Bell’s Brewery
Dear Replicator,
I really like winter warmers and the absolute best, in my opinion, I’ve ever had is Bell’s V, Song of the Open Road, from their Leaves of Grass Series. Since that was a special release from a special series of beers, my guess is that they’ll not brew it again. Would you be so kind as to try to get the recipe so I can brew it myself?
Steve Russell
Denton, Texas
Song of the Open Road, 1
by Walt Whitman
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.
(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,
I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,
I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)
Larry Bell has always been known as an innovator and a creator. A leading voice of the craft beer movement, Bell is passionate about many things, including classic literature that has inspired him over the years. Larry channeled his passion for literature, specifically the work of Walt Whitman and created a series of beers each named after poems found in Whitman’s classic 1855 work, The Leaves of Grass.
There were seven beers in the Leaves of Grass Series, each having its own unique place. The first beer of the series was released on May 1, 2019 on what would have been Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday. A different beer was released every two months, tying into the seasonality at the time, just as Whitman often brought seasonality to his poetry. The first beer of the series was a unique take on an IPA with European malts and hops. Next was a fruited sour. The third release was a black India pale lager, the fourth was a smoked porter.
The fifth beer was a traditional, non-spiced winter warmer known as Song of the Open Road. Released in January 2020, this malt-driven “old school” winter warmer was intended to be enjoyed during the cold Great Lakes’ winters. Created around the finest base, kilned, and roasted malts available, the beer was designed to drive the best and most robust flavors possible. At 8.5% ABV, Song of the Open Road was the strongest release of the entire series.
Most things at Bell’s Brewery involve a team effort and this series was no different. Bell’s Innovation Manager Andy Farrell, with twenty-plus years experience at the Michigan-based brewery, took the lead on the project and had a major hand in developing each of the seven beers for the series.
“One of the things we do well as a brewery is malt,” said Farrell. “We are very comfortable brewing classic craft styles. Putting together a great malt profile was very important with hops being mainly for balance. Our goal was a full-bodied, malt-driven ale that delivers flavors and aromas of brown bread, toffee, and pleasant alcohol warming.”
Brewing Song of the Open Road
Using a medium-thick mash, the 45-minute mash contains an array of specialty malts including dark Munich, melanoidin, amber, brown, and other specialty grains that help deliver the deep and complex flavor profile.
Bell’s does not employ a traditional 60-minute bittering hop addition for Song of the Open Road. The entire boil is just 54 minutes and the first hop addition is added at the 42-minute mark. The flavor addition appears with 27 minutes to go. There are no whirlpool or dry hops in this malt-dominant winter warmer. Crystal is the only type of hops used in this beer. According to Farrell, “It’s a versatile hop, and can be used in many styles. In this case, it offered really great, clean background notes that I thought worked really well.”
The Leaves of Grass Series was not the first series of beers produced by Bell’s Brewery. The Planets Series came before and according to Farrell, you truly never know what might be next.
“Larry has such a creative mind,” said Farrell. “You never know what he’s going to come up with. This was the second series he’s created. It’s been a great challenge both times — and super enjoyable — to think of a group of beers as a whole then to try and differentiate them individually. The key is to create interest in all of them, while still being able to tie them all together to one main theme.”
Song of the Open Road will pour a nice shade of brown with garnet notes. The hearty ale is best served in a snifter glass and will pair well with rich desserts, a fine cigar or, of course, the literary works of Walt Whitman. Serve your beer at 45–55 °F (7–13 °C) and enjoy it as a sipper.
Bell’s Brewery’s Song Of The Open Road clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.084 FG = 1.020
IBU = 35 SRM = 24 ABV = 8.5%
Ingredients
12.17 lbs. (5.52 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
3.45 lbs. (1.57 kg) dark Munich malt (30 °L)
0.91 lb. (0.41 kg) dark crystal malt (120 °L)
0.56 lb. (0.25 kg) melanoidin malt
0.56 lb. (0.25 kg) roasted amber malt (43 °L)
7.8 AAU Crystal hops (42 min.) (2.4 oz./68 g at 3.25% alpha acids)
3.25 AAU Crystal hops (27 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.25% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale),
SafAle US-05, or equivalent yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
In a medium-thick mash, achieve a mash temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Mash for 40 minutes or until fully converted. Mash out at 170 °F (77 °C) then recirculate until clear. After collecting wort, boil for a total of 54 minutes, adding the hops at 42 and 27 minutes, respectively. If you care to, add yeast nutrient and a Whirlfloc tablet with 10 minutes to go in the boil for yeast health and beer clarity. Whirlpool and let the break and hops settle for 20 minutes at the end of boil for easy transfer.
Chill rapidly to 70 °F (21 °C). Pitch yeast and oxygenate thoroughly. Ferment at 72 °F (22 °C). Being a fairly large beer with a lot of sugars to ferment, give it no less than two weeks for primary and secondary fermentation. A few days longer will not hurt. Keg the beer and carbonate to 2.5 volumes or bottle condition.
Bell’s Brewery’s Song Of The Open Road clone
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.084 FG = 1.020
IBU = 35 SRM = 24 ABV = 8.5%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
3.45 lbs. (1.57 kg) dark Munich malt (30 °L)
0.91 lb. (0.41 kg) dark crystal malt (120 °L)
0.56 lb. (0.25 kg) melanoidin malt
0.56 lb. (0.25 kg) roasted amber malt (43 °L)
7.8 AAU Crystal hops (42 min.) (2.4 oz./68 g at 3.25% alpha acids)
3.25 AAU Crystal hops (27 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3.25% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale),
SafAle US-05, or equivalent yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This recipe has a combination of grains that can be steeped (crystal 120) and others that need to be mashed (amber, melanoidin, and Munich). Since the crystal 120 is the only steepable grain and imparts no roastiness that might contribute additional unwanted bitterness, you can include it when you mash the others. With grains in a large muslin bag, mash in 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water at 150 °F (66 °C). Mash for 40 minutes or until converted. Upon completion of the mash, remove grains, letting the wort drip.
Raise temperature to a boil and slowly add half of your malt extract. Boil for a total of 54 minutes, adding the hops at 42 and 27 minutes, respectively. If you care to, add yeast nutrient and a Whirlfloc tablet with 10 minutes to go in the boil for yeast health and beer clarity. With 5 minutes remaining, add the remaining LME. Separately, pre-boil and chill about 2.5 gallons (9.46 L) of water so you can top up your fermenter to 5 gallons (19 L) after the boil.
Chill rapidly to 70 °F (21 °C). Pitch yeast and oxygenate thoroughly. Ferment at 72 °F (22 °C). Being a fairly large beer with a lot of sugars to ferment, give it no less than two weeks for primary and secondary fermentation. A few days longer will not hurt. Keg the beer and carbonate to 2.5 volumes or bottle condition.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
The large quantity of specialty malts in the grain bill will inherently lead to a less fermentable wort. Bell’s mash profile is aggressive at this duration of time and at that temperature, yielding a well-attenuated beer with good drinkability. Feel free to mash longer to ensure full conversion.
While there are no oats in this recipe, Farrell believes that an addition of flaked oats could potentially enhance the beer. “I would say you can add 5–15% oats if you wanted to soften it up and create your own character of the beer,” said Farrell. “The beer was silky to begin with, but oats would enhance that character even more.”
