Writer: Gordon Strong
Gordon Strong’s Rice Lager
I like having a good, clean lager on tap, and this one has a refreshing quality while still being interesting.
Gordon Strong’s West Coast IPA
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.063 FG = 1.011IBU = 72 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.9% Ingredients5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Pilsner malt5 lbs. (2.3 kg) 2-row pale malt1.5 lbs. (680 g)
West Coast IPA
Clear, crisp, and packing a punch, the modern West Coast IPA offers drinkers plenty of hop character. Take a journey to Southern California where this style was born and has since been exported around the world.
Alternative Mashing Techniques
Explore three historical mashing methods from different regions — parti-gyle (England), step mashing (Germany), and decoction mashing (Czech Republic) — and learn how they may benefit your own homebrews.
Double-Decocted Czech Dark Lager
This beer is in the style of U Fleků, the best-known Czech example of this style, and uses the mash schedule from that brewery. It is a little different from the common schedules that I use. When pulling decoctions, take about 1⁄3 of the thick part of the mash to heat in your decoction kettle. Maintain the main mash at the current rest temperature until the decoction is finished. The recipe uses a slow, traditional lagering schedule.
Step-Mashed Kölsch
It is possible to produce a Kölsch in less time, but Kölsch yeast is notoriously difficult to clear because it is a powdery yeast. Giving it sufficient classic lagering time does help it clear, and it also helps reduce some of the sulfur notes produced by the yeast. Kettle finings or post-fermentation clearing agents (even mechanical filtration) is recommended if the beer isn’t fully clear. Kölsch should be a brilliantly clear beer, so please pay attention to this important part of the style.
Parti-Gyled English Pale Ale and Light Mild
Create two recipes, but use the same grist for both. For the second batch, change the brewhouse efficiency setting to one half the first recipe (in this case, 65% and 32%). Each recipe has different sugars, hops, and yeast. But read the recipe — these beers are blended before they are fermented! You will likely have to adjust this recipe after brewing to use your system efficiencies based on your sparge techniques.
Weizenbock
While our understanding and categorization of the German wheat beer family has evolved over the years, the acknowledgement of a strong wheat beer called weizenbock has been relatively static. Maybe that is because the prototypical weizenbock, Schneider Aventinus, is truly a world-class beer that is widely available and is well-known.
Gordon Strong’s Weizenbock
Weizenbocks will use malted wheat for at least half the grist, but there are many kinds that can be used depending on the desired color of the beer.
Gordon Strong’s American Pale Ale
This recipe is a modernized take of a classic American pale ale using some of my favorite ingredients.
American Pale Ale
The American pale ale will always hold a special place in the heart of any craft beer fan that lived through the 80s and 90s in the U.S. Gordon Strong takes us on a journey to explore its history and why it still remains relevant today.
Gordon Strong’s Italian Pilsner
Compared to a German Pils, the late hops are the first thing to notice. The flavor and aroma hops are more prominent and the aroma can have a freshly dry-hopped character. The hops don’t need to be at the IPA level; just more noticeable than in a German Pils.
