Writer: Gordon Strong
Gordon Strong’s Belgian Tripel
For the right Belgian character, take care to let it ferment to completion, then cool condition it for several weeks.
Gordon Strong’s Vienna Lager
Your goal here is a smooth, standard-strength malty beer with enough hop bitterness to match the malt. It should not be heavy on the palate or sweet in the finish
Vienna Lager: Brew me, Amadeus
Some of the most well-known classical music was written and performed in Vienna and it is also home to one of the classic lagers of the world, the Vienna lager. Take a tour of its history and what it takes to craft your own.
Gordon Strong’s Irish Stout
My recipe produces a beer more like Beamish than Guinness — it has a more complex grain bill and less bitterness than a Guinness Draught Stout.
Irish Stout
For those of us beer lovers who came of age prior to the modern craft beer boom, finding an Irish stout at a bar or store was like receiving a present. Gordon Strong takes us on a journey through the history, the style, and brewing a pristine Irish dry stout.
Gordon Strong’s Bière de Garde
An amber bière de garde in the style of Jenlain using (mostly) malts from the area.
Bière de Garde: From the French countryside
The French farmhouse style we know as bière de garde has a somewhat fuzzy history. Gordon Strong catches us up on how the modern take of the beer style came to be identified and the keys to crafting a quenching rendition of your own
Brew Like It’s 1850
Housed in a museum, Carillon Brewing Company in Dayton, Ohio produces beers in a similar way it would have been brewed during the Industrial Revolution. We take you behind the scenes to show how beer was made back in the mid-19th century and what modern brewers can learn from it.
Carillon Brewing Co.’s Porter clone
This English porter features a toasted malt aroma punctuated with hints of coffee, dark chocolate, and fruity esters from the British yeast. With a medium body, the flavor has a moderate level of roasted character, complemented by hints of toasted bread or biscuit, coffee, and hints of acidity.
Carillon Brewing Co.’s Coriander Ale clone
Based on a recipe from the mid-19th century, Coriander Ale is yellow to yellow-gold in appearance. Its aroma is moderately spicy with a fruitiness from the coriander seed. Fruity esters from the British Ale yeast are married to the citrus notes of the coriander and there is a lingering impression of heat from the chili peppers. There is also a soft well-rounded malt character reminiscent of honey and moderate hop bitterness.
Carillon Brewing Co.’s Ginger Pale Ale clone
The base of their Ginger Pale Ale is a traditional mid-19th century English pale ale but with fresh ginger, honey, and a moderate dose of hops added. This beer is golden in color, aromatically floral with underlying notes of spice and hops. Despite being a dry beer, Ginger Pale Ale has a deceptively sweet character that balances the strong ginger spiciness with the hops playing a supporting role. If you don’t have toasted malt, perhaps substitute Munich malt.
American Blonde Ale: For many people, their first craft beer
Often seen as a dumbed-down version of an American pale ale, the slightly less hoppy counterpart, American blonde ale, commonly gets overlooked as just a lawnmower beer. But these beers can have plenty of character.
