, won’t kink when below 140° F (60° C). They also need This is an optional device, but one that
hot, and won’t contribute off-flavors to to be made of high-quality material that I highly recommend. It is essentially
Pumps
In brewing, only sanitary pumps are
used. Most breweries use centrifugal
pumps with stainless steel heads and
1.5-inch tri-clamp fittings on the inlet
and outlet. For a small brewery, a ¾
horsepower motor is all you need. I have
found used pumps on eBay. Look for a
well-known brand like Thomsen or Tri-
Clover, since spare parts and seals will
be easier to find. Don’t be surprised to
spend $1,300 on a new one. It’s worth it,
and reliability is priceless.
T
he saying, “What can be done, ultimately will be done,” definitely applies
to the limbo existence of an obscure beer style with a singularly long name,
the dunkelweizendoppelbock. As an abstraction, this brew is a perfectly
logical concept. Just think of it as a dark, super-strong, “imperialized” hefeweizen.
An online search reveals that seemingly no one is making this beer. This fact alone
turns the concept into a tempting challenge! Here is how we made a batch of this rare
heavyweight of a beer in June 2015 in Montreal, Canada.
What’s in a Name?
First, as a German derivative of a hefeweizen, a dunkelweizendoppelbock mash
should contain at least 50 percent malted wheat, by law, at least in its country of
origin. The large wheat content ensures a good protein body, as well as some residual
sweetness in the brew’s long, mellow finish.
Second, it is a “dunkel,” meaning its color is dark from chocolate and roasted malts—
barley-based and/or wheat-based—just as that of a regular dunkelweizen, a well-
established beer style in Germany.
Next, it is not just a bockbier, but a doppelbock. This means that its original grav-
ity should be in the upper 1.070s (>18° P) for an ABV of at least 7 percent. As a big
beer, it is likely to push the capacity limits of most mash tuns and likely requires an
extended boil time for extra evaporation. Perhaps the closest and best-known com-
mercial example of a brew resembling our concept is Schneider Aventinus, a wheat
doppelbock made by the G. Schneider & Sohn Brewery of Kelheim, Bavaria. It, how-
ever, is more ruby than truly “dunkel” in color.
Grain Bill
For the wheat portion of the mash,
we selected a base of 27 percent pale
wheat malt. This ensured the brew’s
dominant wheat character. To accen-
tuate the wheat flavor further and to
move the color toward the dark side,
we also added 15 percent dark wheat
malt. This gave the brew a smooth and
complex texture. For additional opac-
ity and depth of color, we selected a
combination of specialty wheat malts:
7.5 percent Carawheat® and a fractional
amount (1 percent) of roasted choc-
olate wheat malt. These contributed
wheat-derived flavor intensity and a
faint, deep-orange hue that was already
apparent during the thick dough-in.
Conceptually, the only wheat beer stron- is Schneider, which makes a 12 percent
ger than a weizendoppelbock would be ABV Aventinus Eisbock. For the barley portion of the grain bill,
a weizeneisbock (“eis” means ice). This is we selected the highly aromatic Barke®
a fully fermented weizendoppelbock that Finally, a dunkelweizendoppelbock Pilsner malt. It gave the mash good dia-
has been freeze-distilled to concentrate should be fermented with a top-fer- static power and even more maltiness.
its alcohol and maltiness. Once again, the menting German wheat beer yeast, This two-row spring barley malt made
only brewery that approaches this concept which is responsible for the classic up 46.5 percent of the mash. To further
Mash Process
As a big brew of great complexity, a
traditional dunkelweizendoppelbock
would probably have been triple- or
even quadruple-decocted in Germany to
ensure that everything that is convert-
ible actually is converted! This, however,
would require a complex brewhouse
configuration with slurry pumps to move
the mash in and out of a cooker. Because
such equipment may not be available in
many craft breweries and is not com-
monplace for homebrewers, we selected
an elaborate multi-step infusion process
instead. In about two hours, we took the
mash from a thick dough-in at 113° F
(45° C) to a relatively thin mash-out at
170° F (77° C).
Boil
We boiled the wort for 90 minutes for
a thorough coagulation of unconverted
proteins as well as the required evapora-
tion needed to reach the relatively high
net kettle original gravity of 24° P (1.101
SG) at the end of the boil. Depending on
your setup, at kettle-full after lautering,
the original gravity may be too low and
only an extended boil time can evaporate
the wort to its correct target original grav-
ity—at the cost of a reduction in kettle
volume, of course. Make sure you adjust
the amount of hops to whichever net
kettle volume you end up with.
Hops
A dunkelweizendoppelbock is by defini-
tion a very malty brew, but it must not
come across as syrupy or cloying. Thus,
we chose a bittering value of 35 IBU, as
well as a solid amount of aroma hops.
The objective was to create noticeable
hop counterpoints and some lingering
hop aroma to the brew’s sweetness with-
out overpowering the brew’s complexity.
In deference to the German origin of
weissbier, we selected Herkules (usually
12 to 17 percent alpha acids) for bitter-
ing. This is a modern hop, released in
2006 by the Hüll Hop Research Center in
the Hallertau region. Its citrus and melon
Ingredients Directions
for 5 U.S. gallons (19 L) Wheat malt extract syrup is a blend of pale
barley and wheat malts, so it should provide
12.25 lb (5.56 kg) wheat malt extract a suitable substitute for the base malts in
syrup (87.8%) the all-grain version. Omit rice hulls, dark
1.5 lb (680 g) Weyermann® Carawheat® wheat, and acidulated malts. Steep caramel
malt (10.8%) and chocolate wheat malts for 30 minutes in
0.2 lb (90 g) Weyermann® roasted 158° F (70° C) RO or distilled water. Strain
chocolate wheat malt (1.4%) out solids and dissolve malt extract in the
1.0 oz (28 g) Herkules, 14.5% a.a., sweet wort. Top off with RO or distilled water
60 min to desired boil volume. Cut boil time to 30
0.3 oz (7 g) Saphir, 3.25% a.a., 10 min minutes and increase 60-minute bittering
0.8 oz (21 g) Saphir, 3.25% a.a., 5 min hops to 1 oz (28 g). Follow directions in all-
Fermentis WB-06 or Fermentis Safbrew grain version for remainder of recipe.
Abbaye (see article text)
flavors complement the brew’s caramel
Original Gravity: 24° P (1.101) sweetness. For a flavor and aroma hop,
Final Gravity: 4.5 - 5° P (1.018 – 1.020) we selected the low-alpha Saphir (2 to
IBU: 35 4.5 percent alpha acids), also bred by the
ABV: 10.1 to 10.3% Hüll Hop Research Center and released
SRM: approx. 40 (100 EBC) in 2002. Saphir has a respectable total oil
content of 0.8 to 1.4 ml/100g, composed
of a good balance of myrcene, humulene,
and caryophylene. This oil combination
contributes spicy, fruity, and floral aro-
mas to the brew, lingering pleasantly in
the finish.
Yeast
Naturally, the first yeast choice is a
standard German hefeweizen strain.
However, other phenolic yeasts beckon
with their spicy-peppery aspects. Thus,
we decided to split the experimental
green beer into two same-size batches
and ferment one the German way, with
Fermentis WB-06, and the other the
Belgian way, with Fermentis Safbrew
Abbaye. In our experiment, both fer-
mentations started extremely vigorous-
ly, with the Abbey yeast throwing a
particularly rocky head. Both batches
underwent a rapid gravity drop of about
70 percent in only two days, and almost
80 percent in three days. In the end, the
Abbey yeast was the more attenuative
of the two, finishing at 1.018 (4.5° P),
whereas the wheat beer yeast finished
at 1.020 (5° P). We bottle-conditioned
both batches at room temperature for
about four weeks.
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BY DAVE CARPENTER
The 91 beers judged in the 2015 GABF Pro-Am Competition all began life in kitchens, garages, and back-
yards around the country. Having already medaled at a Beer Judge Certification Program/AHA-sanctioned
competition and been chosen by a professional brewer for the GABF competition, every single Pro-Am
entry is, by definition, an award winner before it even gets to the Colorado Convention Center.
Only three of those winners, however, get to walk onto the stage of the Bellco Theatre and receive a
coveted GABF medal and a fist bump from Charlie Papazian.
2015 GABF
Pro-Am Competition
Silver
Atahsaia Medal
Mike Froehlich, Silver Medal, 2015 GABF Pro-Am
(with Odd13 Brewing)
Ingredients Directions
for 5.5 U.S. gallons (20.8 L) Mash at 150° F (66° C) for 75 minutes, collect runoff, add the first
wort hops, and boil for two hours. Ferment at 68° F (20° C) for two
Assumes 80% efficiency weeks. Rack to secondary, add dry hops, and allow to infuse for
15.9 lb (7.2 kg) Rahr 2-row malt five days. Remove dry hops, then add the whiskey-soaked oak
11.0 oz (312 g) Crisp Extra Dark Crystal malt spiral. Age on the spiral until the oak and whiskey character are
4.0 oz (113 g) Simpsons Dark Crystal malt to your taste, typically about a month, then remove the spiral.
2.5 oz (71 g) Chinook hops, 11.4% a.a. (first wort) Condition for several additional weeks or months before packag-
1.5 oz (43 g) Cascade hops, 6% a.a. (15 min) ing. It will only improve with age!
0.5 oz (14 g) Cascade hops, 6% a.a. (0 min)
0.5 oz (14 g) Cascade hops, 6% a.a. (dry hop) Extract Version: Steep the crystal malts for 30 minutes at
0.5 oz (14 g) Centennial hops, 10% a.a. (dry hop) 155° F (68° C), and replace the two-row malt with 12 lb (5.44 kg)
2 sachets Safale US-05 pale liquid malt extract. To achieve sufficient attenuation, con-
1 oak spiral, soaked for two weeks in whiskey sider using 10.5 lb (4.76 kg) pale extract and 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) corn
(Bulleit Rye or Stranahan’s recommended) sugar instead of all extract.
Bronze
Medal
Citra IPA
Ryan Lotter, Bronze Medal, 2015 GABF Pro-Am
(with FATE Brewing Co.)
Ingredients Directions
for 6 U.S. gallons (22.7 L) Mash at 152° F (67° C) for 60 minutes,
collect runoff, and boil for 60 minutes.
Assumes 75% efficiency Ferment at 68° F (20° C) for 7 days, then
He then started searching online to see if 7.0 lb (3.18 kg) Golden Promise malt dry hop with the first addition for four days.
others had tried it, and he kept running 4.0 lb (1.81 kg) 2-row malt Remove the first addition and then dry
across the same argument: Why would 1.0 lb (0.45 kg) melanoidin malt hop an additional three days with the sec-
you want to ruin a perfectly good Belgian 1.0 lb (0.45 kg) Vienna malt ond addition. Remove the second addition
2.0 oz (57 g) Ultra hops, 3% a.a. before bottling or kegging.
tripel with grapes?
(first wort)
1.0 oz (28 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a. Partial Mash Version: Mash the
Fortunately, he didn’t listen to the nay-
(20 min) Vienna and melanoidin malts with 2 lb (0.9
sayers. Instead, he built a tripel around 3.0 oz (85 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a. (5 min) kg) 2-row, then lauter and sparge. Add first
Muscat grape juice instead of Belgian 3.0 oz (85 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a. wort hops and enough Maris Otter liquid
candi sugar. (0 min) malt extract to achieve a pre-boil gravity
3.0 oz (85 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a. of 1.053, approximately 7 pounds. Boil, fer-
Photos © Jason E. Kaplan (winners); Dave Carpenter (beers)
Muscat Love went on to grab the attention (first dry hop addition) ment, and package as described above.
of Great South Bay Brewery in Bay Shore, 2.0 oz (57 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a.
N.Y. Several times a year, the brewery (second dry hop addition) Extract Version: Substitute 5 lb
collaborates with the Long Island Beer & Wyeast 1968 London ESB (2.27 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract and
5 lb (2.27 kg) Munich liquid malt extract for
Malt Enthusiasts (LIBME) homebrew club
Original Specific Gravity: 1.061 the grain malts. To simulate first wort hop-
and recreates an award-winning recipe
Final Specific Gravity: 1.012 ping, bring wort to 150° F (66° C), add first
on its 2-barrel pilot system. The beers are
IBUs: 55 wort hops, and hold for 30 minutes before
released in the tap room, and then the SRM: 6 bringing to a boil. Boil, ferment, and pack-
brewery selects one as its entry into the Boiling Time: 60 minutes age as described above.
GABF Pro-Am Competition. Primary Fermentation:
7 days at 68° F (20° C)
Phil Ebel, vice president of Great South Secondary Fermentation:
Bay Brewery, said his brewers look for a 7 days at 68° F (20° C)
SILVER: An Oddly
Named Beer
Atahsaia is considerably easier to drink
than it is to say. Pronounced “ah-tah-SYE-
uh,” it’s a subtle nod to the commercial
beer that inspired Mike Froehlich’s silver-
medal-winning barrel-aged barleywine.
Atahsaia, you see, is the name of a cryptid
found in the folklore traditions of the
Zuni, and some scholars believe it to be a
cultural cognate of the Pacific Northwest’s
Sasquatch, or Bigfoot.
The Sower’s Cup is named for the iconic The first two years of the contest have been solid registration and tracking system in
statue that sits atop the capitol building held in the brewery space at Ploughshare place. To handle the load, office coordi-
in Lincoln and can be seen for miles in all Brewing Co. in Lincoln. Like any good- nator Chris Evans—an IT manager for
Photos courtesy of Lincoln Lagers Homebrew Club;
directions. The theme of the statue har- sized competition, the Sower’s Cup needs the University of Nebraska—transformed
kens back to Nebraska’s farmstead begin- a place to receive, store, and sort entries. Ploughshare’s conference room, The Hop
nings and also reminds brewers that beer It requires ample space for judging in an Room, into a command center in the days
ingredients are products of agriculture. odor-free environment. Ploughshare fits the leading up to the contest. With the help
bill with an 8,000-cubic-foot fridge in a of Brew Competition software, workflows
In its inaugural year, the Sower’s Cup 10,000-square-foot building, and is also were put into place to manage entries and
© Tom Tidball (statue)
received 229 entries and featured ample able to feed the judges, entertain side events, tabulate results.
prize packages. Fun auxiliary events sur- and host a banquet and awards ceremony.
round the competition. This past October, Building a solid prize list and sponsor
entries shot up to 338, and organizers Any homebrew competition that receives base fell to sponsorship coordinator Brian
expect more than 400 entries in 2016. hundreds of entries must also have a Hoesing. His response to the amaze-
No Workaround Decoction entries ranged homebrewer Clint Bruhn will be brew- the winners of the Samuel Adams LongShot
from Pilsners to bocks to hefeweizens. ing Dunky Brewster at Ploughshare this competition in 2015 (see the Editor’s Desk
Judging was a hybrid of the GABF profes- spring. Second place went to Lagers mem- on page 1 for more information). “I look
sional scoresheet and the BJCP scoresheet. ber Tim Thomssen, an award-winning forward to the opportunity to share my beer
After identification of the top three brews homebrewer who will soon become the with a much larger audience than I could
in the category, the final selection came brewmaster for the new Boiler Brewing ever reach brewing five gallons at a time.”
down to a half-point difference between Company in Lincoln.
a dopplebock and a dunkelweizen. After Scott Strain and Bobby Kros have both
it was determined that his dark wheat “For the last three years of my life it’s brewed commercially for Nebraska
beer had a deeper malt character that been homebrewing and homebrew com- Brewing, but recently the duo stepped
showcased the malty, bready melanoidins, petitions,” said Thomssen, who was one of back into homebrewing. As co-brewers,
14.24 lb (6.46 kg) Nebraska wildflower/clover honey MEADMAKER’S NOTES: “I was the beekeeper who harvested
Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast this honey. It was not harvested in the fall as most honey is, but
in the spring. It was some of the most aromatic honey I’ve ever
Original Gravity: 1.098 experienced. The floral notes were outstanding, and for that reason
Final Gravity: Unknown I didn’t boil the honey with the water. This and the wine yeast used
Boil time: 0 minutes – see Directions and Meadmaker’s Notes preserved those florals quite well.”
Beer and Sweat, 317 entries—Jack Smith, Baden, PA Matthew Lakota, Hawthorn Woods, IL Picnique Belgique, 84 entries—Jon Morman,
4th Annual Labor of Love Homebrew Competition, Independence, MO
Deutchbier! German Beer, 22 entries—
Kieran Castelli 144 entries—Richard Ward, Dallas, TX The Great Frederick Fair, 79 entries—Josh Ware,
Western Australia State Amateur Beer Frederick, MD
Washington State Fair, 124 entries—Jack Vincent,
Kent, WA Competition, 400 entries—Philip Brandenburg, Rocktoberfest Homebrew Competition,
Perth, Western Australia 69 entries—Jason Barker, Beaverton, OR
OC Fest of Ales - Brew My Brew Challenge,
189 entries—James Bray and Brittany Kester, Beer Quest SMaSH, 19 entries—Tim Oehlerking Fifty Fest Brewmaster’s Choice, 210 entries—
Santa Ana, CA and Jacob Miller, Lincoln, NE Brian Murray, Cincinnati, OH
Eastern Idaho State Fair Home Brew Competition, 3rd Annual Grace Lutheran Bier Brauen, Nez Perce County Fair, 32 entries—Pete Ruppel,
88 entries—Bill Baer, Salmon, ID 61 entries—Paul Waite, Riverton, UT Clarkston, WA
Primer Concurso Interno del Club de Cerveceros Lonerider Brew it Forward VII, 41 entries— Overmountain Brewers Club Only #16,#17, #18,
Caseros de Uruguay, 40 entries—Mariana Sosa, Kevin Moore, Fuquay Varina, NC 10 entries—Elmore Link, Abingdon VA
Montevideo, Uruguay DRAFT Brewfest, 243 entries—Ashley Whitney- Saskatoon Headhunters Brewing Competition,
Rawls, Beavercreek, OH 256 entries—Alvaro Reyes, Surrey, BC
September 2015
UK National Homebrew Competition, II Concurso Estadual da ACervA-ES, 26 entries—
Competencia Amateur - Cerveza Mexico 2015
719 entries—Matthew Dutton, Manchester Carlos Henrique Menezes E Silva, Vila Velha
(Ronda Final), 64 entries—J. Salvador Gonzalez,
Guadalajara Santa Cruz County Fair Homebrew Competition, Texas Meadfest Competition 2015, 134 entries—
86 entries—Ken Simmons, Scotts Valley, CA Jeff Oberlin, Friendswood, TX
II Concurso Sul Brasileiro de Cervejas Caseiras,
359 entries—Adriano Butzke, Joinville, SC Blue Ridge Brew Off, 602 entries—Zach Kosslow, Southeast Alaska’s Autumn Pour Homebrew
Wilmington, NC Competition, 44 entries—Grant Ficek, Juneau, AK
Brewers Publications
BY MICHAEL TONSMEIRE
FOREWORD BY VINNIE CILURZO
$19.95
Brewers Publications
BrewersPublications.com
A Division of the Brewers Association
www.BrewersAssociation.org ®
E W EB
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AHAMemberDeals.org
American Homebrewers Association
Check out the mobile Member Deals locator! A Division of the Brewers Association
www.BrewersAssociation.org
One way beer judges check their palates is by using commercial “calibration beers”—classic versions of the style they
represent. Zymurgy has assembled a panel of four judges who have attained the rank of Grand Master in the Beer Judge
Certification Program. Each issue, they score two commercial beers (or meads or ciders) using the BJCP scoresheet. We
invite you to download your own scoresheets at bjcp.org, pick up a bottle of each of the beverages and judge along with
them in ourr Commerciall Calibration.
E WEB
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able amount of crystal malt or have a
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Oskar Blues Brewery
malty-sweet finish. www.oskarblues.com
Port Brewing Co.
Oskar Blues G’Knight, a dry-hopped www.portbrewing.com
imperial red ale, was created in 2006 and BJCP Style Guidelines
was originally called Gordon, in honor of www.bjcp.org
Colorado craft beer pioneer and Vietnam Commercial Calibration Index
veteran Gordon Knight. Knight perished HomebrewersAssociation.org/pages/zymurgy/
in a 2002 helicopter crash while fight- commercial-calibration
ing a wildfire near Lyons, Colo. In 2013,
the name of the beer was changed at the
request of Gordon Biersch Brewery in
order to avoid brand confusion. OUR EXPERT PANEL David
Houseman, a Grand Master V level judge
T h issue, our judges
his d explored
l d the
newly created American Strong Ale
category (22B). According to the BJCP
h
G’Knight is hopped with Columbus in
the kettle, and dry-hopped with Amarillo
and competition director for the BJCP
from Chester Springs, Pa.; Beth Zangari, a
Grand Master II level judge from Placerville,
2015 Style Guidelines, American Strong (two pounds per barrel, according to the Calif. and founding member of Hangtown
Ale is “a strong, full-flavored American brewery). The beer checks in at 8.7 per- Association of Zymurgy Enthusiasts
ale that challenges and rewards the pal- cent ABV and 60 IBU. The brewery refers (H.A.Z.E.); Scott Bickham, a Grand Master
ate with full malty and hoppy flavors and to G’Knight as a “Velvet M-80 with a nose III judge from Corning, N.Y., who has been
substantial bitterness. The flavors are bold full of aroma, a sticky mouthfeel, a malty exam director or associate exam direc-
but complementary, and are stronger and middle, and unctuous hop flavors.” tor for the BJCP since 1995; and Gordon
richer than average-strength pale and Strong, a Grand Master IX judge, principal
amber American ales.” Next up was Port Brewing’s Shark Attack, author of the BJCP Style Guidelines, and
a double red ale. The brewery calls Shark president of the BJCP board who lives in
Beavercreek, Ohio.
The category is termed a “fairly broad Attack a “stronger, more robust version” of
Photo © Brewers Association
style” that can include modern double/ the original Shark Bite Red Ale, brewed with
imperial red and amber ales and “other roasted and caramel malts. Shark Attack
strong, malty-but-hoppy beers that checks in at 9 percent ABV and 70 IBU. Centennial and Cascade. Port Brewing
aren’t quite in the barleywine class.” It founder Tomme Arthur recommends
can include many East Coast versions of Imported crystal 60 and 77 malts are pairing Shark Attack with pizza, wings,
IPA if they are brewed with a consider- used in the brew, which is hopped with and football games.
Aroma: Assertive citrus and pine Aroma: Pronounced tangerine Aroma: Initial notes of caramel Aroma: Strong hop aroma, quite
hop aroma dominates with cara- zest, honeydew melon, and piney and toasted breadcrumbs, followed fruity. Moderate pine and resin
mel and two-row malt backbone. hops dominate first impression; by pine and citrus hops. Perfumey notes. Moderately strong malt with
Moderately fruity fermentation notes of cedar, with lightly sweet and light solvent alcohol aromatics. a toasty, caramel, sweet character.
esters. Noticeable but pleasant caramel malt in the background. Low level of roasted malt and light Moderate alcohol sharpness. Fruity
alcohol aroma. No diacetyl or DMS. A hint of ripe guava emerges, then tropical fruit esters. Balance is tilted esters include stone fruit and tropi-
Overall, a balanced and inviting fades. (9/12) toward the alcohol. (8/12) cal notes, with mango and apri-
aroma. (10/12) cot. Clean fermentation character.
Appearance: Very clear copper; a Appearance: Reddish-copper
(10/12)
Appearance: Bright amber color. pale yellow misty foam peppered color with excellent clarity. Perfect
Brilliant clarity. Dense, beige, long- with various-sized bubbles persists. conditioning, showcased by a low, Appearance: Moderate-sized
lasting head. (3/3) (3/3) light beige head that lasts very beige head, decent retention.
well. (3/3) Reddish-copper color. Very clear.
Flavor: Caramel maltiness up front Flavor: Toasty rich crystal malt sup-
(3/3)
with high citrus and piney hop fla- ports pronounced citrus-pine hop Flavor: Initial malt sweetness with
vor. High hop bitterness balances flavor, with an initially low, ripe, toffee, caramel, and a hint of roast- Flavor: Malty, fruity, bitter, and
the malt sweetness with lingering honeydew-casaba melon character ed malt. Pine and citrus hops with strong; nicely balanced. Clean malt
sweetness and bitterness. Mineral that becomes more prominent with a slight grassy character. Alcohol is character with toast and caramel
saltiness in flavor and aftertaste. each sip. Well balanced among not as aggressive as expected from flavors, yet not overly sweet. Dry
Moderate to high fruity esters substantial toasty malt, assertive the aroma. Fermentation character finish. Strong fruity esters are
blend well with the caramel and hop bitterness, and complementary is fairly clean, with low to moderate prominent; many of them seem
pale malts. Noticeable alcohol fla- complex, fruity, resiny hop flavor. fruity esters. (16/20) hop-derived. The fruit enhances
vor; not hot or fusel. No DMS or Clean fermentation. Finish dances the malt flavor—delicious. High bit-
Mouthfeel: Moderately high alco-
diacetyl. (17/20) between toast and complex, char- terness, medium-high hop flavor
holic warmth. Light astringency,
acterful hop flavor and lingering with citrus and resiny notes. (17/20)
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. but not unpleasant. Moderate car-
bitterness. (17/20)
Lingering bitterness and smooth bonation helps create a creamy Mouthfeel: Full body, mouth-
malt sweetness in mouthfeel with- Mouthfeel: Medium body, creamy mouthfeel. (3/5) filling carbonation (high), with a
out astringency. Warming alcohol. texture without astringency. heavy mouthfeel. Warming alcohol,
Overall Impression: Balanced
(5/5) Warming alcohol in the finish lin- not hot. Dryness improves drink-
caramel malt and American hops
gers, with a tingling sensation. ability. (4/5)
Overall Impression: A very tasty are overshadowed by the alcohol—
(4/5)
and drinkable beer. It hits all the particularly in the aroma. Some Overall Impression: Strong malt
marks for this newly defined BJCP Overall Impression: Assertive and alcohol should be noticeable, but and hop flavors with high fruity
style while maintaining its place as vibrant hop character presents a not overwhelming in this style. notes. The hop varieties enhance
a double, or imperial, red IPA. A bit complex array of fruits—tanger- Overall, a pleasant and interesting the malt without clashing (a com-
of roasted or toasted malts would ine, honeydew, and guava—that sipping beer that has a home in the mon problem in this style). Alcohol
add to the complexity. Pairs well complements the big, toasty, sweet new American Strong Ale category. is quite high. Clean fermentation
with aged cheddar cheese. (8/10) malt profile, presenting a smooth (7/10) and malt profile. Big body, but
combination of bitter and sweet. drinkability is good. It’s a difficult
Total Score: (43/50) Total Score: (37/50)
The smooth, creamy texture masks balance to achieve but this beer
the significant alcohol content, as walks the line deftly. (9/10)
does the complex hop character;
Total Score: (43/50)
dangerously easy to sip. (7/10)
Illustrations by Terry McNerney
Aroma: Citrus and resin hop Aroma: Strong Douglas fir, orange, Aroma: Hop-forward aroma, with Aroma: Sharp aroma, deep toast,
aroma up front with significant and mango aromas dominate the pine and lemon. Aromatic alcohols and grainy malt. Moderately fruity.
alcohol presence. Caramel and first whiff, followed by toasted lend perfume but also a touch of Alcohol sharpness dominates. Hops
lightly roasted malts provide bal- bread malt as a background note. solvent character. Subtle caramel are more in the background but are
ance and support the hops and Pear and dried plum esters emerge malt. Hint of roast character blends pungent, with a citrusy-resiny qual-
alcohol. Moderate fruity fermenta- on a swirl. (8/12) with sherry-like notes from oxida- ity. Somewhat grassy. Aromatics
tion esters. No DMS or diacetyl. tion. Low to moderate tropical fruit don’t seem well blended. Fruit
Appearance: Lively, rough, pale
(10/12) esters add complexity. (8/12) character grows as it warms. (8/12)
yellow foam grows to three-fourths
Appearance: Hazy and cloudy, of the glass, topping the brilliant Appearance: Deep copper color; a Appearance: Fairly hazy. Opaque.
although this settled for several burnished amber liquid. Foam per- little hazy. Creamy off-white head Frothy beige head. Deep amber-red
days before serving at cool but not sists. (3/3) lasts nicely, with a small layer of color. (2/3)
cold temperature. Amber color. Big, tight beads leaving lace on the
Flavor: Rich toasty, bready malt Flavor: Malty-sweet with deep
rocky, beige head lingers. (2/3) sides of the glass. (3/3)
dominates the first sip with notes caramel flavors and deep toast-
Flavor: Malty sweetness gives of dried plums toward the middle Flavor: Emphasis is on the hops, ed notes; a hint of roast. Sharp
way to high hop bitterness and and end. Balance dances between but malt backbone provides cara- bite in finish from dark malts and
resiny, citrus hop flavor. Caramel substantial hop bitterness and mel and toast. Light roasted notes alcohol. Strong alcohol aftertaste.
malt dominates, with low roast sweet malt mid-palate, then gives help dry out the finish. Moderately Bitterness is high but malt richness
notes. Some yeasty elements result way to a substantial bitterness. high citrus, floral, and lemon notes; offsets it. Deep flavors of dried
in a somewhat muddled character. The hop character presents with hints of mango and pineapple. fruit and burnt sugar. Hop flavor is
Finish is balanced and bittersweet. Douglas fir and citrus flavor, and Tropical fruit esters add complexity. moderately high, somewhat resiny
High alcohol flavor, but not hot or balances the toasty, sugary malt Moderately high hop bitterness. and fruity. (15/20)
fusel. Fruity fermentation esters. sweetness, reminiscent of golden (17/20)
Mouthfeel: Full body. High car-
No DMS. No diacetyl. (16/20) toasted marshmallow crust, accent-
Mouthfeel: Creaminess envelops bonation. Warming alcohol, some-
ed with a light tropical fruit and
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. the palate. Alcoholic warmth is a what masked by the full maltiness.
dried plum character. (16/20)
Smooth, nearly creamy maltiness little harsh and solvent-like, but not Alcohol has a hot edge. (3/5)
to mouthfeel. Lingering bitterness Mouthfeel: Fluffy carbonation overbearing. Very low astringency
Overall Impression: Dark malts,
is clean without astringency. High with moderately strong alcohol from the high hop bitterness and
strong alcohol, and high carbon-
alcohol warmth. (5/5) warmth that accentuates a prickly perhaps the roasted malt. (4/5)
ation make this a bit difficult to
carbonation, and lingering, tingling
Overall Impression: Complex Overall Impression: Complex fla- drink. Age could add some smooth-
finish. (4/5)
malt profile. Pleasing hop balance. vor profile leans toward the hops. ness but the sharpness in the finish
A very drinkable, fairly balanced Overall Impression: Big, well bal- The alcohol is essential in this style, is unpleasant now. The darkness of
big beer. With a bit more bitterness anced, and surprisingly strong, this but comes across as slightly harsh. the character malts could be adding
it could just as well be an imperial beer continually dances between Could be smoothed out with aging a near-burnt flavor. Flavors seem to
red IPA, or, with its alcohol level, an bitter and sweet, with a toasted, (although there is already some clash. Seems to be more about
American barleywine. Perfect with crystal malt flavor serving as a sherry character evident in the flavor intensity than how well the
spicy wings or nachos. (8/10) foundation. Warming. (7/10) aroma). Creamy mouthfeel adds flavors work together. (7/10)
depth. (8/10)
Total Score: (41/50) Total Score: (38/50) Total Score: (35/50)
Total Score: (40/50)
Visionary
Mild
B y the time you read this, more than
4,100 breweries will be operating in
the U.S. Two new breweries are open-
ing every day in this country. Those
statistics, along with the mind-bending
estimate of 1.2 million homebrewers in
the U.S., are staggering.
were all rallying behind. To others I must attitudes of beer drinkers are evolving. an unusual toasted, but not sweet, dry-
have seemed like a ranting crazy person. Something very dramatic is going to hap- ness to beers. If you are formulating beers
pen. There’s a dichotomy out there that will that tend to head in the direction of sweet
I am no more or less a visionary because it not survive. That dichotomy will be bridged and fruity, a bit of brown malt has a good
did come true. I could have just as well been by small brewers, homebrewers, and beer counter-balancing effect on the overall
dead wrong. In any case, it wouldn’t have drinking enthusiasts; not by the mighty. impression and drinkability.
Advertiser Index
*
Allagash Brewing Company .......................................66 Coldbreak Brewing, LLC ...........................................14 MoreBeer! Homebrewing Supplies ............................66
www.allagash.com www.coldbreakbrewing.com www.morebeer.com
American Homebrewers Association .....76,77,79,80,84 Danstar......................................................................73 Muntons Malted Ingredients .....................................53
www.HomebrewersAssociation.org www.Danstar.com www.Muntons.com
Anvil Brewing Equipment ...........................................4 FastRack ....................................................................16 Northern Brewer .......................................................75
www.anvilbrewing.com www.fastbrewing.com www.northernbrewer.com
Austin Homebrew Supply .........................................22 Fermentis ..................................................................42 Pacific Merchants dba Krome Dispense .....................19
www.austinhomebrew.com www.Fermentis.com www.kromedispense.com
Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits ...................... Cover 4 Five Star Chemicals & Supply, Inc. ...........................57 PicoBrew ...................................................................63
www.ballastpoint.com www.fivestarchemicals.com www.picobrew.com
BH Enterprises ..........................................................22 Gotta Brew, LLC ........................................................75 Samuel Adams.............................................................8
www.TempStatControls.com www.gotta-brew.com www.samueladams.com
Blichmann Engineering .............................................69 Grandstand Glassware • Apparel • Promotional .......11 Shmaltz Brewing Company ..................................31,62
www.BlichmannEngineering.com www.egrandstand.com www.shmaltzbrewing.com
Brewcraft USA ...........................................................71 GrogTag.....................................................................34 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. ........................................26
http://shop.brewcraftusa.com/ www.grogtag.com www.sierranevada.com
Brewers Publications ..................................74,76,77,79 Harper Collins .................................................................64 South College - Knoxville..........................................43
www.BrewersPublications.com www.harpercollins.com www.SouthCollegeTN.edu
Brewing Tools ............................................................10 High Gravity Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies ..47 Spike Brewing ...........................................................27
www.brewingtools.com www.highgravitybrew.com www.spikebrewing.com
BrewJacket ................................................................64 Hobby Beverage Equipment ......................................62 Ss Brewing Technologies ........................................2,49
www.brewjacket.com www.minibrew.com www.ssbrewtech.com
Briess Malt & Ingredients Company..........................55 Home Brewery, The ...................................................62 Tel-Tru Manufacturing Company ..............................25
www.brewingwithbriess.com www.homebrewery.com www.teltrubrew.com
BSG Handcraft ....................................... 20,45,Cover 3 Industrial Test Systems ..............................................47 Uinta Brewing Co ......................................................49
www.BSGHandCraft.com www.sensafe.com www.uintabrewing.com
Carhartt .......................................................................5 love2brew Homebrew Supply ...................................18 White Labs ................................................................16
www.Carhartt.com www.love2brew.com www.WhiteLabs.com
Castle Malting ...........................................................39 Larry’s Brewing Supply ..............................................64 Wyeast Laboratories Inc. ...........................................65
www.castlemalting.com www.larrysbrewsupply.com www.wyeastlab.com
Cicerone Certification Program .................................52 Micro Matic USA, Inc. ...............................................23 Yakima Chief-Hopunion ............................................39
www.cicerone.org www.micromatic.com www.Hopunion.com
CMBecker International LLC ............................ Cover 2 Midwest Supplies - Homebrewing and Winemaking ....30
www.kegconnection.com www.MidwestSupplies.com
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS
for 5.5 U.S. gallons (21 L) Place crushed grains in 2 gallons (7.6 L) of 155° F (68° C) water and
let steep for 30 minutes. Strain out (and rinse with 3 quarts [3 L] hot
5.0 lb (2.3 kg) light malt extract syrup or 4.3 lb (1.95 kg) water) and discard the crushed grains, reserving the approximately
dry light malt extract 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of liquid to which you will now add malt extract
12.0 oz (340 g) Simpson’s Double Roasted Crystal 120° L and 60 minute hops. Bring to a boil.
12.0 oz (340 g) English brown malt
0.25 oz (7 g) UK Northdown hop pellets 6.2% a.a. (1.5 The total boil time will be 60 minutes. When 10 minutes remain, add
HBU/43 MBU) 60 min the Irish moss. When five minutes remain, add the five-minute hops.
1.25 oz (35 g) UK Kent Goldings hops, 6% a.a. (7.5 After a total wort boil of 60 minutes, turn off the heat and add the
HBU/210 MBU) 60 min steep-after-boiling hops.
1.0 oz (28 g) UK Kent Goldings hops, 6% a.a., 5 min
1.25 oz (35 g) wild hops, add and steep after boiling Immerse the covered pot of wort in a cold water bath and let sit for
0.75 oz (21 g) Crystal hop pellets, 5.5% a.a., dry hop 15-30 minutes or the time it takes to have a couple of homebrews.
0.25 tsp (1 g) powdered Irish moss Strain out and sparge hops and direct the hot wort into a sanitized
American ale yeast. I use White Labs WLP862 Cry Havoc yeast fermenter to which 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of cold water has been added.
0.75 cup (175 ml) corn sugar (priming bottles) or 0.33 cup If necessary, add cold water to achieve a 5.5 gallon (21 L) batch size.
(80 ml) corn sugar for kegging Aerate the wort very well.
Target Original Gravity: 1.040 (10 B) Pitch the yeast when temperature of wort is about 70° F (21° C).
Target Extraction Efficiency: 75% Ferment at about 70° F (21° C) for about one week or when fermen-
Approximate Final Gravity: 1.009 (2.3 B) tation shows signs of calm and stopping. Rack from your primary to
IBUs: about 35 a secondary and add the hop pellets for dry hopping. If you have the
Approximate Color: 16 SRM (32 EBC) capability “cellar” the beer at about 55° F (12.5° C) for about one
Alcohol: 4.0% by volume week. Prime with sugar and bottle or keg when complete.
Traditional English hops are used in Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation
order to not overshadow malt character; (Required by Title U.S.C. 4369)
Zymurgy (ISSN 0196-5921, USPS 018-212) is published bi-monthly by the American Homebrewers Association, a division
in other words, I’m not trying to over- of the Brewers Association, with headquarters at 1327 Spruce Street; Boulder, Colorado 80302. The Editor is Jill Redding
power this beer with American citrus with address same as above. The annual subscription price is $35.00 and $43.00 with a membership to the American
Homebrewers Association. The publication is wholly owned by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit corporation. The
and fruity hop character. I personally purpose, function and not-for-profit status has not changed during the preceding twelve months, and the average number
of copies of each issue during the preceding twelve and the actual number of copies published nearest to the filing date
have access to home cultivated trans- (September/October 2015 issue) are noted below.
planted wild hops, which with late hop- This information taken from PS Form 3526, signed by Jason Smith, Magazine Art Director, and filed with the United States
Postal Service in Boulder, Colorado.
ping lend a mild protein-like delicious-
Item No. from Extent and Nature of Avg No. Copies each Actual No. Copies Of Single Issue
ness to beer (umami). American Crystal PS Form 3526 Circulation Issue in past 12 months Publishing Nearest to Filing Date
hops or UK Kent Golding are also good a. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run)................................................... 44,739 ................................................................. 39,911
b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation
options for dry hopping. Avoid some of (1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions ........... 36,525 ................................................................. 32,437
the traditional English ale yeast strains (2) Paid In-County Subscriptions ............................................................ 74 ......................................................................... 76
that tend to create diacetyl; it will col- (3) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales
(not mailed) .....................................................................................3,010 ....................................................................2,808
lide with the malt complexity in this (4) Other Classes Mailed Through USPS .........................................1,249 ....................................................................1,277
beer. American ale yeast is a cleaner and
c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation
better option. (Sum of b) .............................................................................................. 40,858 ................................................................. 36,598
I were boxing up kitchen items prepar- the brewery’s 2-bbl pilot system. He was The glue that makes all of this possible,
ing for our move. I was so wrapped up clear in his goal: “I would like to closely though, is being part of a locally-based
in what I was doing that I wasn’t really work with homebrewers so that at the homebrew club. In this digital age, thou-
sure what he was talking about at first. time of GABF, we can enter the Pro-Am sands of people from all over the world
Then it hit me: a gold medal at the Competition and bring home a medal.” can participate in brewing discussions
Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am from the comfort of home. But there are
Competition. The beer had been created LIBME has grown significantly since its so many things an in-person club can
through a program conceived to achieve inception in 2007, from eight people provide that a virtual club or forum can
gathered in a living room to current
Photo courtesy of Ethan Meyer at #ThatGuy Event Photo