Be Careful When Adding Fruit Additions
Adding fruit is an easy way to turn one beer into a completely different brew, without the need for changing around the base malt/specialty ratio. However, depending on how you add the fruit, you also may be adding simple sugars that are highly fermentable.
If you dont try to account for the added sugar, you could either end up with a beer that tastes cloyingly sweet or make a beer that has a higher alcohol by volume than anticipated. One way to combat this is by adding fruit to a secondary vessel after primary fermentation has completed. Be mindful that some fresh fruit have naturally occurring wild yeast on the skin. You can either dip the fresh fruit in StarSan or go to your local grocery store and buy frozen fruit.
Sanitized For Your Protection
Before you begin brewing, you’ll need to clean and sanitize your equipment and work area to prevent spoilage and avoid foul tastes in the beer. The saddest situation for a beer brewer is to wait weeks for fermentation only to find the beer’s spoiled.
For every step of the brewing process you’ll need two types of cleaner: one to clean dirt and grime and one cleaner to sanitize surfaces. It is easy for beer to become infected by microbes in the air or left over in kitchen equipment. These microbes can make beer taste like vinegar or sour butter so it’s important everything is very clean to avoid those nasty flavors.
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
For that, I had four ounces of apple cider one and a half ounces of vodka, juice from quarter of a lime. And then top up with a ginger beer. You could even add a little bit of hard cider to this as well.
My apple pie hard cider would go perfectly with this cocktail.
And thats it. Cheers and enjoy.
If you have any questions about making ginger beer, be sure to let me know, and dont forget to subscribe for more videos like this.
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A Brief History Of Beer
Around 16,000 years ago, our ancestors first started to cultivate grain. And, at the same point in our history, the first beers were starting to appear, probably made from that very grain. These beers were developed by the Sumerians, who lived in what is now southern Iraq.
Such beverages were crude compared to modern standards and, served in vast jugs, they were drunk through reed straws as the beer in the jug was still fermenting.
What Is The Hops Bill
Just like the grain bill, the hops bill refers to the quantity and variety of hops to be used in a beer.
In our example the hops bill is:
1.25 oz Citra Hops 21.1 IBU0.75 oz Citra Hops 17.0 IBU1.25 oz Citra Hops 15.4 IBU1.25 oz Citra Hops 8.5 IBU1.25 oz Citra Hops 1.8 IBU3.00 oz Citra Hops
This tells us that we need, for example, 1.25 ounces of Citra hops which has an alpha acid level of 12.40% and will develop a bitterness level of 21.1 .
As previously discussed, the hops bill is where we also learn at what stage in the boiling phase we should add the hops. So, we need to begin the boil with 0.75 ounces of Citra hops, again with 12.40% alpha acid which will give the finished beer 17 IBU .
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Which Yeast Do I Need To Use
In our recipe, the recommended yeast is SafAle English Ale or Wyeast 1968.
Using the right yeast in the recipe you are using is important for many reasons. The efficiency level, or how much sugar will actually be transformed in to ethanol and CO2 is largely dependent on the yeast as is some of the taste and smell a finished beer has.
Often a recipe will give you one or two options on yeast that you can use, so try to find the right one where possible. If its not possible, then you can also substitute this ingredient for the closest variety you can find. In this case, any English Ale yeast variety will not be far wrong for the type of beer we want to brew.
Another piece of information that the recipe gives us is that a yeast starter is recommended. This is the addition of sugary extract which is mixed with yeast before being added to the wort before fermentation. I believe this is recommended here because the OG is above 1.050
Whats The Mash Temperature In A Beer Recipe
In our recipe, the mash temperature is 152 °F.
The mash is a process where brewers steep grains, such as barley, in water in order to activate the malt enzymes which occur naturally within them. This converts the grain starches into fermentable sugars which can be transformed by yeast into alcohol and CO2 during the fermentation phase. In order to release enough sugars, the wort needs to be maintained at the right temperature during the mashing stage, in this case, 152 °F.
In order to have the correct temperature during the mash you need to heat your strike water to a higher temperature. It will cool down as its density changes with the addition of material into it. In this case we would aim for about 162 °F for our strike water.
Remember that not every recipe involves mashing as those that utilize malt extract eliminate the need to mash any grains before the boil.
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Whats The Batch Size In A Beer Recipe
In our recipe, the batch size is 6 Gallons .
The batch size refers to the expected potential yield of the brewing process for the particular recipe you are following . Most brewing calculators and brewing software will compensate for the loss of water through evaporation when giving you the initial quantity to begin the brew with. Remember that the right amount of liquid can be determined by the OG prior to the boiling phase.
Time To Brew Your Perfect Beer
Now its time to brew your new homebrew recipe. Gather the ingredients, calculate the amount of yeast needed and make the appropriate starter if necessary. Enjoy the process. Just dont forget to relax and have a homebrew. Brew your perfect beer recipe and get it fermenting. Hopefully you kept sanitation at the forefront of your mind at all times and hit all your gravities. Ferment your beer to completion and bottle or keg it. Let it age and condition before you sample it. When the time is right, sit back and savor it. Ever tried a coffee beer? Check out the new article on adding java to your brew. Cheers!
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Think Carefully About Ingredients
Keep it simple, sweetheart. Thats the slightly politer version of a saying that was already old when Moses was in swaddling clothes . Simplicity is important to successful beer recipes. The fewer ingredients you use, the more focused your finished beer will be.
Using the fewest ingredients possible also lets you evaluate your beer more effectively. Youll be able to trace any funky flavor or mouthfeel issues much more easily if youre not trying to figure out if it was the malt, the lavender, or the packet of tartar sauce.
Many styles of beer have traditional yeasts, malts, and sugars considered essential to their creation. So if, for example, you want to create a recipe that captures the essence of a good Bavarian Hefeweizen, youd use wheat for at least 50% of your grain bill, German hops, and a yeast that produces the fruity esters that give this style of beer its flavor.
You can familiarize yourself with various grains, yeasts, and hops by poring over the books, but the best way to learn is by pouring yourself a cold one. Taste the beers you want to recreate or emulate, and get to know their ingredients. Youll find an informed palate is a handy tool for building a better beer.
If youre new to designing beer recipes, make like the Hulk and SMaSH your brew. This homebrewing method limits you to just one type each of malt and hops, keeping things lean and clean.
Why Brew Your Own Beer
For many homebrewers, its the cost. Back in January, the average cost of a pub pint rose above £3 for the first time, in many areas of the country it is much higher still. I can brew beer for 40p a pint. A no-brainer.
Malt barley ©Getty
Secondly, Id say flavour. When I was younger I used to drink supermarket lager and I had long-assumed that lager tasted better than ale and it was incredibly cheap you pay more for bottled water.
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Now, of course, I cannot believe what I was missing. As soon as I was introduced to the world of beers, ales, porters, bitters, stouts, milds and even properly conditioned lagers, I realised that beer had a range of wonderful flavours and subtleties to rival wine. My quest to make the finest beer has become an obsession.
Thirdly, homebrew is almost certainly better for you and lower in calories than any mass-produced beer or lager on offer. It doesnt contain any additives and you know exactly whats gone into it. I find it odd that we British consumers have become so anxious about what we eat that we want to know what field our Sunday roast was born in and who its grandmother was, yet when it comes to beer we dont have the same considerations.
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Build Your Homebrew Recipe
At this point you should have a good list of ingredients and a pretty good idea of the proportions to use. The next step is to build your recipe using recipe software or an online calculator. While you can estimate recipe parameters by hand, it is far easier to do fine adjustments using software that updates estimated parameters as you work.
When building the recipe, compare it to the BJCP style guide and take a close look at
- Original gravity: The original gravity range gives a good indication of how much total malt is needed to brew the recipe.
- Bitterness: Bitterness is expressed in International Bitterness Units . You typically will adjust the quantity of hops used and hop boil times to reach the target bitterness level.
- Color: Color is typically given in Standard Reference Method units. Adding more dark malt to the malt bill will drive the color estimate for the beer.
Adjust the grain bill and hop schedule until the parameters above fit within the limits provided by the BJCP style guide for your beer style.
How To Make Viking Heather Beer
I was a bit of a worry to my father. He was a man who loved sport – especially football – while I loathed the playing field with a matching zeal. . Also, and this was worse in his eyes, I preferred lager to “proper” beer. I just didn’t like the heavy, sickly, bitter flavour. I think my father considered me to be a little effete, though this is not the word he might have chosen.
The following recipe comes from one of the most interesting people I know. His name is Alastair Wallace . He is a delightful and engaging expert on ancient brewing techniques and breweries who can take a bit of stopping once you set him off on his favourite topic. I asked him if he could come up with an easy recipe using wild plants. He describes the recipe he sent me as a “metheglin” though I would suggest it is a honey beer, albeit one quite unrelated to the modern honey beers that contain very little honey indeed. It is more, as Alastair himself says, like the stuff the Vikings would have drunk.
The finished result is quite splendid light, nicely honey coloured and tasting of honey. Dad would, finally, be proud.
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Tweaking Your Beer Recipe
How does one go about tweaking their beer recipe without adding too much/too little of a particular ingredient without going overboard and having an end result that tastes disgusting? The short answer is: a lot of trial and error. While trial and error is one of the joys of homebrewing, it could end up leading to a costly mistake.
Lets be honest, if you arent inclined to drink your homebrew, then nobody else will. Here are a few guides to follow when tweaking a recipe to call your own.
Creating A New Recipe From Scratch
This method requires more time, knowledge, and effort than modifying an existing one, since you need to know more about the ingredients. But creating a beer recipe from scratch also lets you experiment quite a bit more.
For a simple beer built from the ground up, revisit the basics of a good beer recipe. Lets say you want to brew a 5-gallon batch of stout. You want it to be dark, malty, and have a few hints of chocolate and char.
Your grain bill has three components: a base malt of Pale Malt , chocolate malt, and roast barley. Your base malt will contribute 90% of your fermentables, while the other two will provide 5% each. You know you want to make 5 gallons of beer, and youve chosen a reasonable 1.070 OG, well within the proper range for stouts. Your target FG, also based on the range for stouts, is 1.017.
You take careful notes, so you already know your overall brewhouse efficiency is an impressive 75%.
Armed with this information, you can work a little mathematical magic and figure out your grain bill.
First, calculate your total gravity units. You do this by multiplying the number of gallons in your finished batch by the gravity units in the OG. In this case, an OG of 1.070 means your beer has 70 gravity units.
5 x 70 = 350 gravity units
Now, break down each fermentables contribution by multiplying its percentage by the total number of gravity units.
Base malt : .90 x 350 = 315Chocolate malt: .05 x 350 = 17.5Roast barley: .05 x 350 = 17.5
Exempli Gratia Stout
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What Does Fg Mean In A Beer Recipe
In our recipe, the FG is 1.018.
FG, just like OG, refers to the Final Gravity of your brew but this time it is the density of beer. You measure your FG after fermentation has taken place and this means that you can now officially call your wort beer.
FG tells you if the yeast has successfully transformed the sugars present in your wort into tasty beer juice and to the expected amount. If you find that your FG is very different to the expected level, then you may have had an issue with your fermentation process. If you suspect this is the case, then please look at my article on troubleshooting fermentation issues, it can really save you some headaches.
White House Honey Ale
- 2 cans light malt extract
- 1 lb light dried malt extract
- 12 oz crushed amber crystal malt
- 8 oz Biscuit Malt
- 1 lb White House Honey
- 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
- 1 1/2 oz Fuggles Hop pellets
- 1 pkg Windsor dry ale yeast
- 3/4 cup corn sugar for priming
Directions
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Starting A New Recipe
When I build a new beer recipe, I almost always start by picking a target beer style. This is not to say that the style defines the whole beer as there is plenty of room for interpretation and creativity, but by starting with a beer style, you establish the baseline for the beer you are going to brew.
A good starting reference is the BJCP style guidelines. Organized by the Beer Judge Certification Program, the style guideline provides detailed specifications and suggested ingredients for nearly 100 different styles of beer. So if you want to brew an Irish Stout, or Bavarian Weisse, this is a good place to start. These guidelines also provide ranges for average bitterness, color and original gravity for the beer which can help you achieve the appropriate balance for the beer.
Scale Your Brew The Easy Way
Luckily we live in a period where tools for any hobby are almost limitless. With the right app or web software, you can easily scale your recipe to fit any need you may have.
It is as simple as entering in all the ingredients and then following the instructions to scale the recipe up or down as desired.
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