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Want a cool, crisp, refreshing beer to drink when grilling or sitting around the pool this summer? Try one from our collection of 15 recipes, submitted by homebrew shops from across the nation. Plus, when the heat is on, our pros — Bill Covaleski (Victory) and Todd Charbonneau (Harpoon) — explain how to keep things cool when formulating your summer brews.
Jamil Zainasheff provides BYO his best rendition for a classic Belgian-styled witbier recipe to provide a subtly complex, yet easy drinking ale. The perfect beer for summer or anytime you need a refreshing beer on hand.
An American Pale Ale, this recipe is for the ultimate short brew day. From flame-on to cleanup is only 90 minutes. Lots of floral, fruity Simcoe flavor and aroma from the 15-minute boil.
Dogfish’s original American Pale Ale and most approachable beer.
Kölsch is a tricky beer style to pull off. Some would say that stovetop extract brewers shouldn’t even think about trying it. Not us. We know that if you take a scientific approach you can do it. However, you need to read these instructions carefully before you brew and follow them exactly.
A blonde ale kit from South Hills Brewing Supply – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
www.southhillsbrewing.com
This is a cross between an American pale ale and a blonde ale…but just a slightly hoppy blonde ale with a note of honey.
Although “bigger” than BJCP guidelines would suggest, this hefe’s extra kick is eased by crystal hops and Weihenstephan yeast. Recipe submitted by The Good Brewer out of Livermore, California.
Recipe courtesy of: The Beverage People, Santa Rosa, California
www.thebeveragepeople.com
Recipe submitted by Ben Knoerdel formerly of Ben’s Homebrew in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. This is a light, crisp and wonderfully delicious beer Ben made for his wife who doesn’t like bitter, hoppy beers.
A herbal-spiced pale summer ale. Recipe provided by Great Fermentations, Indianapolis, Indiana
www.greatfermentations.com
All the hoppiness of an Indian Pale Ale (IPA), with rye malt rounding out the flavor profile – RyePA. — Bader Beer & Wine Supply & Bader Winery, Vancouver, Washington
www.baderbrewing.com
Recipe courtesy of: William’s Brewing, San Leandro, California
www.williamsbrewing.com
“Grande” was designed by Randy Guerrero, an employee of William’s Brewing in San Leandro, California to accompany the setting summer sun. An imperialized Mexican lager.
Recipe submitted by Siciliano’s Market located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Many Siciliano’s customers regularly request a recipe for a “Michigan” style wheat ale. www.sicilianosmkt.com
A Golden Summer Ale to beet the heat. Recipe provided by DeFalco’s Home Wine & Beer Supplies, Houston, Texas
www.defalcos.com
Named for the distance between Plzen (Pilsen), Czechoslovakia and Wien (Vienna), Austria, 283 Kilometers is a crisp, clean, well-balanced beer with a firm malt presence from Vienna malt. Recipe from Chris Colby.
This West Coast style double IPA is a topseller. It weighs in at 8.1% ABV, and, with over a 1/2 lb. of hops, the IBU’s register in at a whopping 141 IBU’s. This beer is very smooth with a nice hop punch and a great citrusy aroma. Let this beer age and you will want more!
To duplicate the authentic slightly sour tang of this style, using the Belgian liquid yeast strain is recommended. There are no finishing hops so that the aroma and character of the spices and yeast can surface. The best results can be obtained from the coriander by buying the whole seed and grinding it fresh on brew day. A complex and refreshing treat to savor in any season. Recipe submitted by The Cellar Homebrew, Seattle, Washington, www.cellar-homebrew.com
Learn how to replace the hot air of opinion with the cold, hard facts of science — by conducting an experiment. Put your favorite homebrew argument to rest with an appropriate test.
Raise the right amount of happy, healthy yeast cells for your wort by making a yeast starter. Everything you need to know to make the little batch of beer for your big batch of beer.Plus: Using a stir plate to keep your yeast in suspension.
Witbier nearly went extinct after the Second World War, but now — thanks mostly to Pierre Celis — the style is roaring back. Learn the ingredients and methods to brew this cloudy, tangy, spicy brew.
When the heat is on, our pros — Bill Covaleski (Victory) and Todd Charbonneau (Harpoon) — explain how to keep things cool when formulating your summer brews.
A stir plate will keep your yeast in suspension while you are raising them in your yeast starter . . . and we’ve got instructions on how to make two different stir plates, one from old computer parts you may have lying around.
Want a cool, crisp, refreshing beer to drink when grilling or sitting around the pool this summer? Try one from our collection of 15 recipes, submitted by homebrew shops from across the nation.
Sometimes scaling down your brewing efforts can scale up your enthusiasm. Homebrew can be made in smaller batches than 5 gallons (19 L) and we give you the how, why and when to brew efficiently at a reduced scale.
They say it’s what’s on the inside that really counts . . . but not for our annual label contest. The artistic side of our readers is on display as we present the bronze, silver, gold and grand champion of our 2007 Label Contest.
