IMHammeredBrewing Recipes

2004-04-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

Recipe #12
Dunkelweizen
This is a great beer. It is a wheat based ale that has the bananna bread, green apple, and sometimes phenolic aroma's but with the twist of having some darker roasted grains added to it as well. This gives this beer another dimension in flavor and enjoyability. This particular recipe is like having a decadent chocolate desert without having to have nearly the amount of guilt the real thing would give you. This recipe is fun and easy to make, tastes great, and is a crossover beer that lighter beer drinkers will enjoy as an introduction to darker beers. Cheers!!

Recipe for 5 US gallons, extract with steeping grains

3.3 lbs Cooper's liquid wheat malt extract
3 lbs Munton's light dry malt extract
4 oz's Chocolate Malted Wheat, 500 LOV
8 oz's Vienna Malt
1 lb of Crystal Malted Wheat 70 LOV
1 oz Hallertau Hops 4.5% AA Bittering 60 minutes
0.5 oz Hallertau Hops 4.5% AA Flavor 15 minutes
0.5 oz Hallertau Hops 4.5% Aroma 5 minutes
(all hops are pellets)
1 teaspoon of Irish Moss 15 minutes
3/4 cup corn sugar at bottling
muslin bag
White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Yeast or equivalent

Steep all crushed grains in muslin bag or grain bag in 2 gallons of 160 degree water for 20 minutes (discard grains)
Thoroghly stir in all malt extracts, adjust your kettle level to your normal level and bring to a boil
Add Hops as listed above
Add Irish Moss as listed above
Total boil time should be 1 hour
Cool wort and add to fermenter.
Top up with water to 5.5 gallons.
Stir vigorously with sanitized spoon to mix thoroughly and aerate wort.
Check opening gravity. It should be 1.051 to 1.055.
Pitch yeast and close up with airlock
Primary ferment for 5 to 10 days
Prime, package, and condition for about 14 days in the bottle or keg, then enjoy.

The finishing gravity should be 1.011 to 1.015. The ABV of the beer will range from 4.6% to 5.6% depending upon the opening and ending gravity figures. Total time from boil to drinking is only about 3 weeks. Enjoy all summer!!!

Mark, The Brewer, and I like this better than a Banannas Foster......

2004-03-30T06:52:00.000-08:00

Recipe #11
Imperial Stout
This is one of the biggest of the big beers. I recently had the pleasure of brewing this beer with a professionally trained brewer. The grain bill and hop schedule is incredible in this brew. What you will get is a high alcohol, high flavor brew with a massive amount of hops in it. This recipe is scaled to 5 gallon brewed all grain. Have fun, but beware, high gravity brewing like this can be hard to accomplish, hard to hit target gravity, and hard to get fermented completely. Good Luck!!!

Recipe for Imperial Stout, 5 us gallon, all grain assuming 70% efficiency

8 lbs Marris Otter 2-Row
8 lbs American 2-Row (Breiss)
2lbs Munich Malt
1lb Crystal 60
1lb Belgian Special B
1/2 lb Special Roast
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
1/2 lb Roasted Unmalted Barley
1oz Nugget Hops 60 minutes
1oz Centennial Hops 45 minutes
1oz Fuggles Hops 20 minutes
1 oz Kent Goldings Hops 5 minutes
1 oz Kent Goldings Hops Knockout

Mash 75 minutes at 155 degrees
Sparge with 170 degree water, collect 7 gallons of wort
Boil 90 minutes, the first 30 is needed to stabilize the wort
Add hops at schedule above
White Labs High Gravity Ale Yeast, Make a big starter up to 1 gallon
Ferment at 68 degrees for 7 Days
Transfer to secondary for 14 to 21 days
Condition, Package, and let age in packaging for 4 to 8 months.
Make now to serve for the Holiday Season

Good Luck!!!!!
Mark, The Brewer, and will be thinking about this big beer for months..........

2004-03-25T07:10:00.000-08:00

Recipe #10
Steel City Cream Ale
This will be a traditional cream ale recipe. The old versions of cream ale were nice heavier bodied beers (compared to the standard lagers) and had more mouthfeel, retained some of the ester aroma of an ale, but were brewed lighter in color and lighter in body than the pale ales of the time. Over the years this style of beer has become Genny Cream Ale, or Little Kings. Hoffenreffer is actually a cream ale of some higher standard but is increasingly more difficult to find. Yuengling Brewing also makes Lord Chesterfield cream ale. Here is my attempt at an all grain cream ale that hopefully emulates the old style cream ales when they were considered one of the finer styles made in America and Canada.

Recipe for Steel City Cream Ale, 10 US Gallons assuming about 70% efficiency

15 lbs pale 2-row malted barley
2lbs Flaked Maize or Corn
1lb Carapils Malt
2 oz German Hallertau Hops 60 - 75 minutes bittering @ 5.7% AA
1 oz Czech Saaz Hops 30 minutes flavoring @ 3.2% AA
1 oz Czech Saaz Hops 1 minute aroma @ 3.2% AA
California Ale Yeast

Mash in 160 degree strike water to achieve a mash temp of 150 - 152 degrees at stabilization for a more fermentable wort. Mash for 60 minutes.
Sparge with 165 - 170 degree water to collect 11.5 gallons of wort
Boil for 60 to 75 minutes with the above hop additions
Cool to below 80 degrees, transfer to fermenters and pitch White Labs California Ale Yeast or equivalent
Ferment in primary fermenter 7 to 10 days or til complete @ 68 degrees
Rack to Secondary fermenter for 10 - 14 days rest, cooler if possible, 60 degrees would be good
Prime, Package, Condition, and Enjoy.....

You are looking for an opening gravity of 1.046 or so and the ending gravity should be about 1.010. This would yield an ABV of approximately 4.6%.

Good luck and happy brewing.....

Mark, The Brewer, and going in back in time with this beer..........

2004-01-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

Recipe #9
Wild West Outlaw Ale
This is a beer that won't be for the faint of heart. There will be gravity and hops, and both will be ample, specifically the hops. This beer will have a hint of roastyness and should be a deep copper color. This recipe comes from our friends at West Side Brewing somewhere up in the very chilly northeast of this great land. These guys are maniacs and seem to have at least five brews going at a time. They keg some, they bottle some, and I'm guessing they drink a lot of it!!!! Anyway, I can taste this beer just from the recipe, and I like it!!! To learn more about WSB, click on the Artonsafari link and follow the instructions. Good luck making this beer and I believe all hopheads should apply!!

Grains (steep 20min at 150F)
4 oz. American crystal 40L
6 oz. Belgian chocolate
3 oz. British black patent

Fermentable
7 lb. Super Light malt extract
1 lb. Honey (Honey goes in at 180F while cooling, so as not to boil off any flavor)
8 oz. Brown sugar

Hops (60min boil time)
1 oz. Willamette (5% 60 min.)
1 oz. Nugget (12% 60 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% 45 min.)
1 oz. Fuggles (4.75% 30 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (6% 15 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (dry hop after 4 days)

Yeast
1056 Wyeast

Art says: It's surprisingly light bodied and slightly hop-heavy (not a surprise coming from WSB) with a sweetness from the honey and a hint of molasses flavor from the brown sugar.

Art didn't really say, but I would guess a 7 to 10 day ferment at 68 degrees F. with a secondary transfer for another 7 to 10. Package, condition, and then get hop oil between your teeth!!!!

Art didn't give me the specifics, but I would calculate an opening gravity that exceeds 1.060 for this brew. I would estimate an ending gravity of about 1.015 and an ABV of 5.75%+ give or take. This sounds like a very solid brew. The honey will provide a little lighter body (and kick) and this beer will definately be hoppy. Good luck and be sure to visit Art and WSB on Artonsafari.com........

Mark, The Brewer, and into these lupulin crazed recipes...........

2004-01-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

Recipe #8

Deceased Dude Ale
This is a beer that is way out of style guidelines. The extract bill here is basically a German Maibock beer, but it is fermented with ale yeast at warmer temps. The beer will be a little sturdy like a Maibock, but also have some of the ale qualities that we all love. Beware, it is easy to drink, but will have some kick. Maibock is generally golden to copper in color and is a stong beer made for the rights of spring. It is another German style fest lager that is brewed strong and is the last fest beer of the year until the Octoberfest celebration. Wow, four whole months without a fest beer. What were the German's thinking about!!!! I love a good Maibock, but don't have the facility to lager, so this is a great alternative. This beer is cloned after Rogue brewing's Dead Guy Ale. Brew it and enjoy it with a friend, it is for the rights of spring after all.......

Recipe for 5 us gallons
Extract and Steeping Grains
1lb light crystal malt 10 to 15 LOV
1lb 2-row pale malt
1lb Munich malt
7 lbs extra light malt extract syrup
1oz Perle Bittering Hops
1/2 oz Saaz Flavor Hops
White Labs California Yeast or equivalent

Steep crushed grains in grain bag at 150 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes in 2 gallons of water. It is imperative to steep the munich with pale malt to get conversion of the sugars in the munich. You will get good results steeping, or you might want to get better results and mash these grains together in 1 gallon of water, then sparge with 2 more gallons of 170 degree water. Either way will work.
Discard grains and add malt extract
Top up to normal boiling volume
Bring to a boil and add the Perle Bittering Hops 60 minutes
Add Saaz Hops with 10 minutes left in the boil
Irish Moss may be added if desired at that time
Bring wort to fermentation volume in the fermenter, Cool, Aerate and pitch White Labs California Ale Yeast or equivalent
Ferment at 68 degrees for 7 to 10 days
Transfer to secondary and condition for 14 days
Package and prime, then drink when carbonated
Target Gravity is 1.068
Target Ending Gravity 1.015 - 1.018

This beer will have the accent on malt, hop balance, and some alcohol bite. Good luck and happy brewing!!!!!

Mark, The Brewer, and wondering how the German's go 4 months without a fest bier...........

2003-12-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Recipe #7

West Coast Pale Ale
Pale Ale has been a staple of English brewing for a long time. The English style has a broad range of acceptable flavors and tastes. It completes the family of beers known as Bitters (Bitter, Best Bitter, Pale Ale). In the English brewing vernacular this simply means that the beers are lighter in body, not bitterness from hopping. Here in the US, brewers have been taking these age old beer styles and expanding upon them. The craft revolution in this country has made some of these old styles more energetic and bolder. The new wave of brewers here push the limits of flavors and experiment with new varieties of hops and the overall quantity of hops in beers. As lovers of the lupulin, the West Coast brewers are on the cutting edge of experimentation. One of those creations, Seirra Nevada Pale Ale, was a pale ale hopped with local cascade hops. The cascade hop is edgy in flavor with bursts of citrus and grapefruit while providing an assertive bitterness on the front end. The aromatic qualities of the cascade are again assertive with a citrus hint. This was a large contrast to the classic East Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops (and their smoother more earthy and flowery nature) that have been a staple in the English Pale ales for a long time. Hence, a whole new style of ale was born!!! So, if you want to try the West Coast version of Pale Ale, good commercial examples to try come from breweries that include Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Stone Brewing, and many other brewers from the West Coast.

Here is a base recipe for a West Coast Pale Ale. This is a place to start, but feel free to add and subtract as your craving for lupulin dictates:

3.3 lb alexanders extra light extract (liquid)
3 lbs of light dry malt extract (muntons)
1/2 lb light crystal 30 LOV
2.5 oz of Cascade hops bittering 60 minutes
1oz of cascade hops flavor 30 minutes
1.5 oz of cascade hops aroma 1 minute
Cascade hops assume 5% Alpha Acid rating
1 tsp irish moss
White Labs or Wyeast California Ale (liquid culture)
3/4 cup corn sugar to prime

Use standard steeping grain and extract method with a 20 minute steep at 155 F.
1 hour boil hitting the hop strikes as above
Add Irish moss if desired with 15 minutes left in boil
Cool and pitch when wort is below 80 F.
7 day primary fermentation
7 - 10 days in secondary
prime, package, and condition 14 days.
Enjoy.....

OG = about 1.050
FG = about 1.014
ABV = 4.6%
I predict that this will become a favorite base recipe that you will alter in many directions with batches to come. Good Luck!!!

Mark, The Brewer, and Bitters Family Lover (especially ESB).........

2003-11-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Recipe #6

Grand Cru Ale
This beer is in the Belgian tradition of being different. A grand cru can be made many different ways. It can have a basis in wheat malt, or barley malt (or the corresponding extracts) and often contains alternative fermentables like Belgian Candi Sugar or honey. These ales are lightly hopped and spiced with items like corriander and orange peel. What this makes is a light refeshing ale, usually pushing the upper range of alcohol that has a spicey often tart character. These ales tend to finish dry and clean. Beware, as these ales are extremely drinkable and the higher alcohol level can sneak up on you! I like this beer either at the holiday season as it compliments the obligatory level of sweets that you tend to overeat at that time, or in the summer where it can actually be a nice thirst quencher. Good luck and now on to the recipe:

Ingredients for 5 US Gallons:
6lbs extra light DME
1.5 lbs of Honey (use local variety or specialty. I have used orange blossom and it was outstanding)
1/2 lb of dextrine malt
1oz Tettnang Hops, Bittering for 60 minutes
1oz Saaz Hops, Aroma for 1 minute
1/2 OZ of Coriander
1/2 OZ of Dried Orange Peel (The coriander and orange peel are available at most homebrew stores, or look for a grand cru kit that will have a recipe similar to this inside. If you want less effect from these alternative ingredients, back down to 1/4 oz of them)
Liquid Belgian Ale Yeast, Gran Cru or other higher alcohol tolerant strain that will give some fruity ester.

Short Instruction:
Steep the dextrin malt in 2 gal water for 20 - 30 minutes in a muslin bag at 155 degrees F. Discard
Add Extra Light DME get kettle to normal boiling volume and bring to a boil
At boil add the 1 oz of Tetnang Hops
Add 1.5 lbs of honey with 30 minutes left in the boil
Add Coriander and Orange peel with 20 minutes left in the boil
Add 1 oz of Saaz Hops with 1 minute left in the boil. You may let these steep after knock out for another 5 minutes.
Chill, Transfer to fementer and pitch Liquid Belgian Style Yeast (White Labs or Wyeast make several that will work)
Primary Ferment for 7 to 10 Days at 68 - 72 Degrees
Transfer to Secondary Fementer for 7 to 10 days at the same temp.
Package in bottles or kegs with 3/4 cup priming sugar or 1 cup of honey and condition for 2 to 4 weeks.
Drink up and enjoy.

O.G. will be in the 1.057 - 1.060 range
F.G. will be in the 1.012 - 1.014 range and the ABV will be
5.5% to 6.1% range. Be careful because this beer will taste great and pack a punch. That is why I like it for the Holidays. Strong ales often are not palatable to everyone especially the Miller Light crowd that comes to your house. Most (OK the ladies) generally don't like the strong malt flavors in these beers. This beer is light and effervescent, has a very nice spicey aroma and is light on the palate. Be sure the wife or your date has at least three of them (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Mark, the Brewer, and a guy who knows a motley Cru when he sees one.

2003-11-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

Recipe #5

Amber Ale
Well, this recipe is a little over the top, but then again, aren't we all. I don't think this beer is "unnecessary", but I do think one must be worthy. This brew will not be for the faint of heart, for one who doesn't like hops, or for anyone who regulary drinks fizzy yellow water. If you are a fan of Coor's Light, The Icewater of Beers, then you should click back over to the main page now. But if adventure is your game, and hops smell like roses to you, and your motto has always been more is better, than this amber ale may be for you. Now, unfortunately, you can't get there from here with extracts. Extract brewing dulls the alpha acid extraction from hops, and that just isn't good for this recipe. We need it all in this one. Don't be shocked or scared of the amount alpha acid going in, unless your not worthy, in which case, click back over to the main page now. Because of the extraction levels needed, this brew is best brewed all grain. So, without further ado, I give you the Arrogant Bastard Ale clone recipe that I have dubbed:

The Fargin' Bastige Ale.....
Ingredients For 5 Gallons:
13.5 lbs highly modified 2-row
1.5 lbs Crystal Malt 150 lov
1.5 oz Chinook Hops 60 minutes bittering (pucker up)
0.5 oz Chinook Hops 30 minutes flavor
1.0 oz Chinook Hops Steeped after knock out 3-5 minutes
A copious amount of Wyeast 1056 or White Labs California Ale Yeast (that means two paks of either or make a starter.

Single Infusion mash at 152 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes or until conversion is reached
75 minute boil
Add Hops per hopping schedule above
Chill wort to less than 80 degrees
Pitch copious amount of yeast
Primary Ferment 7 - 10 days
Rack to secondary for 7 - 10 more days
Swagger arrogantly about the brewhouse
Keg or bottle and condition 2 to 4 weeks
Proclaim your arrogance proudly after that and watch the unworthy squirm with each sip.

The opening gravity should range from 1.074 - 1.078 with FG at 1.017 - 1.020 and the ABV range at about 6.9% to 7.7%. Are you scared yet?....Or are you worthy?

As you can see, this is not for the faint of heart or the fizzy yellow water swiller, and only true Fargin' Bastiges should apply.

Mark, the Brewer, and profoundly Arrogant

2003-10-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Recipe #4

Irish Dry Stout
Stout's origins are fuzzy, but clearly they happened in Ireland and England. It is thought to be an offshoot of Porter that was roastier and stronger. Some believe that it was a creation of tax evasion. In those days, the brewer was taxed on gravity, so the addition of unmalted barley to the mash gave the beer body and flavor, while avoiding taxation. Whatever the origins of stout, thank you Arthur Guiness for making us all love it. What a food product this is, it spans the entire light lager loving world and is a best seller everywhere you go. Not to get lost in the roasty, toasty world of stout are other great Irish Dry examples from Murphy's and Beamish. Guiness is the dominant market leader, but let me tell you that Murphy's and Beamish are must try beers if you are a stout lover and like Guiness. Seek them out.

Irish Dry Stout is actually a lighter beer often only 3.5% to 4.2% ABV. It is dominated by the roasted grains, mostly unmalted roasted barley, and may have a bit of black patent malt in it. Some use dark crystal malts as well, but if you do, limit the quantity as you don't want this beer to sweet. Flaked Barley is another often used ingredient as it enhances mouth feel, dextrin content, and aids in head retention. These are fast fermenting beers that start with base grains of 2-row barley or light malt extracts. They are flavored by the roasted grains. Hops should impart smooth bittering properties and type is not as important in this beer. Irish Dry Stout should have almost no hop flavor and no hop aroma. Bitterness levels are considered high for stout given the gravity. Yeast should be clean fermenting and almost neutral in flavor properties. This will be a partial mash regimen for this recipe. Don't worry, it's pretty easy to do. All of that said, lets make some good dark Irish Dry Stout......

Ingredients:
3lbs Pale Malt 2-Row
1/2 lb Munich Malt
3/4 lb Roasted Un-Malted Barley
1/2 lb Flaked Barley
4lbs Extra Light Dry Malt Extract
1oz Columbus Hops = Bittering for 60 Minutes (15% AA)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast

Using a single infusion mash, add Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Roasted Un-Malted Barley, and Flaked Barley to 5 qts of 165 Degree water in Mash Pot. Be sure all of the grain is wet and there are no clumps of grain. These will be dry in the middle and they won't convert. Adjust Mash Temperature to 152 Degrees. Place Mash pot in oven on low (approx 150 degrees) and mash (let sit) for 90 minutes. After time, remove the pot from the oven and place on burner. Add heat while stirring to bring temperature to mash out of 165 degrees. Immediately drain first runnings into boil kettle and slowly rinse grains with 3 gal of 165 degree water. You can use a simple stainless or plastic spaghetti colander for this. Some grain might get in the pot. Just fish it out with a stainless steel strainer. You are going to boil this wort so you don't have to be overly concerned with contamination, but I would sanitize these items anyway. Place boil kettle on stove and thoroughly stir in the 4 LBS of extra light DME. Bring kettle volume to 4 gallons of liquid with additional water if needed. It should already smell like stout (heaven?) Bring to a boil. At boiling add 1 OZ of Columbus boiling hops. Boil for 60 minutes. Cool wort with ice bath or chiller and transfer to a fermenter filled with 2 gallons of cold water. Adjust volume to 5.5 gallons. Check temperature and pitch yeast when 75 degrees or lower (cool to the touch). Primary fermentation is 5 to 7 days at 64 to 68 degrees F. Rack to secondary and bulk condition another 5 to 10 days at the same temperature. Bottle/keg with corn sugar or DME. Wait 10 to 14 days and drink up. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

The OG should be 1.050 - 1.053 and finish at 1.011 - 1.013. ABV is going to be in the 5.0% + range.

This beer turned out great for me and is a great beer to be attempting your first partial mash. Stout, because of the roasted grain character, will hide mistakes and flaws better than lighter beers. If you do something wrong and it isn't up to par, use it make black and tan's with a lager. It won't go to waste. If you follow good sanitation procedures, it will taste like stout. Good luck and happy brewing.

Mark, The Brewer and who thinks Stout is Mother's Milk.

2003-10-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Recipe #3

Brown Porter
The Porter style of beer is a classic British beer style. It is a dark ale that may be substantial and sweeter as is the brown version, or substantial and roasty as in the robust version. Porter generally starts with a base malt of two row barley, or the readily available English extracts (Munton's or John Bull). Chocolate and crystal malts are the hallmark signature of the brown version with the grain bill easily accepting levels of roasted barley or black patent malt in the robust version. This dark ale must have good body, be substantial in mouthfeel and have a hint of the aforementioned roasted grains. The ale should finish long and clean. Hopping is not as important as the grain bill here should dominate, so any classic British hops will do. The higher alpha hops available today are also a good choice as many have low cohumulone levels. There should be minimal hop flavor and little to no hop aroma in a porter. The bitterness should be neutral and smooth. This beer is all about the malt. There is a myriad of literature out there suggesting the origins of this fine ale, so search and you will find some interesting reading.

I am giving the recipe for Parrot Pete's One Particular Porter (see photo of Parrot Pete below). This ale won a category first place at Trash XII, the Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers annual brewing contest in 2002. It is again a simple extract and grains recipe.

Ingredients:
3lbs Extra Light DME
3lbs Amber DME (suggestion for all DME is Munton's)
3/4 lb light german crystal malt 10LOV
3/4 lb Chocolate Malt
1oz Columbus Hops = Bittering for 60 min
1oz East Kent Goldings Hops = Flavor 30 min
Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale
Short Instructions:
Steep crushed crystal and chocolate malts in muslin bag in kettle with 2 gal of water for 30min at 155F
Add all extracts, top kettle up to boiling volume and bring to a boil
Add 1 oz of bittering hops, boil for 60 min
Add 1oz of flavoring hops, boil for 30 min
Chill, aerate, transfer to fermentor, and pitch Wyeast 1084
Primary ferment 7 to 10 days
Transfer to secondary fermentor (glass) and condition for 14 days
Prime and keg or bottle and let condition another 10 to 14 days
Chill and drink up!!!

The OG should range in the 1.052 - 1.054 area with the finishing gravity in the 1.011 - 1.014 range. ABV is again in the 5.2% to 5.4% area.

This is a great beer that will remind you of the early American Brown Porters. A good barometer of your success is Yuengling Porter if you can get it. I would substitute this beer for food!!!!!!!
Bottoms Up, Refill, Repeat Often

Mark, The Brewer and Porter Drinkin' Fool

2003-10-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Recipe #3
Parrot Pete's One Particular Porter
Coming soon!

2003-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Recipe #2

Extra Special Bitter
This style of beer originated in England and is part of the Bitter family of beers made there. Ordinary Bitter, Special Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, and Pale Ale are all members of the clan. This recipe is a classic clone recipe of the famed Red Hook ESB of Seattle, Washington. I have been to the Seattle brewery and drank from the house tap and I can tell you without any hesitation that this is a classic brew in my opinion and I am glad I can give you this recipe that makes a reasonable facsimile of the real thing. ESB should have a nice malt profile, but should be more heavily hopped than Ordinary or Special Bitter. The beer can be balanced or have tendency toward hop bitterness or malty sweetness. This recipe is mostly balanced and that is the way I like it. ESB is generally amber in color and often has hints of caramel and toffee in the flavor profile from additions of kilned crystal or caramel malts, generally in the 60LOV range. Pale Ale Base malt (modified 2-row) or a British Pale Extract make the best base for this beer with a good dose of crystal malt. Hops may be any classic British Hop, but this recipe actually uses the noble Tettnang hop in a reasonable quantity. This extract recipe is easy to follow and easy to reproduce over and over again.

Ingredients:
4lbs Alexanders Pale Malt Extract Syrup
3lbs extra light DME (suggestion = Muntons or John Bull)
1lb Crystal Malt 60LOV
1oz Tettnang Hops = Bittering for 60 min
1oz Willamette Hops = Bittering for 60 min
1oz Tettnang Hops = Flavor for 30 min
1oz Willamette Hops = Finishing 2 min
Wyeast 1056 California Ale Yeast
Short Instructions:
Steep crushed crystal malt in muslin bag in kettle of 2 to 4 gal of water for 30 min at 155F
Add all extracts and bring kettle to boiling volume and bring to a boil
Add 2 oz of bittering hops, boil for 60 min
Add 1 oz of flavor hops, boil for 30 min
Add 1 oz of finishing hops, boil for 2 min
Chill, transfer to fermenter and pitch Wyeast 1056
Primary ferment for 7 to 10 days
Transfer to seconday fermenter and condition for 10 to 14 Days
Prime and keg or bottle and let condition for 10 to 14 days
Chill
Drink up!!!

The OG should range in the 1.052 - 1.055 area with the finishing gravity at 1.011 to 1.013. ABV should be 5.2% to 5.4%.

I hope you enjoy this beer as much as I do!!!
Enjoy.
Bottoms Up, Refill, Repeat........

Mark, the Brewer and Angry Dog Lover........

2003-09-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Recipe #1:

Bavarian Style HefeWeizen
This style of beer is one of the oldest recorded styles and in my humble opinion, one of the nicest and easiest drinking styles there is. Often considered a summer brew, it can be modified into Dunkle or dark versions that are suitable for cold weather quaffing. It is one of the old German Ale's and one of only a few that are still made as Germany is now known for it's exceptional lager beers.

HefeWeizen is made from a base of grains that includes greater than 50% and up to 70% wheat malt with the remaining base grain being barley. It is a relatively simple brew with little other ingredients save for hops and yeast. Some brewers will add small portions of dextrine or very light crystal malts to add some level of body to the brew, but if crystal is used, it must be of the very lightest variety as the caramel flavors that it often imparts is not to this style. Dextrine malt is a better choice.

In order to make this beer as authentic as possible, I suggest using the pure liquid yeast cultures that are available today as they will impart the signature bannana, green apple, and clove nose that the style is famous for. The beer should be smooth to drink with little hop presence and have just a hint of tartness imparted from the wheat. The finish should be clean, dry, and very refreshing.

This is an easy beer to make using extract and grains and is very authentic made that way. It is a quick fermenting brew and can often be consumed within twenty days of leaving the kettle.

Here is my favorite and an easy recipe for this wonderful beer. Grab a sixer and lets get brewing:

Ingredients:
6lbs dry wheat malt extract
3/4 lb dextrine or carapils malt, crushed
1oz Tettnang Hops (Hallertau or Spalt may easily be substituted) for bitterinng
Wyeast Wienhenstephan Bavarian Wheat Yeast
Equipment Tip....
Muslin Bag for Grain (about $.75 apiece)
Nylon Hop Bag (about $4.00 and reusable many times)
Instructions:
In your 5 gal kettle, place 2 gal of water.
Place the crushed dextrine malt into the muslin bag.
Immerse the muslin bag of grain into the water tying off on the handle of the pot.
Begin heating the water.
If you have a thermometer, bring the liquid to 155F and allow to steep holding at that temp for at least 20 minutes, remove and discard.
If you don't have a thermometer, don't worry, heat the liquid till it is just about to boil and remove the grain bag and discard.
Turn heat to simmer or off and stir in the dry wheat malt extract (Wheat DME is about 65% wheat and 35% Barley in its makeup). Stir vigorously to be sure that the extract is thoroughly mixed with the water to prevent scorching.
Turn heat back to high and if needed, top up water to regular brewing level for your kettle.
Bring to a boil and place the bittering hops into the nylon hop bag, place into boiling wort and tie off draw string to pot handle keeping the opening out of the wort. This will keep hop matter from getting into the kettle and make your brew "cleaner".
Boil for one hour. Watch as there will be some level of hot break and it will cause foaming up to the top of the kettle. Don't let this boil over as it will make a huge mess. Rule number 38 of brewing, boilovers suck!!
Now you must chill the wort down either by using a wort chiller (see any homebrew website for a full description if you don't know) or by placing the kettle into an ice bath in the sink.
Your 5 gal kettle should now have about 2.5 to 3 gal of wort in it. To your sanitized bucket fermenter, or sanitized glass fermenter, put about 2 gal of cold water inside. Now pour the clear wort into your fermenter (use a sanitized funnel if a glass carboy) and leave that last inch or so of "stuff" in the bottom. Be careful.
Stir with a sanitized spoon to mix the wort and water well. Make sure your volume is about 5.5 gal in the fermenter, if not, top up with more cold water.
Take your gravity if you have a hydrometer. If not, open a beer. If you take gravity, it should be between 1.048 and 1.052.
Open your yeast (I'm assuming you followed the direction on the pak and the yeast is swollen) and pitch into the wort. Seal up your fermenter (make sure everything is sanitized) and your done.
Primary ferment this ale 8 to 10 days in the primary. Wheat beer is cloudy with yeast by nature, so a secondary fermentation is not necessary for purposes of clearing the beer. It won't clear.
Prime and transfer the beer to the serving vessels of your choice (I prefer kegging) and sit at room temp for at least 7 to 10 days. Start drinking. This ale is ready to drink in about 20 days and at its peak at about 36 days.

Enjoy.
Bottoms up, refill, repeat.......

Mark, The Brewmaster

2003-09-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Recipe Outline:

All recipes will be either extract with grains, or partial mash. This is because this is how about 95% of homebrewers actually brew. All grain brewing is more advanced and does require an investment in some level of equipment. Partial mash brewing can generally be done with the basic kitchen instruments of destruction that you currently have, and if not, you can probably borrow what you need from an unsuspecting neighber. If you wish to see any of these recipes scaled to all-grain, drop an e-mail and I will be happy to post an all-grain version.

Recipes will generally have the following ingredients and information:
1. Steeping Grains
2. Malt Extract type and consistency
3. Hops, including bittering, flavor, and finishing
4. Yeast strain recommended
5. Step by Step instructions

If you are looking at recipes on this site and have any questions or comments, email the brewer and I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion and in great detail. When the 8 or so seconds of my answer have ended, then you will know as much as I don't.

Have fun and happy brewing. Bottoms up, Refill, Repeat.

--Mark, the Brewer

2003-09-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Check back...great recipes are on their way...
-Michael