Russian River Brewing Co.’s Consecration clone

Russian River Brewing Co.’s Consecration clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.067  FG = 1.012
IBU = 24  SRM = 21  ABV = 7.25%*

*ABV is for the base beer prior to barrel aging with fruit. The final ABV after aging with fruit and accounting for evaporation is 10%.

Consecration is a dark ale that is initially fermented with Belgian Abbey Ale yeast. After the beer is done fermenting and all the primary yeast is removed, the beer goes into barrels (this homebrew version calls for oak chips, for ease) with dried currants and Brettanomyces yeast initially. After 2–3 months, the bacteria is added. All of this is left to age in used Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels until it is ready to rack off the fruit and be packaged. – Vinnie Cilurzo

Ingredients 
9.3 lbs. (4.2 kg) 2-row pale malt
10 oz. (285 g) unmalted wheat
6 oz. (170 g) acidulated malt
4 oz. (113 g) Special B® malt
4 oz. (113 g) Carafa® III Special malt 
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) dextrose sugar
8 oz. (14 g) dark candi syrup
11 AAU Warrior hops (60 min.) (0.65 oz./18 g at 16.9% alpha acids)
2 oz. (56 g) aged hops (30 min.)
4.5 oz. (128 g) aged hops (whirlpool)
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) dried currants 
Oak chips soaked in Cabernet Sauvignon
White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale), Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity), or Imperial Yeast B48 (Triple Double) yeast
Brettanomyces bruxellensis (such as Omega Yeast OYL-202, Wyeast 5112, White Labs WLP650, or similar)
Lactobacillus (such as Omega Yeast OYL-605, Wyeast 5335, White Labs WLP672, or similar)
Pediococcus damnosus (such as Omega Yeast OYL606, Wyeast 5733, White Labs WLP661, or similar)

Step by step
Mash the grains at 160 °F (71 °C) for 60 minutes, targeting a mash pH of 5.35–5.45. Conduct a 170 °F (77 °C) mash out step, if desired. Vorlauf until your wort is clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 168 °F (76 °C) water to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort (or more, depending on your evaporation rate).

Boil for 60 minutes following the hopping schedule. Add the dextrose and candi syrup with 15 minutes remaining. After the boil is complete, add the whirlpool hop additions and stir the wort briskly to form a whirlpool, then cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Russian River adjusts the pH in the whirlpool down to 5.0–5.1.

Chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 64–66°F (18–19 °C). Aerate the wort if using a liquid yeast strain, pitch about half as much of the Belgian ale yeast as normal. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until final gravity is achieved and let the beer sit for one to two additional days.

If possible, remove yeast from fermenter and fine the beer with biofine or gelatin to remove as much yeast as possible. Russian River ages Consecration in freshly emptied Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Their process looks like this: Add currants and Brettanomyces directly to the barrel and transfer the beer on top. After 8–12 weeks, add the Lactobacillus and Pediococcus to the barrel. The beer will need to sit for another 6–8 months to complete a secondary fermentation. The final gravity should be around 1.002–1.004 depending on how vigorous the secondary fermentation is in the barrel.

If you don’t have access to a used wine barrel, use oak chips and soak them in your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon and use those in the beer. Before doing this, boil the oak chips or soak the oak chips first in a citric acid solution and then rinse them to try to remove some of the oak character. You’d want to do this several times to reduce the oak contribution to the beer. Consecration does not have a strong oak character as the used Cabernet Sauvignon barrels have had wine in them for a minimum of three years.

Extract with grains version: 
Replace the 2-row, wheat, and acidulated malt with 6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract, 7 oz. (200 g) dry wheat malt extract and ¾ tsp. 88% lactic acid. Add 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) water to your brew kettle and bring to a boil. Remove kettle from heat and carefully stir in the liquid and dry malt extracts until totally dissolved. Add the lactic acid and return to the heat and boil for 60 minutes. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Notes from Vinnie:
As you can see from the recipe, we conduct a high-temperature mash. The purpose for this is to create a good amount of unfermentable sugars for the Brettanomyces and bacteria to work on down the line. You’ll want to pitch 50% of your normal yeast pitch to this beer. This is another way we ensure we leave enough residual extract in the beer for the Brettanomyces and bacteria.

Ultimately, Consecration is a balance of aromas and flavors contributed from the malt, hops, yeast, bacteria, barrel (oak), and fruit. My initial thought with this beer was to have flavors from the beer that would meld nicely with the characteristics from the wine that was once in the barrel. There really should be no one overpowering flavor to the beer.