Date: October 2019
Souring with Lactobacillus: Tips from the Pros
FREESoured beer can be produced in the same amount of time as non-soured styles with the help of Lactobacillus. Generally, this is done using the kettle-souring method for styles like Gose and
American Bock
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAmerican bock, you say? Surely, bock is a purely German style . . . right? Yes, indeed it is, however there was once a style called American bock, which is going to be the focus of this column. But first, we must revisit the history of bock to understand it. Bock has a long and
The Decoction Mash
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDecoction mashing has both a mystic and feared quality to it. Purists imagine achieving perfection in the ultimate Bavarian or Bohemian lager. The more pragmatic of us fear the time-intensive triple decoction with its grueling brew day and extended mess. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Decoction mashing is not done
Ice, Ice Cider
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI had my first encounter with ice cider in a seminar at the 2014 Homebrew Con and made my first batch that fall. At the time, there wasn’t much information about it in the homebrewing world and I could only find one commercial example locally. Today I am consistently judging excellent examples in competitions and local
Ice Cider
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIce Cider (2 gallons/8 L)OG = 1.144 FG = 1.061ABV = 10.9% Ingredients10 gallons (38 L) fresh-pressed, unpasteurized apple cider 7.5 grams Go-Ferm6 grams Fermaid O6 grams Lalvin 71B yeastSulfite Step by StepPour the juice into a sanitized bucket or carboy and freeze until the juice is completely frozen solid. Once frozen, move the juice to
The Lacto Lounge
Digital and Plus Members OnlyKettle souring has become very popular because of the time savings and lower risk of contaminating the brewery compared to other souring techniques. However, the process comes with its own cons too. This DIY “kettle” souring keg solves for those problems.
Berlin Smoothie
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBerlin Smoothie (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.032 FG = 1.005IBU = 0 SRM = 3 ABV = 4% This take on Berliner weisse forgoes any hop additions and incorporates two fruits not often seen together in beer, but it works beautifully. The blueberries and pineapple add a lovely deep claret color that’s unclassifiable. The
Raspberry Gose
FREERaspberry Gose (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.046 FG = 1.009IBU = 0 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.7% The OG is prior to souring. The FG and ABV include the impact
Mango Habanero Cherry Bomb Sauce
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis recipe can be adjusted for heat, consistency, or flavor. One adjustment I have made is substituting raspberries for some of the mango (pictured above). Mango Habanero Cherry Bomb Sauce (Approximately 60 fluid oz. (1.75 L) finished hot sauce) Though not a beer recipe, this hot sauce made with Lactobacillus-fermented hot peppers is another use
Danny’s Red Rum Ruos
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDanny’s RedRum Ruos (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.046 FG = 1.011IBU = 5 SRM = 13 ABV = 4.6% The deep red-garnet color from kettle soured this beer came to existence for a homebrew club Halloween-themed party. While the color could still be achieved with a less malty base grain, it is supposed to
Build This Brewstand
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI’ve often praised homebrewing as one of the few great hobbies that combines the technical specificity of science and the spontaneous creativity of art. As a structural engineer having personally experienced the allure of homebrewing, I’ve also noticed the specific draw that brewing often has on the technical-minded individual. After all, modern brewing is an
X Marks the Bock
Digital and Plus Members OnlyX Marks the Bock (5 gallons/19 L, extract only)OG = 1.060 FG = 1.012IBU = 35 SRM = 9 ABV = 6.3% When formulating an extract version of the all-grain recipe Old Timer’s Bock, we had to make some sacrifices due to the large percent of flaked corn in that recipe. As such, this recipe