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One of the things that makes drinking beer in Germany unique from North America is that depending where in the country you are, the beer style you find will be different. Take a beer-style tour of Germany to discover some of the most notable German beer styles (plus recipes) and the regions they come from.
Who says you need fresh apples to make ice cider? With a few adjustments, you can make this dessert-style cider from frozen apple juice concentrate (of course, you can add fresh juice too, if you like).
Ever considered making your homebrewing hobby a career? Starting a nanobrewery is a popular trend that markets to a hyper-local niche. Before making the leap, consider these 10 keys to success.
The word Kölsch has several connotations in the German language. If used as a noun, it refers to the distinct Cologne dialect and accent. As an adjective, it means “anything from Cologne.” Thus, it is a local joke that Kölsch is the only language that you can also drink!
One of the things that makes drinking beer in Germany unique from North America is that depending where in the country you are, the beer style you find will be different. Take a beer-style tour of Germany to discover some of the most notable German beer styles (plus recipes) and the regions they come from.
The grain bill of the classic copper-colored altbier — which is internationally also known as a German Brown Ale — is almost Munich-like, but with a slightly less “caramelly” character than a Märzen, and less dark than a dunkel. It differs from a Munich brew, however, in its much more pronounced hoppiness. This creates a wonderful blend of malt-and-hop aromas in the finish, which is often described as bitter-sweet. The uniqueness of this beer — an ale after all — comes from the clean fermentation of a relatively cold-tolerant, top-fermenting specialty yeast.
This beer is hearty but very drinkable. It is hop-spicy upfront, with a solid mouthfeel and a crisp finish. Many German breweries nowadays make a Pils with much less hop character and a lower gravity than specified here, but this recipe is closer to the original guidelines for making this beer as it might have been brewed in the 19th century.
De-husked roasted malts like Carafa® III are an ideal solution to darken the color of schwarzbiers as they don’t have any sharp acrid notes as highly kilned malts do. This makes a surprisingly smooth dark lager.
The bittering hop selected here is the Mittelfrüh-like, daughter of Hallertau Gold, Tradition with a nominal average alpha acid rating of 5.5%. It has gentle fruity notes. However, any other German noble hops would work as well. The flavor and aroma hops are, fittingly, Mittelfrüh.
Authentic dunkels rely on Munich malts to provide color, without the roastiness or burnt flavors often associated with darker beers.
Being a part of a homebrew club allows homebrewers to participate in projects that would be difficult by oneself. We searched out seven of our favorite club projects and asked the clubs behind them to share the details.
A whole other type of beer exists in northern Europe known as “raw ale.” It is not so much a style, but rather a technique. The major feature that sets raw ale apart is that it is never boiled. Learn the history, stories, and techniques behind raw ale.
A raw ale (no-boil) Estonian farmhouse beer.
A raw ale (no-boil) farmhouse ale recipe.
Fresh baked bread and homebrewed beer have a lot in common, including ingredients. In fact, you can even use the same grains and yeast from your brew session again to make bread.
With such a high percentage of flaked grains, some rice hulls maybe a good addition to the mash in order to help loosen things up.
A Gose recipe utilizing freshly cracked coriander to provide citrus/herbal kick. Recipe from professional chef and culinary consultant Mark Molinaro.
Inspired by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Miles Davis Bitches Brew, one homebrewer learns about an interesting fermentation culture in Ethiopia.
Wine yeast ferments wort differently when compared to brewer’s yeast, but that doesn’t mean brewers can’t use them. Michael Tonsmeire offers some tips and ideas for their use.
Why only get one beer per brew session when you can get two? Parti-gyle is a historic technique that is rarely utilized thses days by professional brewers, but one that homebrewers can easily add to their brewing quiver.
Parti-gyle is an under-utilized technique in the brewing world, which is capable of producing multiple beer types during a single brew day. Here is a recipe from Aaron Hyde outlining a parti-gyle recipe which uses a 1⁄3 and 2⁄3 split of the mash, with the smaller volume Wee Heavy collected first and the larger volume Scottish Export being collected second.
“As with other German lagers, this style is best when it is understated — elegant, clean, impeccably crafted, well-lagered, and unobtrusive. This allows the quality of the ingredients to show themselves in the finished product, and the beer itself to be nicely drinkable despite the strength.” – Gordon Strong
Decoction mashing carries a unique legacy to it, both good and bad. On the one hand, many brewers the world-over attest to the fact that the technique enriches the malty character of beers and cannot be mimicked. On the other hand, many brewers think that with today’s malts, they find the technique dated and of little use to them. We decided to hear from commercial brewers who do utilize this mashing program.
This DIY fermenter made from a pipe is meant to simulate the high hydrostatic pressure of a commercial brewery’s cylindroconical fermenter.
“The term Utepils translates from Norwegian loosely into ‘the beer you enjoy outside on the first warm day of springtime’. We obviously brewed an ale, not a Pilsner, but wanted the beer to mimic the refreshing quality while still being full-flavored.” – John Wampler; Brewmaster at Legend Brewing Co.
Here we present some yeast lingo explained for the layman/normal human being.
Clean multiple beer lines in a fraction of the time. The best technique for cleaning beer lines utilizes a submersible pump to push the cleaning fluid through your taps and beer lines.
While this is technically a braggot, mead brewed with grain malt, the addition of the Gesho adds the characteristic flavors of an Ethiopian T’ej.
Loosely based on Miles Davis Bitches’ Brew by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Rastaman Stout is part imperial stout, part Ethiopian T’ej. A fun recipe for those looking to trying something unique.
