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This month, I've finally found some more time to sit
down and look through our stash of reading material (and I promise
I haven't used them as bathroom readers!), and I've found an
article that looks like one we'd all like. With the cooler weather,
of course, a young (or not so young) man's fancy turns to, what
else? Big, hearty, full-bodied beers! The cool front that just
came through has had me wanting to sit outside and enjoy a fat
rich brew, but if your mosquitoes have been anything like the
ones in Shady Acres, then you'll know just why that's only been
a wish. This month's article I found comes from our October 2000
issue of Brew Your Own and was written by Dawnell Smith, who
hails from Anchorage, Alaska. Here's a little of what she had
to say:
Say goodbye to summer's thirst-quenching pale beer and hello
to the deep hues of autumn in a glass. For homebrewers, the fall
season means creating and savoring darker, richer flavors and
colors. It also means rediscovering the power of a potent pint.
Summer brew may slake a parched throat, but winter beer soothes
the soul.
"Seasonal traditions still influence the styles of beer
available," writes Michael Jackson in Michael Jackson's
Beer Companion. "So does the weather: Lighter-bodied, more
quenching beers best suit the summer; heavier, sustaining ones
warm the winter."
Given this seasonal cycle of suds, it makes sense that the owners
of homebrew supply stores would offer Oktoberfest beer recipes
to people looking for the consummate fall creation. But other
appealing choices range from old ales, bitters and dark lagers
to winter warmers, spiced beers, smoked porters and stouts.
This particular issue being their special extract issue, they
give some ideas on how one could add a little to your brew to
make it more your own. Some of their suggestions include: using
specialty grains in addition to your extract to achieve your
flavor or color goals; tinkering around with your hops to give
it its own kick; and using fruits, herbs, and spices to personalize
your beer. They also give a few pointers on how to make the best
of your extract brewing which many experienced brewers would
already know, but the newer ones would do well to heed, like
ways to not scorch the extract and how to improve your clarity.
The title of the Ms. Smith's article, and what caught my attention
was 20 Great Autumn Beers. She gives twenty recipes that she's
compiled from local homebrew stores around the country with some
recognizable names like Austin Homebrew, St. Patrick's of Texas,
and Northern Brewer. Here's a couple that sounded pretty good
to me:
Smoked Porter
OG 1.048 FG 1.010 IBUs 40
7 lb. Amber Liquid Extract
¾ lb. Crystal Malt (70deg Lovibond)
3 oz. Peat Smoked Malt
¼ lb. Karaffe Malt
3 oz. Chocolate Malt
¼ lb. Roasted Barley
6.8 AAU Cluster Hops (1 oz/6.8 alpha acid)
3.1 AAU Liberty Hops (1 oz/ 3.1 alpha acid)
2 AAU Fuggles Hops (1/2 oz/ 4.1 alpha acid)
White Labs English Ale Yeast (WLP-002)
Put grains in bag and heat with brew water. Bring to boil
in 30 to 60 mins, remove grains, add extract and bring back to
boil. Total boil is 60 mins. Add Cluster hops at beginning of
boil, Liberty halfway through, and Fuggles with 5 mins to go.
Cool, add yeast, and ferment at ale temperature (around 70 deg
F). When fermentation slows, move to secondary. Let ferment,
allow beer to clear, and bottle with ¾ cup corn sugar.
Age at fermentation temperature for a few weeks.
Crimson Oktoberfest
OG 1.058-1.064 FG 1.007-1.013 IBUs 25
8 oz. Briess Victory Malt
8 oz. Briess Crystal Malt (120 deg Lovibond)
8 oz. Briess CaraPils Malt
6 lbs. Muntons Light Dry Malt Extract (DME)
4 AAU of Hallertauer hops (1 oz. of 4% alpha acid)
4 AAU of Styrian Goldings hops (1 oz. of 4% alpha acid)
6.3 AAU of Spalt hops (1 oz. of 6.3% alpha acid)
1 oz. Irish Moss
Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager)
1 pkg. yeast starter: DME Light 6 oz. or Vierka Light Lager dry
¾ cup corn sugar for priming
Dissolve DME in 2 to 2.5 gallons water (it may take up to
30 minutes). Place cracked grain in bag and add to dissolved
DME. Turn burner to medium and allow grains to steep for at least
30 minutes at 150-155degF. Turn up heat and remove grain bag
just prior to boil. Add Hallertauer hops at the start of the
boil. After 30 minutes, add Styrian Goldings hops, then Irish
moss 5 minutes later. Let the wort boil 25 minutes, then add
Spalt hops. Let boil two more minutes and remove from heat. Cover
pot and cool wort to 70 to 80degF. Strain wort to primary through
a filter funnel, them top off to 5 gallons and aerate well by
shaking fermenter.
If using liquid yeast, follow instructions. If using dry yeast,
sanitize a glass and proof (rehydrate) yeast in 95degF water,
then cover with aluminum foil, wait 10 minutes and stir with
a sanitized spoon. Wait 5 more minutes and pitch into cooled
wort. You should have active fermentation within 8 to 36 hours.
When fermentation is complete, transfer to secondary for 1 to
4 weeks or bottle as usual.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to this meeting.
I'll be on the night shift, so when you're all enjoying some
good brews, I'll just be getting to work. Rest assured I'll be
thinking about the meeting, though. As always, if anyone knows
of something from the library they're wanting to take a look
at, let me know and I'll try to find it or something an awful
lot like it. And since I'm thinking of it, if anyone has the
last few copies of Brew Your Own that they're finished with,
I'd like to get them to add to the library. Somehow, either my
subscription lapsed, or the kids used them for paper mache or
who knows what. Anyway, the ones that I've lost are from July
to September this year.
Best of brewing to all the Brewbayouers out there, and in the
words of Dave Barry, "I like beer. On occasion, I will even
drink beer to celebrate a major event such as the fall of Communism
or the fact that the refrigerator is still working."
Mike
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