Writer: Michael Tonsmeire
Dark Winter Saison
Digital and Plus Members OnlySaisons are traditionally a warm weather drink, but a few of us have a tradition of getting together each fall to brew a strong, dark, spiced saison. Each year’s version has a different dried fruit and dark malt. The blend of spices along with the earthiness of the Brettanomyces and buckwheat honey make for an almost savory beer. Brett C is a good complement to the Dupont strain because it helps to dry out the beer.
McKenzie’s Brew House’s Saison Vautour clone
Digital and Plus Members Onlyhis is the recipe for McKenzie’s Brew House’s multi-gold-medal-winning rye saison from head brewer Ryan Michaels. It’s a good example of how a very simple recipe can result in a beer of extraordinary complexity. The clean version has a wonderful rustic character from the rye and yeast, while the barrel-aged version adds some tartness and funk.
Beets by Drie Saison
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBeets impart the flavor of fresh soil and a fantastic magenta color to beer. Beets were my answer to rescue a Brett saison with objectionable sulfur. I hoped the renewed fermentation from the sugar in the beets would drive off the volatile aromatics while the aromatics would complement the spicy and earthy wild yeast character. I peeled and shredded three beets on a box grater and racked five gallons (19 L) of beer onto it for an extended secondary. It worked!
The Science of Hop Glycosides
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe modern IPA is more about the strong hoppy aroma and flavors than it is about bitterness. Michael Tonsmeire breaks down the science behind hop glycosides, one often misunderstood compounds in the complex hop chemistry matrix
Weizen Trippelbock
Digital and Plus Members OnlyInspired by The Livery’s Trippel Weizenbock. Steve Berthel told us that, “Most lagers do not use black patent, chocolate, or roast barley in the recipes. I favor a two-hour boil with dark crystal malts to achieve the raisiny, toffee flavors.” He combines extra dark 155–165 °L English crystal malt with bready German base malts (malted wheat, Pilsner, Vienna, and dark Munich). Moderate hopping with Perle and Tettnang provide the balance. Mike’s second attempt to dial in this recipe is currently resting in a 5-gallon (19-L) malt whisky barrel from Balcones Distillery in Texas.
Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co.’s Morana clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIn December 2010, head brewer Jason Oliver of Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co. of Roseland, Virginia collaborated with Alistair Reece, homebrewer and beer blogger (http://www.fuggled.net/), on a traditional double-decocted tmavé. Reece penned the recipe and named the beer for the Slavic goddess of death and renewal. Oliver has won an astonishing amount of brewing medals and is a staunch proponent of decoction mashing (see inset), and Weyermann floor malted Bohemian Pilsner malt.
Nitrogen and Stout Faucets
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIs there a more mesmerizing sight than beer cascading through the rising bubbles of a nitrogen pour? Understand the science behind nitrogen beers and stout faucets.
Sebastian God Damn
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA 100% Brett fermented beer recipe from Michael Tonsmieire. Brett beer is one of the three styles in the new American wild ale category of the 2015 Beer Judge Certification Program style guide and is wide open to interpretation.
Enjoy the Freedom of Homebrewing
Digital and Plus Members OnlyTaking a moment to savor the hobby side
One Batch, Many Beers: Experiment with Split Batches
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI spent 10 years homebrewing batches of 5 gallons (19 L) and smaller. I reasoned that I was already brewing more beer than I could drink, so why buy a larger mash tun and kettle? The answer finally clicked when I came to embrace split batches. Brewing 10 gallons (38 L) doesn’t take anywhere near
Kveik – Norwegian Farmhouse Yeast
Digital and Plus Members OnlyStop me if you know this story; farm brewers ferment without access to commercial yeast, sterile culturing, or precise temperature control. Passing their strains down and sharing them, the mixed-cultures adapt to warm fermentation, creating unique flavors. Eventually, knowledge of the strains’ precise origins is forgotten. Isolated strains eventually gain popularity in both traditional and
Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing: Baltic Porter clone
Digital and Plus Members Only“Medium bodied, dry, with a crisp lager background. Medium bitterness, aroma and flavor dominated by roasted malts, noble hops, and a noticeable but not overpowering smokiness. The taste is rather long, crispy dry with intense roast maltiness, subtly enhanced by the addition of a little bit of raw licorice. Think: Your favorite Baltic porter with some extra layers of smoke, complexity and depth!” — Anders Kissmeyer