Writer: Gordon Strong
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.
Gordon Strong’s Pre-Prohibition Lager
I’m presenting a modern homebrew version of this recipe that uses flaked maize rather than a cereal mash, and has some upgraded malt and hops.
Pre-Prohibition Lager: A classic American Pilsner-type beer
A style still often called classic American Pilsner, or CAP, the pre-Prohibition lager has several distinctions that separate it from modern American light lagers. Learn the history of the style and some guidelines to crafting your own CAP.
Imperial Stout: Back in black
Imperial stouts are now one of the most revered beer styles in the craft beer world. Learn about its history and pointers for crafting this big, age-worthy style.
Gordon Strong’s Imperial Stout
I’m presenting an English-inspired version of an imperial stout with some American hopping.
Gordon Strong’s Sahti
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.099 FG = 1.038IBU = 9 SRM = 16 ABV = 9% Ingredients15.5 lbs. (7 kg) Pilsner malt2 lbs. (0.91 kg) dark Munich malt2 lbs. (0.91 kg)
