The Rise of Brazilian Beer
I think most people know that I enjoy traveling for beer, whether I’m judging, teaching, brewing, consulting, giving judging exams, or just being a beer tourist. I have greatly enjoyed most of the places I’ve visited over the years, but Brazil will always have a special place in my heart. From my first trip there nearly ten years ago to my last travel prior to the coronavirus lockdowns, Brazil has never failed to impress me with its scenic beauty, friendly people, and passion for craft beer.
Brazil is a very large country in South America, the fifth largest by land mass in the world (a little larger than the continental U.S.) and the sixth in population with over 200 million citizens. Over 20 million people live in São Paulo and many people live in coastal cities. The Amazon River basin dominates the northern portion of the country, and there are several inland mountainous areas across the country as well. Much of Brazil’s industry has historically been based on agriculture and natural resources.
As the equator runs through the northern part of the country, Brazil in general has a very warm climate — a factor that greatly influenced the development of beer. Brazil is different from most Latin American countries in that its people speak Portuguese, not Spanish. Brazil is fairly advanced for Latin America, but I would still consider it a developing country. English is taught in school, so many people I have met speak at least some English, which helps them with much of the brewing literature. American television and media are available, and does seem to have had an influence on popular culture. So, the population is diverse, generally educated and industrious, and very thirsty for good beer.
Craft Beer in Developing Countries
Brazil is similar to many other countries I have visited when it comes to craft beer. The industry is relatively new (maybe within the last 20 years, although much has been accomplished in the last 10 years). Similar to the U.S. in the 1970s and many other countries without a traditional brewing industry, Brazil’s beer market was previously dominated by a few brands that produced industrial lager. Then craft beer introduced new products, but many consumers don’t really understand them. In some countries that have craft beer, brewers are rediscovering historical styles — this isn’t the case in Brazil since there really weren’t any.
Even with countries with some traditional brewing industry (such as Ireland and Australia), I have seen modern craft beer have a strongly American influence. Modern styles such as hazy IPAs are competing with more established traditional styles, and some breweries are very focused on experimentation and trying out new techniques and styles. Some breweries are trying to develop barrel programs, while others are incorporating local ingredients. Here is an area where I think Brazil does have an advantage — more about that later.
Many of the larger or more well-established craft brewers have been purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev. There is some resentment among craft brewers and consumers over this trend, and there is a growing desire to recognize independence among craft brewers, similar to trends in other countries. There are many micro- or nano-breweries with small capacities; it seems like the barrier to becoming a commercial brewery are low (or are ignored), although it is often difficult to source equipment and ingredients.
Homebrewing is well-established in Brazil, and it is often difficult to tell the difference between homebrewers and small commercial brewers. I’m not sure of the legalities, so I often don’t ask too many of those questions. But there is definitely a path for homebrewers to go pro, as well as working in larger breweries.
I often get asked questions about the Brazilian beer identity, or what I think of their beer culture. Those questions are difficult to answer, as I think Brazilians are searching for these answers themselves. I think they are producing good quality beer in general, but they seem to think they are missing something. Maybe it’s a desire to be well-known, but I think that producing quality beer is a good goal.
Observations About Brazil
When I first came to Brazil a decade ago, I only had two comments about their beer — “too sweet” and “too cold.” People would get defensive and try to justify why this was the case (“we are a hot country” or “people grow up eating a lot of sugar”). Maybe they thought I was attacking them; but they asked what I thought of their beer. I guess they weren’t really ready for an honest answer, but it was certainly accurate for the time.
Thankfully, that time has changed. Much of the beer I have tried recently would be welcome anywhere in the world. Crisp, dry IPAs; clean, well-attenuated lagers; tart, fresh sour beers; and many others. Sure, there are some that aren’t so good, but the quality in general is among the best in Latin America. The most popular styles that just about every brewery has seem to be Pilsner, IPA, and weissbier. Some regions also have many traditional German styles, stouts and strong beers are well-known, and black IPA is also popular.
I had many brewers tell me they use the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines almost as a recipe book — inspiration for new styles, and descriptions of what the beers should taste like. I had no idea the guidelines were used this way; I was flattered and humbled, and feel a greater responsibility to think globally when describing styles.
Homebrewers seem to be organized into state-level groups called ACervA (short for Associação dos Cervejeiros Artesanais, or Association of Craft Brewers). I have seen more homebrewing competitions in Brazil than elsewhere in Latin America, and there is a national championship. Commercial competitions are common, as with most other countries, but Brazil runs the largest in Latin America — the Concurso Brasileiro de Cervejas (Brazilian Beer Competition). Held in Blumenau in the southern state of Santa Catarina, this is the competition I judged at just prior to coronavirus. Blumenau is an interesting city, like a little Bavarian village dropped into the mountains thousands of miles away.
Interestingly, Blumenau was the first city I visited in Brazil. I remember having feijoada (one of their famous national dishes, a hearty bean and meat stew) with Pete Slosberg on a Wednesday (Brazilians only eat this dish on weekends so they all thought we were crazy). It was here I learned that Brazilians consider bottled beer and draft beer two different products (cerveja and chopp, respectively) with different laws. I saw cerveja pasteurized (which harmed the character of IPAs and fruit beers) in order to protect it from rapid spoilage when being transported in the hot weather. Chopp is unpasteurized and typically very fresh beer, but not a distinct beer style.
I have been to homebrew club meetings all over Brazil, from Recife and Salvador in the Northeast to Ribeirão Preto and São Paulo in the Southeast to Porto Alegre, Caxias do Sul, and Florianópolis in the South. Homebrewers are alike around the world; people are friendly and curious, interested in learning new things, and they all enjoy good beer. Many of them are proud to show off their home areas, and to have you sample their best beer.
I have made several collaboration brews with Brazilian breweries and homebrewers. I made a batch of mead on my first trip using mango, lime, mint, and chiles, as well as one with a Brazilian fruit called jaboticaba, kind of a cross between a grape and a blueberry. I brewed a double IPA with honey and Mosaic® hops with Cervejaria Seasons, a dry-hopped grisette with Salvador Brewing, a grape ale with local Moscato grapes and Amarillo® and Mandarina Bavaria hops at Cervejaria 4 Árvores, and a mango-passion fruit Catharina sour with Armada Cervejeira.
Having observed those working in and around the beer industry, I noticed a group of people known as beer sommeliers at work. Sort of like beer experts and consultants, I see this group doing consumer education and training, as well as consulting with bars and restaurants on pairings and building a good beer menu. I have many friends in this group, and many are also BJCP judges. Brazil also seems to have many independent schools for those interested in learning about beer and brewing, such as the Escola Superior de Cerveja e Malte (college of beer and malt) in Blumenau. Not like university programs, the equivalent in the U.S. might be the Siebel Institute. But it’s interesting to see that there is a market for beer education and training.
Unique Brazilian Ingredients
Like elsewhere in Latin America, malt extract is unknown so all brewers are all-grain brewers. Use of dry yeast is widespread, although there is some domestic liquid yeast being made (Levteck is one producer in Florianópolis). It is easy to get local base malts, as those are used by the big breweries. Imported German malts such as Weyermann are common, but those from other countries are less common. There are some local producers of specialty malts. Hops are not commonly produced, so imported pellets are most frequently used.
When I judge in South America, I often ask to be placed on flights with fruit beers, spice beers, and wood-aged beers so I can learn more about local ingredients. When not drinking beer, I often enjoy the local cocktail scene. Brazil is known for its famous distilled spirit, cachaça, made from sugar cane, and the cocktail made with it, the caipirinha. Cachaça is a little like rum, but it is sometimes aged in wood barrels, and a caipirinha is a little like a more limey mojito without the mint.
The wood-aged beers in Brazil are impressive. The most famous wood is amburana, which is used to age cachaça. It is a very strongly-flavored wood, but has a complex spicy flavor like cinnamon and cloves, with some toasty cocoa and vanilla flavors as well. One brewery told me after they aged beer in a new amburana barrel for six months that they would then use that beer to blend into other beers, but using only 5% of the barrel-aged beer in the blend. Powerful, indeed. An imperial stout aged in amburana won best of show at this year’s Concurso Brasileiro de Cervejas. In the U.S. some craft breweries have been using amburana as well, including Cigar City and Against the Grain.
Some other woods that have good use for beer are bálsamo (balsam), castenheira (chestnut), ipê, jaqueira (jackfruit), putumuju, and jequitibá. They also use carvalho (oak), cedrinho (cedar), and eucalipto (eucalyptus). Blending woods is common; I remember the Best of Show beer from a competition in Chile that was a Belgian dark strong ale aged with four woods. Usage rates are typically 100 g of medium-plus toast wood cubes (1 g each) per 50 L of beer (roughly 2 oz. per 5 gallons), aging from three to six months. Blending of aged and unaged beer is common to get the desired character.
Most brewers seem to use the wood directly, rather than in used barrels. There is some usage of old cachaça barrels, but not as common as used Bourbon barrels in the U.S. Brazil doesn’t have a large wine industry so the use of old wine barrels seems to be limited to the small area where wine is produced. Barrels for beer are reused, as they are expensive, and brewers have to take the time to blend old and new beers to get the right intensity of wood flavor.
As a tropical country, Brazil has a cornucopia of fruit. I often seek out the ones with no translation into English, since those are often most perishable and likely not to be exported. Brazilians often group fruit blends, calling red and darker fruit “red fruit” (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) and pale fruit “yellow fruit” (mango, peach, guava, melon, starfruit, pineapple). One time in Brazil I was taken to a juice bar (no alcohol, surprisingly, but it was still in the morning) so I could sample many of the native juices.
Some of the more unusual fruit I have had in beer include cajú (the fruit, not the nut, from the cashew tree), jaboticaba, butia (sometimes used to flavor cachaça, kind of tannic and dark), guaraná (the cherry-like flavor in Red Bull), and cupuaçu (chocolate-like). Many fruits are tart and citrusy and often tannic, with complex tropical flavors and floral aromas. Every breakfast in Brazil has papaya, and many of these fruits are commonly enjoyed as juices.
Many of these fruits are featured in the Brazilian beer Catharina sour, which is a kettle soured beer that has fresh fruit added post-fermentation. As a quick beer, the clean lactic sourness provides the tart edge to the sweetness of the fruit. It is very important for this beer to use fresh, not frozen, fruit and to not pasteurize the beer. The fruit needs to taste fresh, not like jam. Sometimes these beers have herbs and spices, such as basil, to complement the fruit. I have been to many competitions where this style is the third most-frequently entered after IPA and pale ale. It’s an incredibly refreshing beer perfect for the warm climate, and featuring their wonderful native fruit.
Grapes are also a popular fruit ingredient. The winemaking region of Brazil is fairly small and in the far south, but there is an Italian heritage there. I collaborated on a Moscato-based grape ale, and really enjoyed a Muscat Brett saison on my last trip. The brewery where I made the collaboration has used that beer as the basis of a series of beers with different grape varieties; I need to try those next time. Brettanomyces is fairly rare in usage, but I did try a great Brett IPA from Cervejaria Way on one trip.
Brazil has great coffee and chocolate, and those have found their way into beer. Hop Arabica is a great blonde ale with coffee, and I also had a very interesting strawberry coffee Catharina sour minutes after getting off the plane in Florianópolis. Coconut, vanilla, and other spices are commonly used in beer. I had an interesting imperial stout made with funghi secchi (dried mushrooms) and cumaru (a seed with a flavor like vanilla) — a homebrew recipe that inspired a commercial beer (a recipe for this beer is below). Other variations of this beer included versions with chili peppers, cocoa, and wood aging. The spices are often extracted with vodka and blended in to taste.
On my last trip, I saw some brewers experimenting with cocktail-like beers. The most interesting concept I saw was a Negroni Baltic Porter, combining one of my favorite cocktails with one of my favorite beer styles. This concept still needed some work, but it has me intrigued. I will have to see if this develops into a trend.
Parabéns, Brasil
Brazil has made remarkable progress in beer, and deserves congratulations. While it is still struggling to find an identity of its own, I think it has the basis for greatness already present. Beer has ceased to be overly sweet, and more local ingredients are being used. The brewers have the necessary creativity and skill, and people seem eager to learn.
Sometimes I remark to Brazilians that I can’t understand why they attempt to make hazy IPAs. You want tropical fruit flavors in your beer, right? Why do you use a lot of expensive hops (which you don’t have) when you could use actual tropical fruit (which you do have, and it’s the best in the world)? It makes no sense to me. I think maybe it’s the desire to show they can make the same beers as in the U.S., but they should be proud of what they can make on their own.
Brazil has come a long way in the last ten years, and I’m proud to have been a witness to the evolution of beer there. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years holds. Obrigado.
Recipes
I talked to several brewers who were happy to share their recipes. I have selected a few commercial beers and a homebrew recipe that I tried and thought showcased some of the interesting ingredients and methods I described in this article. Thank you to Daniel Diehl of Cervejaria Narcose for their Mora Mora rice dark lager with coconut and vanilla, Vinicius Carpentieri of Cervejaria UNIKA for their Catharina Sour Morangueiro Cafeina (strawberry and coffee), Carlo Mioranza of Alem Bier for their Muscat Brett Saison, and Daniel Ropelato for his Imperial Stout with Dried Mushrooms and Cumaru. Also, very big thank you to my good friend Fernanda Meybom for helping with the research and introductions.
Cervejaria Narcose’s Mora Mora clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.013
IBU = 20 SRM = 23 ABV = 5.5%
Mora Mora is a dark lager with coconut and vanilla brewed by Cervejaria Narcose in Capão da Canoa, Brazil.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsner malt
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) flaked rice
10 oz. (283 g) dark Munich malt
10 oz. (283 g) Caramunich® I malt
6 oz. (170 g) Carafa® Special I malt
4 oz. (113 g) roasted barley
1 lb. (454 g) rice hulls
5 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
10 oz. (283 g) shredded coconut, toasted
Natural vanilla extract to taste
SafLager W-34/70, or Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager), or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride to the mash.
This recipe uses a step mash. Mash the Pilsner and dark Munich malts and the flaked rice in 16 quarts (15 L) water at 140 °F (60 °C) then step to 151 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Step to 162 °F (72 °C) for 30 minutes. Add the rice hulls and dark grains, mix well. Begin recirculating, then raise to 172 °F
(78 °C) for 10 minutes. Allow a good filter bed to form with the rice hulls, keep recirculating.
Add the first wort hops in the kettle during sparging. Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes.
Chill the wort to 50 °F (10 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment for three days. Raise the temperature to 54 °F (12 °C), add the toasted coconut, ferment for one day. Raise the temperature to 57 °F (14 °C) until the beer reaches attenuation. Add vanilla extract before packaging.
Rack the beer, prime, and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Cervejaria Narcose’s Mora Mora clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.013
IBU = 20 SRM = 23 ABV = 5.5%
Ingredients
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
2.6 lbs. (1.18 kg) rice syrup
10 oz. (283 g) dark Munich malt
10 oz. (283 g) Caramunich® I malt
6 oz. (170 g) Carafa® Special I malt
4 oz. (113 g) roasted barley
1 lb. (454 g) rice hulls
5 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
10 oz. (283 g) shredded coconut, toasted
Natural vanilla extract to taste
SafLager W-34/70, or Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager), or White Labs WLP830 (German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Steep the malts for 30 minutes. Remove and rinse. Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and rice syrup and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on, add the hops, and bring to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.
Chill the wort to 50 °F (10 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment for three days. Raise the temperature to 54 °F (12 °C), add the toasted coconut, ferment for one day. Raise the temperature to 57 °F (14 °C) until the beer reaches attenuation. Add vanilla extract before packaging.
Rack the beer, prime, and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Tips for Success:
Narcose makes their own vanilla extract, but for coconut uses commercial shredded toasted coconut. They soak cut up vanilla pods in grain alcohol to extract vanilla flavor. The usage rate varies based on extraction time and the quality of the vanilla, so they always do it to taste. Commercial (real) vanilla extract could be a substitute — added to taste.
Cervejaria UNIKA’s Catharina Sour with Strawberry & Coffee clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.008
IBU = 9 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.5%
A unique take on Catharina sour with the addition of strawberries and coffee from UNIKA, in Rancho Queimado, Brazil.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsner malt
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) wheat malt
10 AAU Citra® hops (whirlpool) (0.67 oz./19 g at 15% alpha acids)
14 lbs. (6.4 kg) fresh strawberries
24 oz. (700 mL) cold-brewed coffee (light-bodied, fruity)
1.25 g Lactobacillus plantarum
1.25 g Lactobacillus casei
SafAle US-05, or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride to the mash.
This recipe uses a kettle souring method. In 15 quarts (14 L) water, mash the grain at 154 °F (68 °C) for 45 minutes. Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil for 30 minutes without hops. Cool to 97 °F (36 °C) and pitch the Lactobacillus. Let it sour until a pH of 3.2 is reached (usually 36–48 hours). Boil for 45 minutes, adding the hops in the whirlpool after the boil is complete. Cool to 68 °F (20 °C) and pitch the ale yeast. More yeast than is normal may be needed due to the low pH.
Add the strawberries on the third day of active fermentation. Do not wait for fermentation to slow down, they must be added at high kräusen. The fermentation temperature can rise as high as 73 °F (23 °C), allow to ferment to completion. Cold crash the beer, rack off, then add the cold brewed coffee at packaging.
Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Cervejaria UNIKA’s Catharina Sour with Strawberry & Coffee clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.008
IBU = 7 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.5%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
10 AAU Citra® hops (whirlpool) (0.67 oz./19 g at 15% alpha acids)
14 lbs. (6.4 kg) fresh strawberries
24 oz. (700 mL) cold-brewed coffee (light-bodied, fruity)
1.25 g Lactobacillus plantarum
1.25 g Lactobacillus casei
SafAle US-05, or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle. Heat to 158 °F (70 °C) and then turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Boil for 30 minutes without hops. Cool to 97 °F (36 °C) and pitch the Lactobacillus. Let it sour until a pH of 3.2 is reached (usually 36–48 hours). Boil for 45 minutes, adding the hops in the whirlpool after the boil is complete. Cool to 68 °F (20 °C) and pitch the ale yeast. More yeast than is normal may be needed due to the low pH.
Follow the remainder of the instructions in the all-grain recipe.
Tips for Success:
The strawberries are prepared by washing, coring, and running them through a juicer, then using the juice and pulp. This is to create more surface area. Use very fresh, ripe strawberries in season. If strawberries are frozen, make sure they are frozen for no more than a week or two. Make sure to account for the extra volume needed in your fermenter for the strawberries.
The coffee is prepared by the cold brew method. Using a 7:1 ratio of water to coffee (7 oz. water per oz. of coffee beans by weight or 700 mL water per 100 g of coffee), combine coarsely ground coffee with cold filtered water, and let steep for 12 hours. Strain the coffee or use a French press. Use the indicated amount of the liquid coffee; measure the finished amount of liquid for the recipe. Use very fresh coffee, preferably from a local roaster who can grind it for you — be sure to tell them it’s for cold brew so they grind it coarsely.
Lactobacillus can be a pure pitch or obtained through probiotic drinks. The brewery uses Lactobacillus from an Italian pharmaceutical supplier, www.probiotical.com. It comes in 50 g sachets; they use 50 g of each in a 211-gallon (800-L) batch, so 2.5 g total should suffice for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. Many brewers use just plantarum, so it isn’t vital to source both varieties. They switched from using probiotic drinks to make the product vegan-friendly, not because of problems with probiotics.
Alem Bier’s Muscat Brett Saison clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.007
IBU = 13 SRM = 3 ABV = 6.8%
This saison with Brettanomyces from Alem Bier in Flores da Cunha, Brazil incorporates local Muscat grapes.
Ingredients
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg) Pilsner malt
7 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.7 oz./20 g at 10% alpha acids)
1.25 gallons (5 L) Muscat grape must
French oak, medium toast
Bio4 Saison and LevTeck B1 (Brettanomyces blend), or Wyeast 3711 (French Saison) and White Labs WLP650 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), or The Yeast Bay WLP4636 (Saison/Brettanomyces Blend II)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 0.5 tsp. calcium chloride and 0.5 tsp. of calcium sulfate to the mash.
This recipe uses a step mash. In 18 quarts (17 L) water, mash in at 104 °F (40 °C) for 10 minutes. Raise to 126 °F (52 °C) for 10 minutes. Raise to 144 °F (62 °C) for 60 minutes. Raise to 153 °F (67 °C) for 10 minutes. Mash out at 169 °F (76 °C) for 15 minutes, recirculating.
Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the beginning of the boil.
Chill the wort to 79 °F (26 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment. When the beer is about 1.020 gravity, add the grape must, and ferment until complete.
At the brewery, this beer is aged in an old French oak barrel that had Ancellotta wine in it (an Italian grape variety with plantings in Brazil). Brettanomyces was pitched in the barrels. This can be simulated by using French oak cubes or spirals, pre-boiled for 15 minutes prior to use. Use 1 oz. (28 g) of oak for 9–12 months along with the Brett. Age the beer at cellar temperatures, 54–62 °F (12–17 °C), during this time.
Rack the beer, prime, and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to a high carbonation level.
Alem Bier’s Muscat Brett Saison clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.007
IBU = 26 SRM = 3 ABV = 6.8%
Ingredients
6.2 lbs. (2.8 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
7 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.7 oz./20 g at 10% alpha acids)
1.25 gallons (5 L) Muscat grape must
French oak, medium toast
Bio4 Saison and LevTeck B1 (Brettanomyces blend), or Wyeast 3711 (French Saison) and White Labs WLP650 (Brettanomyces bruxellensis), or The Yeast Bay WLP4636 (Saison/Brettanomyces Blend II)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.
Chill the wort to 79 °F (26 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment. When the beer is about 1.020 gravity, add the grape must, and ferment until complete.
At the brewery, this beer is aged in an old French oak barrel that had Ancellotta wine in it (an Italian grape variety with plantings in Brazil). Brettanomyces was pitched in the barrels. This can be simulated by using French oak cubes or spirals, pre-boiled for 15 minutes prior to use. Use 1 oz. (28 g) of oak for 9–12 months along with the Brett. Age the beer at cellar temperatures, 54–62 °F (12–17 °C), during this time.
Rack the beer, prime, and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to a high carbonation level.
Tips for Success:
The yeasts used by Alem Bier are Brazilian, so some substitution is probably necessary (we’ve provided a couple of suggestions) but you could substitute with some other favorites of yours. Use a saison strain that is not overly clove-like. The Brett blend is mostly B. bruxellensis, but it is not very funky — it is floral and fruity. The Brett can take the beer down to 1.000 gravity.
The Moscato (Muscat) grape is very fresh, peachy, and floral in character. The target combination of the beer is to be floral and fruity with a bubbly texture, like a high-quality Asti sparkling wine.
The beer I judged was aged in the bottle for a further year and a half; two years would be a good target if you can wait that long.
Imperial Stout with Dried Mushrooms and Cumaru
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.097 FG = 1.017
IBU = 61 SRM = 80 ABV = 10.6%
Courtesy of Daniel Ropelato, this imperial stout incorporates dried mushrooms and the unique flavors of cumaru seeds (tonka beans).
Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.5 kg) pale ale malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) flaked oats
1.5 lbs. (680 g) Caramunich® III malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) Carafa® III malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Belgian dark candi syrup, D-90
3.7 AAU Challenger hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (10 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) dried porcini mushrooms
8 cumaru beans (or use vanilla extract, to taste)
SafAle S-04, or Wyeast 1028 (London Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride to the mash.
This recipe uses a step mash. In 26 quarts (25 L) water, mash the pale ale malt and flaked oats at 126 °F (52 °C) for 10 minutes. Raise to 156 °F (69 °C) and hold for 120 minutes. Start recirculating wort. Add the Carafa® and Caramunich® malts and raise the temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) for 15 minutes. Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated. First wort hops go in the kettle prior to sparging. Add the candi syrup at the end of the boil and stir well until dissolved.
Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete.
Make a mushroom extract by soaking mushrooms in 100 mL (a little less than half a cup) of vodka while the beer is fermenting. Strain the extract off the mushrooms prior to adding. Make cumaru extract by soaking 8 whole beans in 300 mL of vodka for at least two months. Strain and use to taste; start with about 10 mL. Add the mushroom and cumaru extracts at packaging to taste. Rack the beer, prime, and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Imperial Stout with Dried Mushrooms and Cumaru
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.097 FG = 1.017
IBU = 55 SRM = 80 ABV = 10.6%
Ingredients
8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (680 g) Caramunich® III malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) Carafa® III malt
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Belgian dark candi syrup, D-90
3.7 AAU Challenger hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Challenger hops (10 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) dried porcini mushrooms
8 cumaru beans (or use vanilla extract, to taste)
SafAle S-04, or Wyeast 1028 (London Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by step
Use 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Steep the malts for 30 minutes. Remove and rinse. Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe instructions.
Tips for Success:
The brewer called the mushrooms funghi secchi, but that just means dried mushrooms. He said they were Italian; further questioning led me to believe they were porcini mushrooms. I think any earthy, wild mushrooms would work, but porcinis are particularly intense. Specialty or gourmet cooking supply stores carry them.
Cumaru seeds are also called tonka beans in North America and other places (they are quite large, thumb-like in size). If you can’t get your hands on cumaru then use vanilla (cumaru is sometimes called Amazon vanilla, but it has an almond-like aroma). Vanilla extract can be made in the same way as the mushroom extract, or commercial extract (natural, please) can be used. Alternatively, the batch can be split and the base beer dosed with the vanilla and mushrooms directly, then the two batches can be blended to achieve the desired flavor profile.
Dark candi syrup was all that was specified in the recipe so I would use something like D-90 candi syrup. The brewer originally made the syrup at home, so a commercial substitute is recommended.
