Modern Homebrew Recipes (11 page)

The recipes I’ve selected are grouped into broad general classes. These groupings aren’t meant to directly represent BJCP styles or categories, only general similarities between beers:

• IPA: The modern craft beer favorite

• Everyday Beers: For when you’re having more than one

• Strong Ales: For when you’re not …

• Dark Beers: Come to the dark side

• Lagers: The big chill

• Belgian Favorites: Yes, all of them are my favorites

• Spiced Beers: Seasonal specialties

• Experimental: Styles, what styles?

For some categories, I’ve included multiple recipes to help illustrate the range of the style. I didn’t want to imply that there is only one way to brew a given beer style, and I certainly don’t want everyone entering the same beer into homebrew competitions (that would be incredibly tedious to judge!). I’m also including some older recipes to demonstrate some of my older techniques and styles, which make for interesting comparisons to current practices.

I sometimes mention names of commercial beers when discussing my recipes. I’m not really into clone brewing, or attempting to exactly replicate an existing beer. I’m instead using it as a form of shorthand. By using a popular example, I can describe the similarities between my recipe and a beer a brewer might have tried, and show how the recipe was perhaps inspired by it. I think every beer should be evaluated on its own merits, not on how well it matches a specific commercial product.

RECIPE FORMAT

I’ve used a standard template so that each recipe is in the same format. Most of the elements of the template should be fairly self-explanatory, but I will review each to ensure there are no misunderstandings:

When I include specific numbers for the style parameters (gravity, IBUs, color, etc.), I am using estimates from brewing software, not lab-analyzed values. I used Beer Alchemy on the iPhone configured with Tinseth bitterness estimates, Morey color estimates, and default hop format scaling factors. Batch size and mash efficiency settings are as described in each recipe. If you get different estimates than what are listed here, don’t worry too much about it; your software might use a different ingredient database, or different calculation methods. I know this software doesn’t take into account bitterness contributions from steeping or whirlpool hops, so the actual IBUs of beers using those methods are likely higher.

•
Title
– The name of the recipe. I name my beers after the style, and possibly include a batch number. Sometimes I name beers for competition, but it’s typically an afterthought.

•
Comments
– Some background, personal notes, or a story about the recipe. Not technically important to brewing the beer, but these extra details provide some historical context.

•
BJCP Style
– The name of the associated beer style from the 2015 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines.

•
Style type
– This includes three types:
Classic BJCP Style
(existed as a named style in the 2008 BJCP Style Guidelines),
New BJCP Style
(new to the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines),
Experimental
(something unusual that would be entered into one of the BJCP Specialty-type categories).

•
Description
– A general overview of the beer, with details as to how it might be differentiated from other examples within the style or compared and contrasted to other styles.

•
Batch Size
– The volume of the batch at the end of the boil (which isn’t necessarily the finished volume of beer). Most batches are homebrew scale, ranging from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).

•
Efficiency
– The mash efficiency, or the percentage of potential sugars extracted from the source malts and grains. My efficiency is typically 70–75%, although some methods sacrifice efficiency for increased flavor or improved perceived quality in the end product.

•
Specifications
– The style’s parameters: Original Gravity (OG), Final Gravity (FG), Alcohol by Volume (ABV), estimated bitterness using the Tinseth method and expressed in International Bittering Units (IBUs), and color expressed in Standard Reference Method (SRM) units.

•
Ingredients
– The quantity, type, and brand of each ingredient, as well as how they are used in the recipe. The format of each ingredient depends on the type of ingredient (fermentables, hops, yeast, other).

-
Fermentables
(malt, grain, sugar, adjuncts) lists the quantity, type or name (sometimes the country of origin), brand, and where they are used in the process. Base grains are typically mashed, dark and crystal malts are often steeped during the mashout, and sugars are added during the boil (reference the mash technique and formulation notes in
Chapter 2
for any additional details). Brands are the names of maltsters or producers; in many cases substitutions are no problem, but I like to be specific because flavors can change from one supplier to another. If I reference a malt with a number (like Crystal 65), that represents the type of malt (Crystal) and the color in degrees Lovibond (65), note that maltsters often produce crystal malts over a broader range (like 55–65) or may call them something else (like “Medium Crystal”). When in doubt, check the specifications from the maltster. If I don’t specify a maltster or country of origin, then the exact selection doesn’t really matter; pick something close and readily available to you.

-
Hops
lists the quantity, type or name (sometimes the country of origin), alpha acid (AA%), format of the hops (usually pellets or whole), and the time they are used in the process. The format I use for hop timing is “@ nn” where nn is the number of minutes before the end of the boil. FWH means “First Wort Hops,” and hops listed with a +nn means that they are added nn minutes after the end of the boil. Alpha acids vary by source and year of harvest, so be sure to adjust quantities based on the actual measured AA (AA% • weight in ounces = AAU [alpha acid units], which is what should always be used to calculate bitterness). For late hop additions (those in the last 15 minutes), use the actual quantity shown, but be sure to adjust the quantity of bittering hops accordingly to hit the target IBU level for the beer.

-
Yeast
is shown by brand and name, but other yeast suppliers often have equivalent yeasts. Yeast starters (1 L for 5–6.5 gallon batches) are assumed unless otherwise noted.

-
Other additives
will list any additional ingredients that are added to the beer. Normal brewing additives such as yeast nutrients and clarifying agents will not be shown as these are part of the standard brewing process.

•
Water treatment
– The type of water, water salts, acids, and other water treatments used in the recipes.

•
Mash technique
– The type of mash technique (or techniques) used in the recipe. Reference
Chapter 2
for more information on the actual processes. The recipes won’t include descriptions of how to execute the techniques unless they are unusual.

•
Mash rests
– The temperature and duration of each mash rest. Obviously the rests depend on the mash technique.

•
Kettle volume
– The volume of the beer in the kettle before the boil starts. I normally measure this using a marked stick.

•
Boil duration
– The amount of time the wort boils. The start of the boil is when bubbles start breaking the surface, and the end of the boil is when the heat is shut off (
knockout
).

•
Final volume
– The volume of the beer in the kettle at the end of the boil (typically measured with the same marked stick). The relationship between the starting kettle volume, boil length, and final volume is very system-dependent; you need to calculate your own boil-off rate and adjust accordingly.

•
Fermentation temp
– The temperature of the fermenting beer, not the ambient environment.

•
Sensory description
– My judging notes, describing the beer as I perceive it. These are my subjective observations; yours might (and probably will) be different.

•
Formulation notes
– My suggestions to the brewer, often identifying the key parts of the recipe where substitutions should not be made, or factors that are critical to the success of the recipe. The notes might also explain why certain choices were made.

•
Variations
– Ideas on how the recipe could be changed to make other beer styles, or adjusted to better balance or focus the beer.

3. IPA RECIPES

“I have learned that a bitter experience can make you stronger.”

—Mel Gibson, actor

Everyone knows that IPA means India Pale Ale, but the modern craft beer market has stretched that name well beyond its original roots. Most craft beers wearing the IPA label today bear little resemblance to historical English beers that were shipped to India, many aren’t pale, and some aren’t even ales. As the most popular craft beer category, the only thing ‘IPA’ has come to mean is a beer that has a very hop-forward aroma and flavor with moderately high to high bitterness levels.

It’s best to not attempt to expand the IPA acronym; if we take it as a general name, all the modifiers (black IPA, session IPA, Belgian IPA, etc.) make much more sense. After all, why get so hung up on the name of beer styles when you could be just brewing and drinking them? If you tell a consumer that a beer is an IPA, they will have an expectation about the general balance and flavor profile of the beer, and will be able to understand how other adjectives change the implied target sensory description. The need for all the differentiation is simply because the category has grown so much, and features a lot of experimentation.

It’s fascinating to see how the style description of IPA has changed over the years. The BJCP guidelines from the late 1990s describe a strong, highly hopped beer but not much else. One version said they were quite pale, while others said they could be almost brown. English hops or American hops were fair game, but the beers were also described as having caramel, toast, and fruit flavors. By 2004, the category had been split into English, American, and Imperial styles, and each focused on specific sensory expectations and overall character. The 2015 BJCP guidelines take it even further by acknowledging the various specialty IPAs that have been flooding the craft beer market. It’s unknown whether these beers will have any staying power, but they are fun to brew and delicious to drink in the meantime.

As with the journey through the evolution of the IPA style category, this collection of recipes will showcase the differences in the classic and current formulations, as well as show off some of the more popular and creative variations on the style.

•
Four Seas IPA
– Once clearly an IPA, now more like an American Strong Ale. Reddish in color with a strong American hop character, inspired by Sierra Nevada Celebration.

•
Tomahawk Chop IPA
– An old school IPA heavy on the bittering, this beer needs significant aging to mature and come into balance. An American take on an English classic, but with my signature twist.

•
English IPA
– Often overlooked amidst the new specialty IPAs and bold American interpretations, this version uses classic English ingredients in a more modern interpretation.

•
East Coast IPA
– A more modern IPA in design with more late hop smoothness, but with a maltier and more balanced character. Features all Centennial hops, as a tribute to the classic Bell’s Two Hearted Ale.

•
New World IPA
– My take on all that is new in IPAs using New World hops, in a dry and very pale interpretation. I was able to turn this one around in less than 3 weeks, which is a long way from a slow boat to India.

•
Sinamarian IPA
– A new kid on the block, the style is much different than a hoppy stout. For better or worse, this style appeared all over the place in much of the recent experimentation in specialty IPAs, but can be very enjoyable if done right.

•
Belgian IPA
– More than an IPA with Belgian yeast, there is a surprising amount of difficulty in properly pairing high hop levels with most Belgian yeast strains. Kind of like a smaller Belgian tripel crossed with an American IPA.

•
Spring IPA
– My own invention,
maibock
meets IPA in this springtime seasonal IPA. Encouraged by how well Belgian IPAs can work, I thought about other pale, stronger styles that might tolerate similar high hop treatment.

•
Session IPL
– All the hops, half the alcohol. What’s not to like? In this version, I show how you can vary the hop varieties to create something completely non-traditional.

•
Halloween IPA
– Blood red for the season with enough warmth to chase away the chill. Pushes the boundaries of an American Strong Ale, but by tweaking the hop balance, it’s clearly an IPA.