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January/February 2008
A roundtable discussion among professional barrel users, barrel maintenance for those new to oak barrels, clone recipes of five beers that are aged in wood, and what to do when you want oak, but barrel aging is out of the question.
In this issue
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recipeBlondinebier
Jamil Zainasheff’s provides a classic blonde ale recipe to provide a subtly complex, yet easy drinking ale. The perfect lawnmower beer.
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recipeNew Belgium Brewing Company La Folie clone
A wood aged sour brown ale with lots of green apple, plum and cherry notes. According to Lauren Salazar of New Belgium Brewing Co., “Never turn your back on (the barrels). They like to change on you and right when you think you know what one will do, it does the exact opposite.”
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recipeUpstream Brewing Company Grand Cru Clone
What’s the secret to making a good barrel aged beer? “Good wood, great beer, a little imagination and lots of patience.”
—Zac Triemert -
recipeStone Brewing Company’s Darth Porter clone
“Don’t be afraid to use a barrel that has already been through many uses. There is more to the barrel aging process than extracting wood and bourbon, brandy or wine flavors.”
— Mitch Steele -
recipeJolly Pumpkin Brewing Company La Roja clone
“This one of our signature beers, if you will. It is loosely based in the Flanders sour red tradition.” — Ron Jeffries
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recipeRussian River Brewing Co. Temptation clone
A Belgian-styled blonde ale aged on oak with Brett added. "When we fill the used Chardonnay barrels, we only add Brettanomyces in with the beer as we are filling the barrels. The acidity comes from the bacteria that are floating around our barrel room. To achieve the acidity as a homebrewer, you’ll need to add some Lacto and Pedio."
— Vinnie Cilurzo -
recipeNew Holland Brewing Co. Dragon’s Milk clone
New Holland describes Dragon’s Milk as, “A stout with roasty malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones, all dancing in an oak bath.” And who doesn’t like Dragon’s Miilk?
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recipeGary Foster’s Spotted Dog (California Common)
A fun twist on the classic California Common recipe.
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projectCarboy Sprayer: Projects
Frustrated with all the gunk that collects inside your carboys? Don’t soak it, spray it! Learn how to build your own carboy sprayer.
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articleLautering Efficency
To get all the goodies from your grains, you need an efficient lautering system – find out how homebrew solutions stack up.
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articleAmerican Blonde Ale
It’s true that some gentlemen prefer blondes, and lots of homebrewers do, too. Brush up on the methods for making easy-drinking American blonde ales.
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articleBarrel Aging: Pro Brewer Roundtable Tips
A roundtable discussion among professional barrel users.
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articleThe Science of Step Mashing
A single infusion mash is best for fully-modified malts — but when it comes to undermodified malts, you need to step it up.
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articleOpen Fermentation: Tips from the Pros
Ollie Lagomarsino (Anchor), David Geary (D.L. Geary) and Steve Dresler (Sierra Nevada) open up about open fermentations.